Transfer to Dental Sch from Med Sch

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ToxicFugu

ToxicFugu

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Is it possible to transfer from a US allopathic MD school to a dental school? Do you have to take the DATs? Has anybody heard of someone transferring like this and not having to take extra time (ex. finish 1st year med sch and transfer into D2 the very next year)?

Thanks for your help.
 
ToxicFugu said:
Is it possible to transfer from a US allopathic MD school to a dental school? Do you have to take the DATs? Has anybody heard of someone transferring like this and not having to take extra time (ex. finish 1st year med sch and transfer into D2 the very next year)?

Thanks for your help.
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Sorry, but no. During the first yr alone you will most likely be taking several dental related courses along with the basic sci you are familiar with.
 
I know of people that dropped out of Med school to go to Dental school. Hopefully they will post on here to give you a more accurate idea, but here is a little bit of info for you.

You will (as far as I know) have to take the DAT and interview along with everyone else applying.

There may be some classes that you can "Test" out of, depending on the school you go to, but you won't likely be able to skip the whole first year. You would still need to learn A LOT about dental anatomy, and other things that are more dentistry specific.

That said, if you studied hard in med school, you will likely be very prepared for any of the basic science classes that are in the curriculum (even if you can't test out of them) so you will have more time to focus on the more dental specific classes.

Hope that helps.

grtuck
 
I'm not sure why you're interested in transferring into a profession you obviously haven't researched. The first two years of med school are only basic sciences, without any real clinical exposure or exercises in manual dexterity. The first 2 years of dental school are the same basic sciences, PLUS all the dental courses and labs. Dental students know more about medicine than med students know about dentistry (if that makes sense). This is why dental graduates are able to take the USMLE step 1 and skip the first 2 years of med school (such as in oral surgery residencies like mine), but the reverse is not true. There have been a few MD students who have applied to oral surgery, and had to spend an extra year taking the pre-clinical dental courses, at OMFS programs at Louisville, KY and Baylor.
 
toofache32 said:
I'm not sure why you're interested in transferring into a profession you obviously haven't researched.
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Just considering my options. I just posted in a thread where the OP (an undergrad) was deliberating btw medicine and dentistry and I got to thinking about the advantages of dentistry over medicine as a career. I like medicine and am doing just fine right now, but it's nice to know whatever alternatives I might have if I get irreparably frustrated in the future (which I've seen happen). Apparently, dentistry isn't a practical alternative if I'd have to start from scratch.

Yes, i agree that D2s have a lot more functional knowledge about dentistry than M2s have about medicine. Some med schools (but not mine) have a lot of clinical integration starting first year. It'd be nice to have that exposure.

Anyhow, thanks for the input.
 
toofache32 said:
I'm not sure why you're interested in transferring into a profession you obviously haven't researched. The first two years of med school are only basic sciences, without any real clinical exposure or exercises in manual dexterity. The first 2 years of dental school are the same basic sciences, PLUS all the dental courses and labs. Dental students know more about medicine than med students know about dentistry (if that makes sense). This is why dental graduates are able to take the USMLE step 1 and skip the first 2 years of med school (such as in oral surgery residencies like mine), but the reverse is not true. There have been a few MD students who have applied to oral surgery, and had to spend an extra year taking the pre-clinical dental courses, at OMFS programs at Louisville, KY and Baylor.
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Well put it this way, med students have a different focus and actually study everything else in the body besides dental anatomy and ORAL pathology. Dental students need to know medicine too but don't focus on much detail and nuances of certain fields of medicine. Would you want a dentist delivering your wife's kid? Next to that the STEP1 of medical schools is pretty damn f__king hard compared to the dental boards which is straightforward basic science knowledge. How do I know this?? Cause I went through all four years medical school and saw the material that my ex-girlfriend who was a dental student had to study.

If I was the original poster of this topic, finish medical school first and then decide if dental school is a possible alternative. Both fields have their ups and downs. Unless you want to do general dentistry for sure then go for d school. If you like oral surgery then rough out medical school first and then do dental school if you are still interested.
Best of luck to you.
 
toofache32 said:
I'm not sure why you're interested in transferring into a profession you obviously haven't researched. The first two years of med school are only basic sciences, without any real clinical exposure or exercises in manual dexterity. The first 2 years of dental school are the same basic sciences, PLUS all the dental courses and labs. Dental students know more about medicine than med students know about dentistry (if that makes sense). This is why dental graduates are able to take the USMLE step 1 and skip the first 2 years of med school (such as in oral surgery residencies like mine), but the reverse is not true. There have been a few MD students who have applied to oral surgery, and had to spend an extra year taking the pre-clinical dental courses, at OMFS programs at Louisville, KY and Baylor.
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does this mean you can goto dental school, finish your first two years, take the USMLE exam and become an MD?
 
