How we look out for each other

Respect and kindness

Treat everyone the way you'd want to be treated on your hardest day of the application cycle.

• No harassment, bullying, discrimination or demeaning comments — about anyone's background, school, identity or scores.
• Disagree about ideas, not people. Feedback on a personal statement should be candid and kind.
• Respect a “no.” Mentors decline requests for many reasons; students can end a mentorship at any time.

No patient information — ever

BridgeDDS is a mentorship community, not a clinical system. Never share information that could identify a patient: names, photos, radiographs, charts, treatment details tied to a person, dates of service or anything similar. This applies to messages, notes, uploads, submissions and reflections — including shadowing reflections. Describe what you learned, not who you saw.

If you see patient information on BridgeDDS, report it right away. Our team removes it as a priority.

Honesty and credentials

• Represent your training, school and experience accurately. Impersonation or false credentials lead to removal. Mentors also follow the Mentor Code of Conduct.
• The Verified badge is granted only by BridgeDDS Owners after confirming status — never claim it otherwise.
• Don't write application materials for someone else. Mentors guide; students author their own work.

Professional boundaries

• Keep mentorship on BridgeDDS — scheduled meetings, workspace chat and shared notes.
• No romantic or sexual contact, and no requests for money, gifts or paid services.
• No inappropriate solicitation: don't advertise, sell, fundraise or recruit for businesses or programs through BridgeDDS.
• Don't pressure anyone to share personal contact details. You choose whether to share a contact email in Privacy settings.

If you mentor

• Answer requests within about a week — even a kind decline helps a student move on.
• Only accept as many mentees as you can truly support. Adjust your capacity or pause requests when life gets busy.
• Private mentor notes are for your own planning. Keep them factual and professional.
• Share guidance, not guarantees. No one can promise admission.

If you're a mentee

• Come to meetings prepared, and give notice if you need to reschedule.
• Follow through on action items you agree to — or say so if plans change.
• Use feedback as input. Your application is your own.

Sharing content

• Only upload material you have the right to share. Credit authors and link to official sources.
• No spam, advertising or unsolicited paid services.
• Library submissions are reviewed before they're published to everyone.

Appropriate use of messages and files

• Use messages, meetings and shared files for the mentorship. Keep them respectful and professional.
• Share only files and links you have the right to share. No malware, pirated material or confidential exam content.
• Don't forward someone's messages, drafts or personal details outside BridgeDDS without their permission.

Reporting and enforcement

Use Report on any profile, message, resource or session, send a safety concern from Help & Support, or Block someone to stop contact immediately. Reports are reviewed by BridgeDDS Owners, and reporters aren't identified to the person reported. Depending on severity, we may remove content, send a warning, suspend or remove an account. Every moderation action is recorded in our audit log.

Questions about these guidelines? See how BridgeDDS works or read our privacy policy.