3rd year Dental Student -> Medical School

[WannaBeDentist]

Here's my story,

I'm a 3rd year Dental Student who has been questioning if the correct career choice has been made since the beginning. This deep into Dental School I assume it's not the best idea to attempt to jump ship and to just ride it out.

My question to all of the current medical students out there, have any of you encountered any transfers from Dental Schools? If so, what year were they in dental school and if you know, how did the transfer happen? Secondly, have any of you encountered entering medical students that have already graduated from dental school with a DMD/DDS? I'd guess there are some applicants from other post-grad schools (law JDs, nurses RN, etc). I'm wondering if coming from a post-grad background is frowned upon by the medical school admissions committee.

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[cpants]

Here's my story,

I'm a 3rd year Dental Student who has been questioning if the correct career choice has been made since the beginning. This deep into Dental School I assume it's not the best idea to attempt to jump ship and to just ride it out.

My question to all of the current medical students out there, have any of you encountered any transfers from Dental Schools? If so, what year were they in dental school and if you know, how did the transfer happen? Secondly, have any of you encountered entering medical students that have already graduated from dental school with a DMD/DDS? I'd guess there are some applicants from other post-grad schools (law JDs, nurses RN, etc). I'm wondering if coming from a post-grad background is frowned upon by the medical school admissions committee.

There is a student in my class who was a practicing dentist for a while and then went back. You can talk to the administration and ask around about a transfer. There are some places where first 2 years are identical, and this might be more of a possibility at those schools. More likely you would have to start again from the beginning. Have you looked into OMFS? As I understand it you do 3rd/4th year of med school, then residency, and you end up with an MD/DMD. Might be a good option for someone with your background.

 

[drgioiadds]

I've been a practicing as dentist and just applied to DO school. Just took the Mcat and applied for year 1. If you don't like dentistry, you won't like OMFS and the dds/md option is 6 years anyway - then you'll have to apply for a medical residency. This would actually take longer. Graduate dental school and then apply to med school. I do suggest trying to study and take the MCAT asap. That way you won't have that hanging over you like I did.

Here's my story,




I'm a 3rd year Dental Student who has been questioning if the correct career choice has been made since the beginning. This deep into Dental School I assume it's not the best idea to attempt to jump ship and to just ride it out.

My question to all of the current medical students out there, have any of you encountered any transfers from Dental Schools? If so, what year were they in dental school and if you know, how did the transfer happen? Secondly, have any of you encountered entering medical students that have already graduated from dental school with a DMD/DDS? I'd guess there are some applicants from other post-grad schools (law JDs, nurses RN, etc). I'm wondering if coming from a post-grad background is frowned upon by the medical school admissions committee.

 

[dude1344]

Just FYI there are four DDS degree holders in my class.

 

[hefe]

Just curious do any of you know/hear general reasons DDS (DMD) degree students choose to switch to med outside of a OMFS track? Lack of options? Need for equipment purchase to practice? Saturated markets? Boring? Change of heart?

I find these graduate change of track stories interesting.

 

[drgioiadds]

Just curious do any of you know/hear general reasons DDS (DMD) degree students choose to switch to med outside of a OMFS track? Lack of options? Need for equipment purchase to practice? Saturated markets? Boring? Change of heart?

I find these graduate change of track stories interesting.

I honestly find dentistry boring. I just can't find a niche that I could focus on. Some people like implants, others oral surgery or endo - I just don't like any of it.

 

[cpants]

I honestly find dentistry boring. I just can't find a niche that I could focus on. Some people like implants, others oral surgery or endo - I just don't like any of it.

Well, what area of medicine appeals to you? You don't want this to happen again.

Barring a medical school giving you credit for MS1/MS2, which is probably unlikely, you are looking at another huge investment, likely doubling your debt. You have a hard choice to make. Apply now, or wait. I would advocate waiting. You only have 1 year left of dental school, and at least you can apply to med school while working at a very high paying job, and maybe eliminating some of that debt for a year or 2. If you leave now, you avoid another year of dental school debt, but getting into med school ain't easy.

 

[swamprat]

I don't know about the other classes, but I do know that dental students don't do lower limb in gross anatomy (i have a friend who is in dental school) - i assume they probably go into other details that we aren't concerned about with the teeth and mouth too?

 

[WannaBeDentist]

Just curious do any of you know/hear general reasons DDS (DMD) degree students choose to switch to med outside of a OMFS track? Lack of options? Need for equipment purchase to practice? Saturated markets? Boring? Change of heart?

I find these graduate change of track stories interesting.

A bit of everything for me. OMFS is currently only the thing that interests me within the realm of Dentistry--also the only dental specialty with any bearing of medical involvement. But OMFS is a whole other can of worms with the AMA constantly trying to downregulate their scope. I'm not only more interested in medicine, but surgery too. The MD field has more options for surgery no doubt about it. I suppose ENT/Otolaryngology or PRS could use some of my dental knowledge...probably only like 5%? At least then I wouldn't feel I wasted all of my money and 4yrs of my life in dental school, lol.

