AEGD for Experience and Speed

[DappenDish]

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Ahoy! D3 here. I am having a hard time deciding if I should apply to AEGDs/GPRs this cycle, as I am unsure if it would be worth it for me.

My main goal is to gain sufficient speed and experience to handle a full schedule without being overwhelmed and/or doing poor work in a PP or corporate setting. I feel that I am fairly adaptable and able to do good work when I have done a particular procedure a few times, and if the case is straightforward and goes as planned.

My concern is my general lack of experience (only a handful of operative, removable, and SRPs; ~10-15 simple extractions, no fixed or endo). I'm mainly interested in doing bread and butter dentistry, and not necessarily in learning advanced or complex procedures, aside from maybe molar endo and surgical extractions. So most of the programs that I have been looking into seem to be more community clinic types with a lot of experience in basic dentistry, but little or no advanced procedures or hospital dentistry.

Do you all think an AEGD would be worth it just to gain more general experience, speed, and maybe some endo/surgical ext experience without learning other more advanced procedures such as implants? Or would it be better to just go straight to work after graduation?

Any input is much appreciated!

 

[oralcare123]

Apply

 

[Roy Williams]

My opinion is to forego a residency if all you want is experience for increased speed and confidence. But do a residency if you are looking to learn specific procedures and skills that you have no learned in dental school.

 

[TanMan]

Ahoy! D3 here. I am having a hard time deciding if I should apply to AEGDs/GPRs this cycle, as I am unsure if it would be worth it for me.

My main goal is to gain sufficient speed and experience to handle a full schedule without being overwhelmed and/or doing poor work in a PP or corporate setting. I feel that I am fairly adaptable and able to do good work when I have done a particular procedure a few times, and if the case is straightforward and goes as planned.

My concern is my general lack of experience (only a handful of operative, removable, and SRPs; ~10-15 simple extractions, no fixed or endo). I'm mainly interested in doing bread and butter dentistry, and not necessarily in learning advanced or complex procedures, aside from maybe molar endo and surgical extractions. So most of the programs that I have been looking into seem to be more community clinic types with a lot of experience in basic dentistry, but little or no advanced procedures or hospital dentistry.

Do you all think an AEGD would be worth it just to gain more general experience, speed, and maybe some endo/surgical ext experience without learning other more advanced procedures such as implants? Or would it be better to just go straight to work after graduation?

Any input is much appreciated!

You can learn most profitable "advanced" procedures on the job (and avoid non-productive "advanced" procedures). You alluded that you don't want feel overwhelmed, but want to gain sufficient speed. You will most likely do relatively poor work when you first start. To incrementally push yourself more and more is to develop yourself professionally. If you're not pushing yourself, you're not going to get much faster. You may end up being comfortable being slow, which is a death sentence in dental productivity. Some people can handle being overwhelmed and adapt. Some shut down and cower (reschedule the patient or pawn them off to other dentists/colleagues).

An AEGD/GPR is not an end all/save all for dentists who lack training. You have to get into a good program, or you're essentially going into a 5th year of dental school, or worse, in a program where the blind are leading the blind (i.e your attendings don't know much more than you).

If you're willing to be "overwhelmed" and adapt/learn/improve clinically, go out into practice. If you're afraid that you're going to shut down and refuse to adapt to an overwhelming schedule, do an AEGD. I believe that most people can adapt and the biggest barrier to a person's success is often themselves.

Good luck in your professional endeavors!

 

[PerioDont]

You can learn most profitable "advanced" procedures on the job (and avoid non-productive "advanced" procedures). You alluded that you don't want feel overwhelmed, but want to gain sufficient speed. You will most likely do relatively poor work when you first start. To incrementally push yourself more and more is to develop yourself professionally. If you're not pushing yourself, you're not going to get much faster. You may end up being comfortable being slow, which is a death sentence in dental productivity. Some people can handle being overwhelmed and adapt. Some shut down and cower (reschedule the patient or pawn them off to other dentists/colleagues).

An AEGD/GPR is not an end all/save all for dentists who lack training. You have to get into a good program, or you're essentially going into a 5th year of dental school, or worse, in a program where the blind are leading the blind (i.e your attendings don't know much more than you).

If you're willing to be "overwhelmed" and adapt/learn/improve clinically, go out into practice. If you're afraid that you're going to shut down and refuse to adapt to an overwhelming schedule, do an AEGD. I believe that most people can adapt and the biggest barrier to a person's success is often themselves.

Good luck in your professional endeavors!

All residencies are definitely not equal. I've seen a few programs that hire someone who graduated the year before as attendings for residency.

I'd much rather go work in a corp for a year and get reps in than go to a questionable residency.