What counts as "clinical experience?" Would shadowing a cosmetic dentist count?

I've shadowed/done work with a cosmetic dentist for a couple hundred hours. Would that count or be looked down upon? I've done minor work with a cardiologist and psychiatrist, but I worked the most with a cosmetic dentist.

mrh125 said:

I've shadowed/done work with a cosmetic dentist for a couple hundred hours. Would that count or be looked down upon? I've done minor work with a cardiologist and psychiatrist, but I worked the most with a cosmetic dentist.

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For medical, probably not. Though there are probably other places on the application where you can address this unique clinical experience. (e.g. how you tested other waters.)

LizzyM says if you can smell the patients it's clinical. I would count it as clinical work BUT you can't put 200 hours in clinical experience and 200 hours in shadowing. Pick one place where you are going to put these hours on your app

mrh125 said:

I've shadowed/done work with a cosmetic dentist for a couple hundred hours. Would that count or be looked down upon? I've done minor work with a cardiologist and psychiatrist, but I worked the most with a cosmetic dentist.

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You work or you shadow. There is a difference. What were your responsibilities? If you didn't have responsibilities, you were shadowing.

I would consider work with the cosmetic dentist as another EC, not as evidence of clinical experience. Although it technically is clinical, you have to consider the spirit of the requirement/recommendation of clinical experience -- to show that you know what you are getting into if you become an MD. Dentists are not MDs, and their practice is very different. Anybody reviewing an application would know that.

Go do more shadowing (minor work?) with the cardiologist and psychiatrist.