 

[WannaBeDentist]

I don't know about the other classes, but I do know that dental students don't do lower limb in gross anatomy (i have a friend who is in dental school) - i assume they probably go into other details that we aren't concerned about with the teeth and mouth too?

Our school dissected and was tested up into the inguinal region.

I'm not sure about other dental schools.

 

[WannaBeDentist]

If you leave now, you avoid another year of dental school debt, but getting into med school ain't easy.

No doubt that it isn't easy getting accepted. But neither is 4yrs of dental school, debt, and the thought of a profession that would always leave you wondering about something else. Surely all of this can inspire us lonely dental students to get our butt going 🙂

 

[MossPoh]

One of my friends dropped out of dental school after first year and decided she rather go to medical school. She is actually on here, so maybe she'll chime in. She didn't have any problems getting interviews though.

The expense is the biggest part of it. One nice thing about medical school over dentistry is that there is such a huge range of things you can be and as you progress through and your interests change, you simply shift focus to other specialties. Sure, there are focuses and specialties in dentistry, but it you're working in the same area regardless of what field.

 

[CanuckDDS]

Our school dissected and was tested up into the inguinal region.

I'm not sure about other dental schools.

In my medical school (and this is only MY situation) we are literally doing NO anatomy. No dissection. It is unfortunate really. We do a lot of talking about feelings and how not to offend anyone (patients, colleagues, pets) than learning of anatomy. The admin keep saying that we will "get it" eventually, but I assume they mean we'll teach ourselves what we think we should know based on our specialty of choice (mine is pretty set, so I'm not worried). We did way more anatomy in dental school than in medical school (again, in MY situation- 78 hours total in med school vs. 152 hours total dental school). I am frankly kinda worried about my classmates and their depth of knowledge- they seem to be really good at reading off Wikipedia and really bad at naming the cranial nerves without the Wikipedia page in front of them-- I think the only thing that'll see them through, is that they are really, really smart, intrinsically motivated people.

I think 5% is an underestimate of what you know and can evaluate based on your dental background. You have spent 4 years staring at people's faces, breaking them down into functional esthetic units and evaluating them from the clavicles up. With this sort of repetition you develop a sense of things that you can't just "pick up" later on.

If you plan on going back and doing ENT (which is a freakin awesome field) you'll notice that your background gives you a lot of ability that you may be taking for granted now. No education is wasted (except for the $$$)👍

Good luck with what ever you decide to do. I hope it works out for you. And don't settle, if you don't like dentistry (I didn't enjoy the act of dentistry) don't do it- go back and do whatever you think you want. It makes going to work in the AM much easier....

 

[armorshell]

A bit of everything for me. OMFS is currently only the thing that interests me within the realm of Dentistry--also the only dental specialty with any bearing of medical involvement. But OMFS is a whole other can of worms with the AMA constantly trying to downregulate their scope. I'm not only more interested in medicine, but surgery too. The MD field has more options for surgery no doubt about it. I suppose ENT/Otolaryngology or PRS could use some of my dental knowledge...probably only like 5%? At least then I wouldn't feel I wasted all of my money and 4yrs of my life in dental school, lol.

If you're interested in these fields, just go into OMS and stay in the academic setting. ENT/PRS and OMS and an academic level have a widely overlapping scope, and if you do a MD/OMS combined program you can still earn an MD. If, after your MD is awarded you still have these feelings that you're "missing out", you can divest yourself from the remainder of the OMS residency and pursue a medical residency like any other graduated MD.

However, I'm confidant that after experiencing medical school/training you'll be quite happy with dentistry/OMS.

 

[bomgd3]

In my medical school (and this is only MY situation) we are literally doing NO anatomy. No dissection. It is unfortunate really. We do a lot of talking about feelings and how not to offend anyone (patients, colleagues, pets) than learning of anatomy. The admin keep saying that we will "get it" eventually, but I assume they mean we'll teach ourselves what we think we should know based on our specialty of choice (mine is pretty set, so I'm not worried). We did way more anatomy in dental school than in medical school (again, in MY situation- 78 hours total in med school vs. 152 hours total dental school). I am frankly kinda worried about my classmates and their depth of knowledge- they seem to be really good at reading off Wikipedia and really bad at naming the cranial nerves without the Wikipedia page in front of them-- I think the only thing that'll see them through, is that they are really, really smart, intrinsically motivated people.

I think 5% is an underestimate of what you know and can evaluate based on your dental background. You have spent 4 years staring at people's faces, breaking them down into functional esthetic units and evaluating them from the clavicles up. With this sort of repetition you develop a sense of things that you can't just "pick up" later on.

If you plan on going back and doing ENT (which is a freakin awesome field) you'll notice that your background gives you a lot of ability that you may be taking for granted now. No education is wasted (except for the $$$)👍

Good luck with what ever you decide to do. I hope it works out for you. And don't settle, if you don't like dentistry (I didn't enjoy the act of dentistry) don't do it- go back and do whatever you think you want. It makes going to work in the AM much easier....

What, you don't have gross anatomy?!?!

 

[CanuckDDS]

What, you don't have gross anatomy?!?!

No, it is ef-ing ridiculous. We have a little bit of anatomy per unit block, but no anatomy course. It is not the way to learn anatomy.