Your best chance of switching programs without much loss of time might be at UCONN during the first two years if you are a UCONN medical or dental student in excellent academic standing. Even in that case, getting a buy off on a switch from DMD to MD is likley easier than MD to DMD. One scenario might be that you discover you are a real clutz with the hand piece, but have impressed the faculty with your quick and complete grasp of the medical sciences and groundbreaking research.
 
vietho26 said:
Well put it this way, med students have a different focus and actually study everything else in the body besides dental anatomy and ORAL pathology...Next to that the STEP1 of medical schools is pretty damn f__king hard compared to the dental boards which is straightforward basic science knowledge. How do I know this?? Cause I went through all four years medical school and saw the material that my ex-girlfriend who was a dental student had to study.
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I think this is partially true, but not the entire story. My dental school GENERAL pathology course used the same textbook as my medical school, and the lectures were even given in the same order. Somehow it was good enough for me (and all other OMFS residents) to comfortably pass the USMLE. Our general path and oral path are separate courses. As far as anatomy, I moonlighted as a gross anatomy TA for the med students during my first year of OMFS residency, so I must have learned it somewhere.

I agree with your comparison of the medical and dental boards, to an extent. My point in my earlier post was that dental students spend much of their time in dental courses, in addition to basic sciences, and the boards reflect that. I just can't see a medical student passing the dental boards to obtain advanced standing (like dentists do for USMLE) because only 50% of the exam is medical/basic science...the rest is purely dental. While I thought the USMLE was more difficult than the NBDE in general, overall dental school was much more difficult than med school for me because the courseload was greater, and they ask you to digest a larger volume of material in the same amount of time. You're basically doing your residency at the same time as normal schooling, which is why dentists can practice right after graduation. How do I know this?? Cause I went to both dental and medical school.
 
Can you take the DAT and MCAT in undergrad and get accepted to a 6 year oral surgery program out of college? Or do you always have to finish dental school and then apply to an oral surgery program?
 
A prereq. for all OMS programs is a DMD/DDS degree. The training is 4 or 6/7 years following the doctoral degree. I far as I know there is no program...in America...that allows you to do 6 years right out of college.
 
willthatsall said:
Can you take the DAT and MCAT in undergrad and get accepted to a 6 year oral surgery program out of college? Or do you always have to finish dental school and then apply to an oral surgery program?
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Oral surgery is a residency. A residency requires a professional degree first.
 
I would have to agree with the toofache32 on dental school being harder than medical school. The work load is much less and there is virtually no stress involved. In med school, all I do is show up, write my notes and do a little work. Then I get the rest of the time to read and study for the shelf exam. In dental school, as you all know there is a lot of pressure to master the hand skills as well as manage a portfollio of patients and getting all your requirements, the constant fear of failing.

Also, there doesn't seen to be any lack of knowledge on my part compared to my other medical student classmates. We all know the same pathology of disease, pharm, physiology, anatomy. If anything I have more clinical experience and greater understanding of treatment of disease.

Once out of school, medical doctors do have a much greater depth of understanding of medicine/surgery than a dentist, as they should. You get a hell of a lot more exposure and time to study everything.

Summary: Medical school = cake walk, Dental school = stressful as hell
 
At Nova here, we have both a DO (Osteopathic) medical school and a dental school. Since I've been here (the last 3 years), each year there has been at least one DO medical student transferred to the dental program.

Since both programs take some of the same basic science courses together, the transferring procedure between two programs seem seemless. No DAT or formal AADSAS application were required. The DO medical student have to start from first year of dental school, but may have some of the basic science courses waived if (s)he earned a 90 or higher in the course during his/her medical school year(s).

If you wish to transfer and you're a medical student, then the best way is when you have a dental school at your school. If not, then you will have to take the DAT and apply just like everyone else. Good luck in your dental education pursuit and keep us posted.
 
ToxicFugu said:
Is it possible to transfer from a US allopathic MD school to a dental school? Do you have to take the DATs? Has anybody heard of someone transferring like this and not having to take extra time (ex. finish 1st year med sch and transfer into D2 the very next year)?

