Crazy number of shadowing hours?

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

I really want to shadow all aspects of dentistry. I am a freshman right now and I have more than 50 hours scheduled for the next month.

Will having 200-250 or even 300 hours of shadowing look like overkill on application? I shadowed a pharmacist and other professions before, but dentistry seems so much more expansive and hands on...I really want to do it.

There really isn't any benefit to your application if you have more than 100 hours. Instead, put 100 hours towards volunteering or other ECs that interest you.

I cannot think of any way too many hours would reflect negatively on you, but you could do something more productive after you passed 100 hours. However, the more you shadow the more likely it is you can obtain a strong LOR from a dentist I would think.

Is there a dentist you know that works at a public health facility that you could start shadowing at but then transition into volunteering?

No its not gonna look bad...of anything its gonna standout & look good

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

I can volunteer and shadow. I'm volunteering in oral surgery at a hospital and at a low-income dental clinic

Park, GHSU is looking for 250+ hours on their application.

To be honest with you, even 300 hours is not a crazy number. I have seen 1000+ hours.
Arizona loves volunteering. Apply there.

250+....

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527523

Thanks doc!

You wouldn't need any more than 50 hours of shadowing. If it's a dental assisting, that's a different story - the more hours you have the better (for most schools at least).

Originally Posted by hs113891

You wouldn't need any more than 50 hours of shadowing. If it's a dental assisting, that's a different story - the more hours you have the better (for most schools at least).

Really?

Originally Posted by doc toothache

Really?

Yep, I believe so... I had close to 2,000, and the UoP admissions liked it a lot... it showed that I was already very familiar with clinical aspects of dentistry as well as taking X-rays, making impressions, and other stuff that would make it easier for me to learn in dental school.

Originally Posted by hs113891

Yep, I believe so... I had close to 2,000, and the UoP admissions liked it a lot... it showed that I was already very familiar with clinical aspects of dentistry as well as taking X-rays, making impressions, and other stuff that would make it easier for me to learn in dental school.

So, at the dental clinic that I've been spending time.... I've mostly been just watching and talking with the patients and dentist but every now and then I have the gloves on and I'm wiping off the various tools for the dentist, holding things for him. I've also had to use the suction to suck up all the blood in people's mouths

In the coming weeks I'll be shadowing 3/4 times more than I have, and I imagine that I'll become slightly more involved...

Do I call this shadowing, or assisting?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by MOUTHLOVER

So, at the dental clinic that I've been spending time.... I've mostly been just watching and talking with the patients and dentist but every now and then I have the gloves on and I'm wiping off the various tools for the dentist, holding things for him. I've also had to use the suction to suck up all the blood in people's mouths

In the coming weeks I'll be shadowing 3/4 times more than I have, and I imagine that I'll become slightly more involved...

Do I call this shadowing, or assisting?

Thanks!

Definitely seems like more involvement that observation, but I'm sure the adcoms will love it if you tell them you are able to take bitewing/periapical X-rays, take good impressions, make temp crowns, and so on.

I would ask your dentist if he would allow you to do them. It wouldn't hurt to know how to do them in dental school.

Originally Posted by hs113891

Yep, I believe so... I had close to 2,000, and the UoP admissions liked it a lot... it showed that I was already very familiar with clinical aspects of dentistry as well as taking X-rays, making impressions, and other stuff that would make it easier for me to learn in dental school.

You mean your DAT score is pretty inconsequential?

Originally Posted by hs113891

Definitely seems like more involvement that observation, but I'm sure the adcoms will love it if you tell them you are able to take bitewing/periapical X-rays, take good impressions, make temp crowns, and so on.

At least, they will have a list of areas that will require deprogramming.

Originally Posted by hs113891

Definitely seems like more involvement that observation, but I'm sure the adcoms will love it if you tell them you are able to take bitewing/periapical X-rays, take good impressions, make temp crowns, and so on.

I would ask your dentist if he would allow you to do them. It wouldn't hurt to know how to do them in dental school.

So if he lets me do all those things, then I can cal it assisting?

Originally Posted by doc toothache

At least, they will have a list of areas that will require deprogramming.

haha, well apparently not in UoP's perspective

Originally Posted by MOUTHLOVER

So if he lets me do all those things, then I can cal it assisting?

I don't know. Ask your dentist and the adcoms.

Don't worry about what you call it. What you did is what you did.

Present yourself as qualified as you are. If you tried hard and learned a lot, they'll see it.

FYI.. you don't take X-rays... you MAKE radiographs. yes I went there

Originally Posted by goffdent

FYI.. you don't take X-rays... you MAKE radiographs. yes I went there

haha the dentist that I shadow is always going on about this

Originally Posted by Parklife

I really want to shadow all aspects of dentistry. I am a freshman right now and I have more than 50 hours scheduled for the next month.

Will having 200-250 or even 300 hours of shadowing look like overkill on application? I shadowed a pharmacist and other professions before, but dentistry seems so much more expansive and hands on...I really want to do it.

Definitely not overkill.
Better to have more than less as long as you also make time for other things.
Shoot, with all that time shadowing, if you learned to recognize the letter/number of teeth immediately just by looking inside a patients mouth or can read xrays I'm sure you will impress some adcoms.

Really??????????

IMO, you can only shadow at one place for so long. If you want to shadow "all aspects" of dentistry, your not going to need to shadow 50 hours at each specialist. You can only observe so many extractions, cleanings, fillings, etc. before it becomes monotonous and too repetetive that it's a waste of your own time. Volunteer until you get to the point that you feel you've seen everything you can and done everything you've can and then get involved at a different office/clinic, or more importantly, do some volutneering in your community. It doesn't have to be dental related, showing your a well rounded applicant and genuinley enjoy interacting and working with people in your community will do far more for you than shadowing 250-1000 hours.

100 Hours of shadowing + 100-200 hours of community service will be far more meaningful to an admissions official than 500+ hours of dental shadowing.

And another thing, don't volunteer too long when you can't speak in depth about something you listed for 300 hours on your application-that issue would come up during an interview. Also make sure the volunteering you do in your community is work that you GENUINELY enjoy and makes you happy. This attitude will be much more easily reflected in your application and interview than someone going through the motions who may come across as "fake".

I agree with most people on here, there isn't much to gain after you've shadowed 100 hours. I mean all shadowing really is watching the professional in his day activities and learning about what you're getting into. Why would you spend 250+ doing that when you could find better use for your time?