Why Become an ASDA Member? Noelle George ‘18 Let’s get one thing straight: being an ASDA member and being an ASDA participant are two very different things. We all know this intuitively, but we may not fully realize what we’re missing out on if we decide not to become actively involved. Not only does ASDA provide a place to be plugged into the social, educational, and political aspects of dental school and dentistry as a career, it actually provides some very exciting resources to its members that are intended for use right now, during dental school!
ASDA definitely doesn’t just provide intangible benefits to its members. You have access to some VERY valuable (I’m talking $$) opportunities as a student member, including several different types of insurance discounts, credit card opportunities, and resume help. Below I’ve listed just a few of the more monetarily exciting ones. Did you know? -As an ASDA member, you’ll get 25% off coursesaver quizzes to study for the NBDE -You’re eligible for $50,000 each of term life and accidental death insurance
One of the most important parts of being a member of ASDA is dental advocacy. ASDA works closely with ADPAC, the American Dental Political Action Committee, which influences the political climate toward the interests of the dental profession, dentists, and dental students. As an ASDA member, you will have the opportunity to meet with legislators at your state level, and perhaps even at the national level, to talk about issues in our profession that are important to you (Don’t like your student debt load or the interest rates on your loans? Get involved in ASDA!)! This is a great opportunity for students to affect change in dentistry, influence the future of our careers and practice our leadership skills all at the same time.
-ASDA members can get FREE board-exam malpractice insurance and 25% off malpractice insurance coverage after dental school -You’re eligible for $2,000/ month of disability pay and up to $150,000 to repay student loans during disability leave.
There are MANY other benefits of ASDA membership you might be interested in learning more about, and you can find information about all of the stuff I just mentioned by following the link below: https://www.asdanet.org/ benefits/ It’s easy to let ASDA be something you just put on your resume. (And it looks good there, so you should do that!) But what is really more valuable are the leadership and communication skills you will learn in dental school if you become an active participant with your ASDA chapter. Those are things you can take with you in life that will help you to succeed wherever your dental career takes you!
Being part of ASDA also connects you with other dentists and dental students that you probably wouldn’t otherwise meet. At district and national meetings there are hundreds of dental students and resources for students that give us a chance to get great information before we’re actually out in the work force. It’s an opportunity to start building relationships with people you may want to or need to interact with in the future, either as colleagues or vendors. 22