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

I've transferred from a med school to a dental school.
Though I did it in Israel, therefore I don't know the way it goes for US schools.
I had to take 7 extra courses ...
 
Oh, so a transfer IS possible at NOVA? I applied there for med school...but recently I've been feeling a strong pull towards dentistry. If they were to accept me, could I request a transfer right away or only after finishing the first year of med school?
 
Give me a break. Dental school harder than med school? First, I don't think they are even comparable. Most good OMS programs make you take the first two years of med school and then the whole 3rd year of clinicals before you're even able to step into the medical wards.

I doubt dental student learn nearly enough to even think they could pass the USMLE Step 1 which is actually more clinically oriented than you think.
 
bobby6 said:
Give me a break. Dental school harder than med school? First, I don't think they are even comparable. Most good OMS programs make you take the first two years of med school and then the whole 3rd year of clinicals before you're even able to step into the medical wards.

I doubt dental student learn nearly enough to even think they could pass the USMLE Step 1 which is actually more clinically oriented than you think.
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Thanks for your opinion. We have posters on this board who've done both medical school and dental school, and can actually speak intelligently about the rigors of both. Let's hear your credentials, champ.
 
bobby6 said:
Give me a break. Dental school harder than med school? First, I don't think they are even comparable. Most good OMS programs make you take the first two years of med school and then the whole 3rd year of clinicals before you're even able to step into the medical wards.

I doubt dental student learn nearly enough to even think they could pass the USMLE Step 1 which is actually more clinically oriented than you think.
Click to expand...


You know nothing about oms man. Also most OMS residents pass the USMLE step 1 without any medical school, I did. Actually, I don't know any that have failed in my program.

Yah-E, feel free to educate this guy. I don't have the energy.
 
I'm always amazed at people who have such a strong opinion on this, but have no way to substantiate it. The only people able to give a valid comparison are people who have actually experienced both dental and medical school. Where did you do your dental school training?

bobby6 said:
Give me a break. Dental school harder than med school? First, I don't think they are even comparable.
Click to expand...

Actually, you're right...they're not even comparable. I've never had so much free time as during my second year of med school. I moonlighted as a general dentist about 20-25 hours per week on the side...I never had that kind of free time as a dental student. My OMFS residency requires us to take some of the second and all of the third years of med school. The second year students only took 2-3 courses at any given time. This added up to about 15-18 lecture hours per week...about the same as college. We had about 24-28 hours of lecture per week at my dental school, not counting endless labs.

For example...I took the same pathology course in med school that I already had in dental school. We used the same Robbins text and the lectures were even given in the same order for some reason.

bobby6 said:
I doubt dental student learn nearly enough to even think they could pass the USMLE Step 1 which is actually more clinically oriented than you think.
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Before you feel too good about yourself, you should know that dental students routinely take and pass the USMLE Step 1. It happens every year after the match. Simple fact. Some OMFS programs want you to take it while you're still in dental school, and some tell you to wait and take it during your first year of residency.

bobby6 said:
Most good OMS programs make you take the first two years of med school and then the whole 3rd year of clinicals before you're even able to step into the medical wards.
Click to expand...

You obviously have no idea what you're talking about. Then how do you explain the presence of the non-MD OMFS residents? The MD is optional for us, you know. ALL OMFS residents (MD program or not) start in the clinics, wards, and ORs on July 1 every year just like all other surgical residents. Then you disappear your 2nd year of residency to do the 3rd year med school rotations after a full year as an OMFS resident.

What programs are you referring to that make you do the first 2 years of med school?

Here are some links to programs which gives a pretty good summary of a 6-year residency. Maybe you should educate yourself before spouting off:

http://www.dental.umaryland.edu/admissions/omaxill/omaxill_surg.html

http://sdm.uchc.edu/departments/oralmaxillo/OMFS Website/6yearoverview.htm

http://www.case.edu/dental/site/admissions/gradstudies/os/year.html

http://www.unmc.edu/GME/GME_Oral_Max.pdf
 
bobby6 said:
I doubt dental student learn nearly enough to even think they could pass the USMLE Step 1 which is actually more clinically oriented than you think.
Click to expand...

So you are saying a portion of a licensing exam being more difficult = a more difficult program?

Like aphistis, I find it interesting that you know more about this than people who have been there and done that.
 