My med school classmates don't really know that they are getting ripped off...

I'm in a unique position that allows me to really evaluate what I think is important to learning medicine- and knowledge of the human body is kinda important.

I'm not impressed...

 

[dude1344]

No, it is ef-ing ridiculous. We have a little bit of anatomy per unit block, but no anatomy course. It is not the way to learn anatomy.

My med school classmates don't really know that they are getting ripped off...

I'm in a unique position that allows me to really evaluate what I think is important to learning medicine- and knowledge of the human body is kinda important.

I'm not impressed...

Do you go to a US MD school? I find this hard to believe.

 

[CanuckDDS]

Do you go to a US MD school? I find this hard to believe.

Canadian.

 

[WannaBeDentist]

In my medical school (and this is only MY situation) we are literally doing NO anatomy. No dissection. It is unfortunate really. We do a lot of talking about feelings and how not to offend anyone (patients, colleagues, pets) than learning of anatomy. The admin keep saying that we will "get it" eventually, but I assume they mean we'll teach ourselves what we think we should know based on our specialty of choice (mine is pretty set, so I'm not worried). We did way more anatomy in dental school than in medical school (again, in MY situation- 78 hours total in med school vs. 152 hours total dental school). I am frankly kinda worried about my classmates and their depth of knowledge- they seem to be really good at reading off Wikipedia and really bad at naming the cranial nerves without the Wikipedia page in front of them-- I think the only thing that'll see them through, is that they are really, really smart, intrinsically motivated people.

I think 5% is an underestimate of what you know and can evaluate based on your dental background. You have spent 4 years staring at people's faces, breaking them down into functional esthetic units and evaluating them from the clavicles up. With this sort of repetition you develop a sense of things that you can't just "pick up" later on.

If you plan on going back and doing ENT (which is a freakin awesome field) you'll notice that your background gives you a lot of ability that you may be taking for granted now. No education is wasted (except for the $$$)👍

Good luck with what ever you decide to do. I hope it works out for you. And don't settle, if you don't like dentistry (I didn't enjoy the act of dentistry) don't do it- go back and do whatever you think you want. It makes going to work in the AM much easier....

I find it strange you mention doing MORE anatomy in Dental School than Medical School. Is it because as an OMS resident you started out in 2nd/3rd year and maybe missed all of the anatomy during M1?

Granted, I still feel the same way I did one month ago. Although the financial heap I would accumulate is the only thing keeping my mind off the possibility. My only idea to reduce debt would be to apply ONLY to my resident state's medical school since in-state tuition is so low.

Everyday in clinic I do any sort of restoration, all I can think in the back of my head is that I'm one day closer to being DONE with dental school. I know this is pretty bad when I hear my peers so genuinely excited about doing a crown. The only time I really enjoy anything I'm doing, learning, or discussing is when I'm in the OMS department.

 

[gary_ruska]

A bit of everything for me. OMFS is currently only the thing that interests me within the realm of Dentistry--also the only dental specialty with any bearing of medical involvement. But OMFS is a whole other can of worms with the AMA constantly trying to downregulate their scope. I'm not only more interested in medicine, but surgery too. The MD field has more options for surgery no doubt about it. I suppose ENT/Otolaryngology or PRS could use some of my dental knowledge...probably only like 5%? At least then I wouldn't feel I wasted all of my money and 4yrs of my life in dental school, lol.

Gary "decide why you hate it" Ruska here.

You have received some excellent advice regarding your situation, but GR would like to add 0.02 to the pot.

If you're interested in OMFS, why not do that? The argument above is, frankly, a weak argument not to do it. ESPECIALLY since the AMA Scope of Practice Series SPECIFICALLY targeted SINGLE-DEGREE OMS. GR assumes that you would do a 6-year program and would be largely sheltered from some of this stuff.

Additionally, don't believe for a second that all of the people in medicine play nice with each other. If and when you go to medical school, you will realize just how competitive specialties within medicine are with each other and how they like to rag on one another. It makes the barbs over implants between periodontists and OMFS seem benign by comparison.

Finally, as someone who has completed both dental and medical school, GR will tell you that being in medical school was a real eye opener. Medicine is a terrific field, but nothing is without its downsides, and medicine has many. On balance, GR is happy for OMFS, a nice way to work at the boundary, with both physicians and dentists on a daily basis. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what anyone says or how much your ego is boosted by being some badass neurosurgeon. If you are happy doing what you do and you'll be able to tolerate the riff raff that occasionally comes along with it. No amount of respect, admiration or ego-boosting from others can make up for being unhappy.

GR suggests you shadow some physicians and some OMFS who work in a hospital setting. Talk with both groups and really figure out what you see yourself enjoying. The decision should be easy from there on.

 

[osumc2014]

Canadian.

Not that big of a deal, anatomy is super low yield on step I, as long as you just learn the anatomy that is relevant to the subject you re learning so you can visualize it I don't see that as being horrible at all.

To OP, I agree with above poster, you should wait it out and get some experience in the medical field and find out if you would really enjoy it, last thing you want is 4 more years of debt and then going into business to pay it off cause you realize you don't like any of this.