Can anyone share AEGD (1yr) in the army experience?

[itsmekook]

I am thinking about to go that route.
Could people share their experience in AEGD in the army please?
Please let us know where as well!
Thank You!

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[gatorfan99]

As an 1yr AEGD grad I would HIGHLY recommend doing this. As a matter of fact, I'm really glad the Army forces us to apply. The AEGDs are designed to "calibrate" new dentists into the being more comfortable with more advanced dental procedures and (most importantly) treatment planning. The experience will vary depending on the staff and that is always changing (so there's no one place that's "always good" or "always bad" - remember everyone usually moves every 3 yrs in the military, so the good/crappy mentor will eventually move on). Speaking of staff, the mentors in Army programs (can't speak for other services) tend to be young, full of energy and up to date on the latest and greatest. Plus, they are NOT some "gun for hire" or "superstar doing you a favor" like what you would find in many civilian programs.

To be blunt, with the wave of new dental schools opening and the quality of dental education being so uneven, and the fact that (if you were like me) many students focus on "getting their requirements done" , there is a MASSIVE difference between an AEGD grad and someone right out of dental school (some would say its the equivalent of 5 yrs of experience squeezed into a single year).

Just do it!!!​

 

[itsmekook]

As an 1yr AEGD grad I would HIGHLY recommend doing this. As a matter of fact, I'm really glad the Army forces us to apply. The AEGDs are designed to "calibrate" new dentists into the being more comfortable with more advanced dental procedures and (most importantly) treatment planning. The experience will vary depending on the staff and that is always changing (so there's no one place that's "always good" or "always bad" - remember everyone usually moves every 3 yrs in the military, so the good/crappy mentor will eventually move on). Speaking of staff, the mentors in Army programs (can't speak for other services) tend to be young, full of energy and up to date on the latest and greatest. Plus, they are NOT some "gun for hire" or "superstar doing you a favor" like what you would find in many civilian programs.

To be blunt, with the wave of new dental schools opening and the quality of dental education being so uneven, and the fact that (if you were like me) many students focus on "getting their requirements done" , there is a MASSIVE difference between an AEGD grad and someone right out of dental school (some would say its the equivalent of 5 yrs of experience squeezed into a single year).

Just do it!!!​

Thank you so much for your input!
Did you do AEGD through the military or one of schools?

 

[gatorfan99]

I did my 1yr AEGD in the Army - awesome experience (way better than many civilian programs I heard about/spoke to grads about)

Also remember that the Army's goal for 1 yr AEGD's grads is to make you into a better dentist so you can be more independent/know when to ask for help so that if you find yourself in a remote deployed environment your not totally clueless, while the goal for a civilian program might be all about getting your money...

 

[NMC2010]

@gatorfan99 , you mentioned that everyone has to apply. Does this mean it's difficult to get a 1 year or 2 year AEGD, or do people just get accepted and turn it down?

 

[gatorfan99]

@gatorfan99 , you mentioned that everyone has to apply. Does this mean it's difficult to get a 1 year or 2 year AEGD, or do people just get accepted and turn it down?

No, I didn't find it difficult at all to get into an 1yr, my dental school GPA were really "middle of the curve" and my boards scores weren't amazing either. The military WANTS to get as many people into 1yr programs as possible (very different mindset than civilian world) because it wants to "calibrate/sharpen" its providers - there's huge differences in quality between dental schools/dental students - plus they want to have the option of making you into a brigade dentist (much less likely being straight out of dental school, where someone has to hold your hand at all times)