OMFS Residency Question

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Thunderdome23

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I just recently got my score back from NBDE Part 1 and got a 90. Is this a competitive score for OMFS. What are the scores on average of people in OMFS. Thanks!
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90 is the minimum for a lot of 6 year programs, but with that said I know of people in programs with less than that. I think that by meeting the stated "minimum" for most every program out there you are competitive. There are always people that get accepted with scores higher and lower than 90.
 
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Does anyone know if it matters at all where you go to dental school when applying to OMFS? Does a Harvard student have an advantage over someone from a state school? I just know that some schools require their students to do 2 years of med school (I think columbia, uconn, harvard), so do they get more favorably looked at when applying to oral surgery residency?
 
makes no difference..good luck
 
I find that hard to believe, can any one shed some light on this. I mean if oral and maxillofacial surgery is such a bridge between dentistry and medicine it must make a difference whether or not an applicant had two years of formal medical training or not (from uconn, harvard, or columbia) in comparison to someone who didn't, right?
 
Thunderdome23 said:
I find that hard to believe, can any one shed some light on this. I mean if oral and maxillofacial surgery is such a bridge between dentistry and medicine it must make a difference whether or not an applicant had two years of formal medical training or not (from uconn, harvard, or columbia) in comparison to someone who didn't, right?
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I agree with servitup.

UConn, Harvard, Columbia, etc - all have curriculums that place emphasis on basic sciences courses. In return, their students on average achieve competitive part 1 scores that any other school (UConn is usually ranked #1 for average part 1 scores). These students also have most competitive pre-dental transcripts, which will make them better candidates for all 6 yr OS programs. So yes, on paper, it can make a difference to get an interview, anything after that are equal.
 
Thunderdome23 said:
Does anyone know if it matters at all where you go to dental school when applying to OMFS? Does a Harvard student have an advantage over someone from a state school? I just know that some schools require their students to do 2 years of med school (I think columbia, uconn, harvard), so do they get more favorably looked at when applying to oral surgery residency?
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It matters a little at "certain" programs. I know of 2 in particular that like graduates from ivy league dental schools.
 
I'd also make the argument that learning how to use your hands and become a competent dentist would make you competitive as well. From what I have heard (not acutally confirmed), the amount of clinical experience at some of the "ivy league" schools is minimum compared to some state schools down south.

So in summary, I don't think where you went to school matters -- what matters is how well you did on part I and how well your interest is documented (# of externships etc).
 
southomfs said:
I'd also make the argument that learning how to use your hands and become a competent dentist would make you competitive as well. From what I have heard (not acutally confirmed), the amount of clinical experience at some of the "ivy league" schools is minimum compared to some state schools down south.

So in summary, I don't think where you went to school matters -- what matters is how well you did on part I and how well your interest is documented (# of externships etc).
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How would "learning how to use you're hands" make you competitive? They don't have you demonstrate a procedure when you go for an interview. Also, I know that the ivy league schools produce great clinicians. Sure they may start clinical stuff later, but they catch up to the rest of the schools by hitting the floor running when they do start clinic. So I don't think that's an issue for them. But I can't help but think that a residency program wouldn't love to brag about how they have Harvard grads there, not to mention those peeps at Harvard probably get more medical training than any other dental school in the U.S. And OMFS, being a very medical specialty, must love that. I wouldn't argue that board scores and documented interest aren't the most important thing, but if I was a residency director and I had two candidates but with equal scores and externships, one from Harvard, the other from somewhere else, I would hands down take the Harvard grad since he was exposed to so much medicine which would put him at a huge advantage when dealing with patients in OMFS. Just my 2 cents. I obviously don't know this for sure, but I have just heard that Harvard in particular has pretty much a 100% match rate for number 1 choices for just about every specialty. I'm sure the school's name and reputation help a ton. What do you think?
 
Actually at the Michigan interview you have to suture while Dr. Zhang watches you. Then he teaches you a new technique and you have to demonstrate it to him. :eek:
 
I tend to disagree that school's name carry that much weight in applications, the curriculum at your school is not as important as your gpa and boards which, indirectly, shows the program how well you are prepared for postgrad study. I remember talking to the chair of omfs at our school about the application process and he said, for them they tend to focus on boards and gpa to screen applicants, letters of recommendations and externship also plays a big role in letting the program know how prepared and committed you are to the specialty.
 
Your boards are good. Don't let anyone on this board tell you otherwise. Get your apps in early and be prepared to interview as a doctor and not a student. Have reseached questions ready about programs you interview at and be prepared to discuss intelligently aspects of OMFS.
 
VCUDDS said:
I tend to disagree that school's name carry that much weight in applications, the curriculum at your school is not as important as your gpa and boards which, indirectly, shows the program how well you are prepared for postgrad study. I remember talking to the chair of omfs at our school about the application process and he said, for them they tend to focus on boards and gpa to screen applicants, letters of recommendations and externship also plays a big role in letting the program know how prepared and committed you are to the specialty.
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That makes sense, however, I do not believe that the board score reflects a whole lot on the school's curriculum as it is a purely independent process in which you basically teach yourself a lot of things the school never taught you. It doesn't really test someone's breathe of medical knowledge, as the medical questions are minimum and very basic. Someone who went to med school for the first two years of training probably knows a ot more than the boards could test them on. But I do agree that it is probably more your commitment to the field that is more important.
 
Having gone through dental school I agree that the school's curriculum will have some impact on your score. If your a type A personality with a great deal of focus you will do well no matter what school you go to. However, there are still many dental schools out there with an embarassing basic science education. I wouldn't worry too much about your score now, just focus on the interview process. There are programs out there that only want >92 and a degree from Harvard/Penn/Columbia/UCSF. Aside from a handful of these programs, if you've done well in dental school and have a normal personality you should be ok. I think people do a lot of scaring on this forum. Unless this forum has Ed Ellis or Leon Assael on it, take everything you read on here at face value.
 
PAJain said:
Having gone through dental school I agree that the school's curriculum will have some impact on your score. If your a type A personality with a great deal of focus you will do well no matter what school you go to. However, there are still many dental schools out there with an embarassing basic science education. I wouldn't worry too much about your score now, just focus on the interview process. There are programs out there that only want >92 and a degree from Harvard/Penn/Columbia/UCSF. Aside from a handful of these programs, if you've done well in dental school and have a normal personality you should be ok. I think people do a lot of scaring on this forum. Unless this forum has Ed Ellis or Leon Assael on it, take everything you read on here at face value.
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"There are programs out there that only want >92 and a degree from Harvard/Penn/Columbia/UCSF." Which programs are these?
 
I think the dental school you attend can matter, but not in the same way the general public and uninformed dental students would think. Program directors tend to go on past experiences with grads from different schools, and they develop their own list in their minds. For some reason, the general public (and many students on this forum) think Haaaavard is a big deal, but program directors tend to have different criteria....and each program director probably has a different one.
 
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