So your saying that as a dental student, you study and learn about the pathophysiology concerning Cardiology, Pulmonology, Renal, GI, Hematology and Pharmacology for antihypertensives to antiarrhytmics? Those are heavily tested subjects on the USMLE Step 1. I don't see how any of those subjects even relate to dentistry. Maybe you can correct me on this, I don't see how studying the pathophysiology of those medical fields would even help you to become a better Dentist.

On the other hand, I highly doubt I could pass the Dental Boards since I have no specific training or education in, so don't assume you can pass the USMLE Step 1.

Whats next? Your going to tell me that Dental school is harder to get into than medical school? Give me a BIG ASS BREAK! I see that you just started your second year of dental school and you have no idea.

peace
MS4
 
I'm not saying that Dental students are in anyway inferior. Some of them are very smart people, especially the OMFS guys I've worked with. The only dentists that have to take the USMLE are the OMFS people who probably graduated at the very top of their class and aced their dental boards. About 95% of Med students pass USMLE Step 1 on their first attempt. About 65-70% of DOs pass on their first attempt. So its not that hard of a test to pass. I doubt that 50% of dental students could pass the USMLE Step 1 on their first attempt. Your comparing apples to oranges. I'll be the first to say that I would fail the dental boards with flying colors, even with having aced my USMLEs.
 
bobby6 said:
...

I don't see how any of those subjects even relate to dentistry.

...
Click to expand...
I'd say this pretty well summarizes the problem. Without expertise in both fields, your inability to see the connections doesn't matter a whole heck of a lot, now does it?
 
Why is it that we always have medical students coming into this forum, thumping their chests, to prove that medical school is harder than dental school? Okay champ, it's 100000000000000000X harder. Happy now?
 
I don't have expertise in both fields, but I'm not one assuming that I can pass a National "Medical" Board Exam without specific preparation.

Bet you a dollar that those OMFS guys use study hard and use USMLE books for prepare for the USMLE exam and not their dental board books.
 
Dental school and Medical school aren't comparable. Both are difficult in their own right and very different fields. I never said that medical school was any more difficult.
 
did your girlfriend leave u or something?


i don't get the point of....this stuff.
who cares what may or may not be difficult.
..and to be perfectly blunt, who cares what you think.

you will make one of your patients rich one day if u don't lose this habit of making "ignorant" judgements..

but then again..
what do i know?
..i'm just a dental student.
hopefully by the time i graduate i'll be able to finally count all 32 teeth
:-/
 
bobby6 said:
Dental school and Medical school aren't comparable. Both are difficult in their own right and very different fields. I never said that medical school was any more difficult.
Click to expand...

I guess I don't understand how you can say that they aren't comparable...just because we have a focus on the oral cavity and head and neck region does not imply that we do not require knowledge of whole body anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, and all of the other basic and clinical science courses we take as dental students. To say that is like saying that any MD specialty probably doesn't need to know that stuff as well, I mean, why should a dermatologist or psychiatrist have to study all of that material...the answer...because they are a DOCTOR. That title implies a level of knowledge greater that that of a technician who possesses a similar skill. Dentists are DOCTORs champ we dx, we provide tx, we write Rx, we do surgery...on a daily basis. There is one difference between MD's and DDS/DMD's, we have to have the medical knowledge AND surgical hand skills...ALL of us...not just the few from med school who go into surgical specialties.

The mouth is ATTACHED to the whole body champ. Open up your pathology text and start looking up some systemic diseases and see what the oral manifestations are for those diseases...think about diseases such as diabetes, leukemia, Addison's disease, Crohn's disease, I'd could go on forever...Now, imagine a patient in early stage leukemia...who is going to catch that dx early...problably the doctor who sees that patient most often and is familiar with their health. How often does the average person see their physician...not very...how often do they see their dentist...probably every six months. We are often the doc's who dx systemic disease based on its oral manifestations and then refer out to the other medical specialties for further consult and tx.

All of our patients are on medications, of course we need to know what the systemic effects are of those meds and how anything that we Rx will effect that patient.

MD's need to pull their head out of their butt and realize that they are not at the top of the food chain. They are not superior to other health professionals and what they do is not unique to them.

It's funny, some med students always have to talk about how they are better than dental students and yet we never feel the need to do that. An inferiority complex is a bummer buddy... 😴
 
Not to beat a dead horse, but yes we actually do study all of these things you mentioned in this post quite extensively. The reason we need to do this has already been mentioned by other people. I think the best comparison we can look to to find out differences in the 2 disiplines is to refer to people who have gone through both medical and dental school. Not only have the Oral Surgeons done this, but other people that I have met have also done both, and the experiences of someone who has done both would be as accurate as you can get.

