Career changer - asking for shadowing

[Eun-Sol]

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Hello, I'm career changer from AI researcher to dentistry. I am expected to take post-bacc starting this fall to fulfill pre-reqs for dental school. Before starting the post-bacc, I want to utilize free time to start shadowing a dentist (I left my job as I moved to other state 10 days ago with my husband). At this time, as we are experiencing this pandemic, there weren't much dental offices that are opened but I found some around my area. I want to ask them, as soon as possible, for the shading opportunities. I have some questions and concerns regarding this though.

My questions are:

1. I feel like the timing isn't right for asking the shadowing. The dentists probably have not much of patients and stressed out about this situation. I'm just worry that whether I should wait until this covid19 goes away and states can operate normally.
2. As I mentioned, I am a career changer. I have no experience in dentistry at all. For past years, I worked in tech company researching. I have great resume that I can present for previous job which is not-related to dental at all. As a resume to the dentist for shadowing, should I provide resume about my previous job? if not, how should I create new resume?
3. I want to shadow multiple dentists. Is there any room where you can decide on duration and frequency you want/can shadow? (for example, 4 times a week from 3pm-6pm starting from 04/05/2020 to 06/03/2020)

 

[joeexotic]

this is a **** time for any health profession dealing with covid. Dentists will be too worried about recovering the loss of income during this period than to focus on silly pre-dents looking to shadow. Now is just not the time for this. I don't even know if patients would want non-essential dental personnel in the room with them. curious how you are jumping from AI research to dentistry?

 

[ToothJockey]

To piggyback on this question, do you think this is a bad time to ask a dentist for a LOR? With the application cycle coming up, I figure many pre-dents are in this position.

 

[joeexotic]

you can ask, doesnt mean

To piggyback on this question, do you think this is a bad time to ask a dentist for a LOR? With the application cycle coming up, I figure many pre-dents are in this position.

you can ask but its doesnt mean you shall receive; dentists have a lot going on right now, writing a LOR, and a quality LOR and submitting it on time is not their priority right now. this is just a ****ty year for anyone applying this cycle whose application is not complete

 

[Eun-Sol]

this is a **** time for any health profession dealing with covid. Dentists will be too worried about recovering the loss of income during this period than to focus on silly pre-dents looking to shadow. Now is just not the time for this. I don't even know if patients would want non-essential dental personnel in the room with them. curious how you are jumping from AI research to dentistry?

Okay. I thought so..
and are you asking why I'm switching or asking how I am planning to structure a path to dentistry?

 

[AONLINE]

Okay. I thought so..
and are you asking why I'm switching or asking how I am planning to structure a path to dentistry?

You can wait until dental clinics are opened again to shadow. I’m also curious as to why you’re switching from AI (computer engineering, right?) to dentistry. AI seems to be a very lucrative area right now according to my CS friends.

 

[Eun-Sol]

You can wait until dental clinics are opened again to shadow. I’m also curious as to why you’re switching from AI (computer engineering, right?) to dentistry. AI seems to be a very lucrative area right now according to my CS friends.

Okay. Its better idea to wait.
& Yes computer eng. AI is extremely good field right now. Its job growth rate is promising, has bright future, and pay is very strong. I, very, enjoyed working on the projects and made great achievements. However one thing that I highly value in work environment was missing, work-life balance. I had NO life at all. Not only working overtime most of the days but also expected to work on weekends every other two weeks. There were some days that I stayed up until 7am at work with my colleagues. Because of the job nature, researchers are expected to come up with something innovated idea that out stands millions of people's ideas.

As a female researcher who constantly stresses about work, I didn't think I would live the life I wanted with AI job. I want to be able to just spend time with my family after work and on weekends, especially if I have kids in the future. I'm not even expect to have stress-free life, I don't think that is even possible in the world that we are living. In fact, after reading lots of forums, dentists tend to have high stress level too due to bunch of BSs. After all, the reasons I chose the dentistry are that great work-life balance, good and somewhat steady income, and it fulfills the my belief. Of course there are more factors accounted in when deciding on this big change but these are the big reasons.

 

[Molar Whisperer]

Once the crisis is over, I recommend you shadow 3 places...private practice, corporate practice, community clinic. Try to see the advantages and disadvantages of each. Try to ask questions and gain some networking/connections. Even talk to the dental assistants, mgrs, and other staff. An outside-the-box idea is to shadow dental labs such as dentures, crowns and various dental appliances. I wished I would have some experience with lab since we had to do our own lab work on top of seeing patients and studying. The more efficient you do lab, the more free time you have which is not much in Dental School.