How many shadowing hours should I aim for?

[dental555]

Right now I have about 55 hours of shadowing total, after shadowing two dentists. I haven't been able to get any dental volunteering experience. If I have something like a 3.55 or 3.6 GPA and a 20 or higher on the DAT, how many hours of shadowing should I aim for? I'm currently a junior and don't have much more time to rack up hours, so am getting a little nervous after hearing people who have 100+. Should I aim for 75? 100? Am I fine with 55? I feel like right now I'm a borderline candidate and I don't want anything to be holding me back. My top choice school is Maryland if that matters and I'm an instate student.

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[doc toothache]

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

 

[NoSugarAdded]

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[Silencio]

I believe the going rate these days is 1200 hours. Better get moving bro.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

I believe the going rate these days is 1200 hours. Better get moving bro.

You can get tons of dentist shadowing hours by following your dentist home and just sleeping at his house.

 

[Silencio]

You can get tons of dentist shadowing hours by following your dentist home and just sleeping at his house.

Or you can set up webcams around his house and watch him in real time.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

Or you can set up webcams around his house and watch him in real time.

And hire an illegal immigrant to take notes for you.
Then use google translate to know what the hell he wrote down.

 

[Silencio]

And hire an illegal immigrant to take notes for you.
Then use google translate to know what the hell he wrote down.

Or just borrow one of your clinic patients to do the translating for free.

 

[jdrummerjd]

I have 75 hours and got accepted. I would say around there or about 100. I went off of doc toothache's excel list which was very helpful!

 

[Sisero68]

Aim for 100+, your good everywhere except VCU they want 150+

Though why not just get 150+ and know this wont be a negative in your application no matter where you apply.

 

[yappy]

This is one thing that I need cleared up & it may help the OP and other posters.

When a school states "We require 100 hrs of shadowing".

Do they accept dental assistant hours as shadowing? or does the applicant need 100 hrs of pure shadowing rather than a blend of lets say 50 dental assisting and 50 shadowing?