Of course, does it really change anything? I doubt it. 🙂

grtuck



bobby6 said:
So your saying that as a dental student, you study and learn about the pathophysiology concerning Cardiology, Pulmonology, Renal, GI, Hematology and Pharmacology for antihypertensives to antiarrhytmics? Those are heavily tested subjects on the USMLE Step 1. I don't see how any of those subjects even relate to dentistry. Maybe you can correct me on this, I don't see how studying the pathophysiology of those medical fields would even help you to become a better Dentist.

peace
MS4
Click to expand...
 
bobby6 said:
So your saying that as a dental student, you study and learn about the pathophysiology concerning Cardiology, Pulmonology, Renal, GI, Hematology and Pharmacology for antihypertensives to antiarrhytmics? Those are heavily tested subjects on the USMLE Step 1. I don't see how any of those subjects even relate to dentistry. Maybe you can correct me on this, I don't see how studying the pathophysiology of those medical fields would even help you to become a better Dentist.
Click to expand...

In a word, yep. That's why we can pass the USMLE. Then we have dental courses on top of all that, which is what made my dental school experience more difficult than my med school experience. That stuff relates to dentistry because most systemic problems require modification in our treatment. We learn it because all your patients with cardiac, pulmonary, renal, etc problems go to the dentist too.

A similar (rhetorical) question is why ophthalmologists have to take gross anatomy.

I'm still curious as to which programs you say require the first 2 years of med school?

bobby6 said:
Bet you a dollar that those OMFS guys use study hard and use USMLE books for prepare for the USMLE exam and not their dental board books.
Click to expand...

I used First Aid for both boards.
 
toofache32 said:
In a word, yep. That's why we can pass the USMLE. Then we have dental courses on top of all that, which is what made my dental school experience more difficult than my med school experience. That stuff relates to dentistry because most systemic problems require modification in our treatment. We learn it because all your patients with cardiac, pulmonary, renal, etc problems go to the dentist too.

A similar (rhetorical) question is why ophthalmologists have to take gross anatomy.

I'm still curious as to which programs you say require the first 2 years of med school?



I used First Aid for both boards.
Click to expand...

Right on toofache. Get up, get on up!
 
bobby6 said:
So your saying that as a dental student, you study and learn about the pathophysiology concerning Cardiology, Pulmonology, Renal, GI, Hematology and Pharmacology for antihypertensives to antiarrhytmics?
Click to expand...


Actually, we learn all of these! Actually we are in the middle of pathophysiology of Cardiology now. 🙂 Dental students here have to do the entire first two years of medicine as well as the dental course!
 
toofache32 said:
Dental students know more about medicine than med students know about dentistry (if that makes sense). This is why dental graduates are able to take the USMLE step 1 and skip the first 2 years of med school (such as in oral surgery residencies like mine), but the reverse is not true.
Click to expand...

Well at my institution the OMFS students matriculate into the 2nd year of medical school and are considered 2nd-year medical students...they don't take all of the 2nd year courses but are required to take Intro to Clinical Medicine, Dermatology and Clinical Pathology, and they must pass Step 1 before going on into the 3rd year of medical school.

I think this thread just illustrates how there will always be a dental vs. medical p*$$*ng contest.
 
puffy1 said:
Well at my institution the OMFS students matriculate into the 2nd year of medical school and are considered 2nd-year medical students...they don't take all of the 2nd year courses but are required to take Intro to Clinical Medicine, Dermatology and Clinical Pathology, and they must pass Step 1 before going on into the 3rd year of medical school.

I think this thread just illustrates how there will always be a dental vs. medical p*$$*ng contest.
Click to expand...

I agree that everyone should just drop this.

