SPOTLIGHT
Dr . Darleen Oleski
By Darleen Oleski , Chair , Government Relations Committee
I can remember being a very young and naïve 21-year-old when I arrived in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania for my first year of dental school . The city pulled me into its excitement and opportunity . The dental school filled me with terror as I walked through those hallowed halls at Penn . Students , teachers , administrators and patients all mulling around together , and I had no idea where I would fit in . All that I knew was that I was NOT going to disappoint myself nor my family in the pursuit of a career I had “ chosen ” when I was four years old .
The years seemed to flash by like photographs . Anatomy dissection and general restorative labs dissolved into clinic rotations and requirements . We learned everything we could be taught about our chosen career , and even about implants , which was something very new to the dental education process at that time . Friendships were nurtured by social events that seemed to help ease the stress of the ever imposing national and NERB exams . Psi Omega gatherings for Friday night cheesesteaks and the occasional Kamikaze parties tempered the days filled with the work of waxing up teeth , crafting custom trays and never-ending didactics . Social interactions became the glue that held us together as a class , and as people , under the stress of a tedious and arduous educational process . The NERB exam produced the two most stressful days of my life back then .
Somehow , we all got through them and moved on to specialty programs , GPRs , AEGDs and private practice . I had dappled with the idea of staying in academia , but decided against that as I saw my more experienced colleagues exit and go off to private practice . I also felt the pull of my home town . I had gotten married and turned my thinking to beginning a family . So , it was back to northeast Pennsylvania to start the rest of my life .
With the help of my parents , I was able to have a location in order to start my private practice . After a year of renovation , while I worked in the Poconos as an associate , I opened my office . That date was April 1 , 1997 . I was five months pregnant with my elder daughter Julia and I was ready to open the door and start from scratch . Little could I imagine that less than two years later my younger daughter Rachel was born . Both daughters spent plenty of time being weaned in the office , and with the help of my mom and aunt , we all raised them well .
I was lucky . What I had hoped to be a career I loved turned out to be the most fabulous gift . The gift was the ability to be a mother , which has been the most fulfilling part of my life . I never missed a school event or class trip . I helped with the dance productions , music lessons and the cross-country team . I was able to fully engage in raising my children . Dentistry afforded me that beautiful ability to work and be a mother . I will never be the most profitable dentist , but I would not have had it any other way . Money cannot buy those most treasured parts of our family life .
A number of years ago I was asked to help with the development of a public health dental office in my region . This opened my eyes to the challenges of a population who were in great need of dental care and without the avenues and education to help themselves . This opportunity
22 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL