Army Dental Residency Questions

[ohwhencherry]

I have a few questions for anyone who might have him put regarding army Dental residences.

First, can anybody give me a rough estimate of the hours required each week for the orthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, as well as the 1 and 2 year AEGD residencies as well as a typical weekly schedule in each of these programs.

I’m just curious what the workload is relative to dental school. Going into dental school I heard that dental school would be extremely demanding, and I would have no time for my family. However, I have found it manageable to have an adequate time to spend with my family and to perform very well in dental school. I hear the similar rumors about dental residencies being extremely demanding and consuming all my time but I’m wondering whether it’s accurate and whether disciplined time management and efficiency could make it as manageable as dental school has turned out to be for me.

Second, I’m wondering if anybody has input as to my chances of getting into any of the four above residences with my current situation. I am ranked #1 in my class. I’m not participating in any research or student government right now, but I hope to do several NADT rotations at various residencies in order to getting it to know some residents and program directors. My main strengths are excellent academics and maturity (I’ll be 30 when I graduate, married for 5+ years, several children, etc.) but not a lot of extracurriculars while in dental school. Do you think I have a chance of getting in to one of the mentioned residences or will I likely have to do several years of service first?

Third, what are the teaching responsibilities like in these residences? I have TA experience and study organization leadership from undergrad and a lot of informal study group leadership experience in dental school, and I have found that I really enjoy teaching and would love to get more formally involved with teaching after dental school. I see that some of these residencies involve teaching responsibilities. I was wondering how much of your time that occupies, and if someone is interested in teaching if they can take on more of those responsibilities while in residency or afterwards as a specialist in the army. Additionally, does having a significant interest in teaching and mentorship of younger dentists look favorable on my application to these residences?

I appreciate any input ahead of time. Thank you. Your future army dental corps colleague.

PS where can I find information on the civilian pediatric residency that the army lets a few people do each year? I have been unable to find any information on the process of how one might apply to it through the army and how it compares to the army residencies.

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[Big Time Hoosier]

Do you think I have a chance of getting in to one of the mentioned residences or will I likely have to do several years of service first?

All you have going for you is class rank. You will be competing with people who also have a high class rank, done extracurriculars, and have time in service. The chances of you getting ortho, peds, endo, and probably even perio right out of school are slim to none. It also seems like you have no idea what you want to do professionally. All of these specialties are so different from one another. Seems like you’re just throwing stuff against a wall to see what sticks.

And, to do peds through the military, you first have to apply through the military, be accepted as their candidate, then you have to apply to civilian programs and Match.

Big Hoss