Yes, I'm going through 1 and half year of med school too, but that's just the way our dental program is arranged. i'm not going to remember any medicine i learned except those relevant to dentisry. all i know is that i'm sick of studying medicine and i can't wait to start drilling.

there is nothing to quarrel between physicians and dentists. there are no conflict of interest between the two (except for some OMFS people). there is no overlapping of duties. physicians have no authority over dentists, and vice versa. there is no podiatry vs orthoped., optometry vs ophthamology type of debate here.
 
this topic got a little out of control, I know. However, i was wondering if there actually was anyone on the board who has transferred and could comment on both the process and how this type of thing is recieved at interviews and on applications. Please no flame war, I'm just interested to know as Ive been considering leaving med school, not because I think any other type of health professional school will be easier, but because the thought of my life being this busy until I retire is daunting. If anyone else wants to comment on any other type of transfers (optometry school, pa school, nursing, whatever) Id be interested too. Thanks guys.
 
styles_c said:
this topic got a little out of control, I know. However, i was wondering if there actually was anyone on the board who has transferred and could comment on both the process and how this type of thing is recieved at interviews and on applications. Please no flame war, I'm just interested to know as Ive been considering leaving med school, not because I think any other type of health professional school will be easier, but because the thought of my life being this busy until I retire is daunting. If anyone else wants to comment on any other type of transfers (optometry school, pa school, nursing, whatever) Id be interested too. Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Hey styles. I left med school after the basic sciences and eventually ended up in dental school (DS3 now). It wasn't 'transferring' in any sense, I essentially applied as any other dental school applicant. I originally left med school on a leave of abscence (we had a 3 mo. elective period we could use at any point after the basic sciences) and soon decided that I wanted to do law school (always interested in high school, fam wasn't too crazy about it. I took the LSAT, volunteered....and then realized that my main interest does lay in the health professions. Anyway, ended up in dental school and have no regrets. At my interviews, they ate up the fact that I was switching, they loved it (gave them some sort of satisfaction to see someone 'seeing the light' I think!). I'm actually planning on sort of combining my orignal interest in medicine w/dentistry now by pursuiing OMFS. As grtuck pointed out (a genius classmate of mine), I was able to get exemption from a couple of classes 1st yr. I could've argued for exemption from more if I'd wanted but stuck to just a couple to ease up the schedule. I didn't find the classes any easier at all since it'd been several years since I'd had them by that point. As for the whole DS vs MS debate, in my opinion DS is much harder. My schedule was much more flexible in MS. Additionally, a great number of MS only apply honors/pass/fail grades. Virtually every DS uses grades (and, at our school, often 7 point scales) which magnifies the pressure much more. The students are just as bright (even though you don't have as many hard-core science background folks)...just not as anal on the whole! Anyway, don't be afraid to make the jump but not until you've thought about it looooong and hard. volunteer, etc. and expose yourself to dentistry as much as you can. It is a completely different lifestyle, a fundamental paradigm shift in mentality. Of course, no mattter what you decide, you'll always have second doubts as well, that's human nature. In complete honesty, if I could start all over with the maturity and experience I have now, I'd pursue cardiothoracic surg. (the heart is by far the most amazing organ in the body to me; the brain doesn't count ;-) Then again, I'm a school nerd and would continue on and go to law school, get an architecture degree, and then a PhD in mathematics if I didn't have to actually work one day and pay off loans! School isn't as bad as a lot of folks who haven't actually spent time outside of it make it out to be, don't be afraid to switch just based on that fear. PM me if you have any more questions....
 
I have a tough time understanding the reason why you think about changes. IMOH, switching out ur field into another is not a wise alternative. If u do so, do u realize you have taken away someone's chance to be a physician? I really wonder what did u put in ur personal statement or secondaries stating why u want to be a physician in the first place.

Since you made it to med sch, I respect you as an intelligent person. You will have ur MD and your brain to make change or generate plan to change. This is what I would do if dentistry ever frustrated me.

In conclusion, dont change and dont investigate, since all of us at this forum will agree that dentistry has a lot of advantages. It would be really hard to not to make that switch. Just keep on doing what you are doing and live thru the pain.

As to answer the rest of ur question, at ucla, the med sch is so laid back while the dental sch is very intense. and our classes are not compartible since they runs on pbl.

Sorry if i have been harsh on u.
Eric

ToxicFugu said:
Just considering my options. I just posted in a thread where the OP (an undergrad) was deliberating btw medicine and dentistry and I got to thinking about the advantages of dentistry over medicine as a career. I like medicine and am doing just fine right now, but it's nice to know whatever alternatives I might have if I get irreparably frustrated in the future (which I've seen happen). Apparently, dentistry isn't a practical alternative if I'd have to start from scratch.

Yes, i agree that D2s have a lot more functional knowledge about dentistry than M2s have about medicine. Some med schools (but not mine) have a lot of clinical integration starting first year. It'd be nice to have that exposure.

Anyhow, thanks for the input.
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