Clinical Leeway at Didactic Schools

[LoF27]

OK, so I know Columbia is more focused on didactics than on clinical skills. That's all fine and good--a strong medical foundation is important to me (btw, I don't understand why so many people complain about taking classes with the med students--I think that's awesome. why wouldn't you want to get a medical education?).

However, does that mean that someone at Columbia who is a real go-getter and wants to work on as many patients as possible can't do so because there isn't the faculty and infrastructure to support it? That is to say, if i really, really, really want to do as many crowns, bridges, fillings, dentures, root canals, etc. as I can while in school, is there something that will prevent me from getting as many patients and as much practice as I want? Can I work extra clinic hours? Or is that impossible because there just isn't enough chair space or faculty to supervise me?

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[MidwestOwl]

People keep bashing Columbia and Harvard(my school ) for not having enough clinical training... I myself no a dentist who is a Columbia graduate and it seems to me he did just fine.

 

[apaul]

i know its a faux pas to correct spelling but the irony here makes me laugh every time

 

[dddsmack]

The concern I have about being in classes with medical students is that you have to learn more than you will probaly use. Why go through the rigors of full body gross anatomy when you have the option of only head and neck?

Just my thoughts.

 

[Revelde]

The concern I have about being in classes with medical students is that you have to learn more than you will probaly use. Why go through the rigors of full body gross anatomy when you have the option of only head and neck?

Just my thoughts.

because dentistry is a subspecialty of medicine.
a dermatologist or an ophthalmologist also learn the whole before they go to specific area to specialize.

 

[hgfdsa]

the students i talked to at columbia said that although they may not spend as much time in the clinic as at other schools, they get very good exposure to complex cases because they are given a lot of freedom to work on cases that might be sent to residents at other schools. I got the impression that it was like this at harvard too, but i actually don't remember if any harvard students told me this explicitly.

 

[shamrock2006]

While I was someone very focused on going to the best "clincal" school possible...I must say that after talking to current d-students and recent grads that at basically any school..whether it has a good "clinical" reputation or not..will produce dentists with rudimentary skills at best. You will learn more in your first year out of dental school than you ever did in your years in school..and this is from the mouths of many recent grads and interviewers. Every school, whether is predominantly "researched" based or a "didactic" school..is going to give you enough clinical exposure to make you minimally competent...it's what you do AFTER d-school that determines how successful you will be...not so much "where" you went to school. Bottom line..you will be as proficient as you make yourself...your clinical experience in D-school will be mainly determined by how well you seize opportunities and show you have the skills....the better you are, the more patients will be sent your way (also from the mouth of an interviewer). So Basically..to the OP, wherever you decide to go you will be just dandy...schools will present you will opportunites..its up to you to go get them...if you want to go to Columbia..then by all means go...if you put in the effort you will get out exactly what you want...best of luck!

 

[hgfdsa]

While I was someone very focused on going to the best "clincal" school possible...I must say that after talking to current d-students and recent grads that at basically any school..whether it has a good "clinical" reputation or not..will produce dentists with rudimentary skills at best. You will learn more in your first year out of dental school than you ever did in your years in school..and this is from the mouths of many recent grads and interviewers. Every school, whether is predominantly "researched" based or a "didactic" school..is going to give you enough clinical exposure to make you minimally competent...it's what you do AFTER d-school that determines how successful you will be...not so much "where" you went to school. Bottom line..you will be as proficient as you make yourself...your clinical experience in D-school will be mainly determined by how well you seize opportunities and show you have the skills....the better you are, the more patients will be sent your way (also from the mouth of an interviewer). So Basically..to the OP, wherever you decide to go you will be just dandy...schools will present you will opportunites..its up to you to go get them...if you want to go to Columbia..then by all means go...if you put in the effort you will get out exactly what you want...best of luck!

Yea this is definitely the impression i have also

 

[dddsmack]

because dentistry is a subspecialty of medicine.
a dermatologist or an ophthalmologist also learn the whole before they go to specific area to specialize.

I refuse to learn all that, and my school accommodates. Why do more than you have to? It will never benefit you as a dentist, will it? I don't foresee any situation where I need it. So we aren't doing it. Sorry.

 

[cuneatus2]

i know its a faux pas to correct spelling but the irony here makes me laugh every time

I was just thinking the same thing.