Erin Morgan explains how she unwinds listening to podcasts and binge watching series of Friends for some background noise.
Please introduce yourself
My name is Erin and I’m a foundation dentist working in Northern Ireland.
I graduated this year from King’s College London and I was lucky enough to get a DFT place back home so I’m very happy to be home again with my family this year.
What do you get up to in your spare time away from dentistry?
Dentistry is such a rewarding profession, and there is so much to learn. Particularly in these very early days of the career.
So I find it really helpful to unwind by listening to my favourite podcasts (The Receipts is the best! 10/10 would recommend to everyone!)
I’ve also really got into yoga this year, and although am still very much a beginner, I’ve really been enjoying it!
And of course the highlights of my week are when my friends and I have our catch ups over Facetime. We’re all based across different schemes this year and unfortunately haven’t been able to meet up due to COVID restrictions. But no distance can get in the way of our catch ups!
What type of television/movies do you like – any guilty pleasures?
I’m not very adventurous when it comes to watching new shows. I’ve been known to have Friends on loop day after day – just as some background noise!
Of course now that the festive season is in full swing I’ve been watching some of my favourite Christmas movies. I definitely think Home Alone 2 is better than the first one.
But I also think that Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. Although I know this is hugely up for debate!
Do you like to travel and do your hobbies take you anywhere in particular?
I love to travel and can’t wait until we’re all able to go on holidays once again.
My mum has a big birthday coming up next year. So we will hopefully get to go somewhere super exciting to celebrate!
Also, hopefully our delayed graduation ceremony will go ahead next summer and we will be able to travel back to London to have a big year-group reunion to celebrate with everyone again.
Why is it important to have hobbies away from dentistry?
Dentistry can sometimes involve long days in quite a sedentary state. So it’s super important that we look after our physical health both inside and outside of work.
Whether it’s using loupes to improve your posture or doing some back-stretching and strengthening exercises, it’s so important that we adopt good habits from an early stage.
Additionally, looking after our mental health is just as important. So it’s great to have hobbies that we enjoy completely separate from working life. And even better if it allows us to enjoy social elements too!
Anything else you’d like to add?
I’ve been spending a lot of my free time recently completing my first e-book, which I hope will help all prospective students with their applications into dental school.
It will be released in January 2021, called ‘The Root to Dental School’ and I hope it is a useful resource covering all aspects of the application process with all the advice I can possibly give.
My journey into dental school was really long and quite a difficult process to navigate. I completed an undergraduate degree in biomedical science and a masters in molecular biology and biotechnology.
So if there’s any way I can help other students, I would be more than happy to!
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