College Course for Shadowing

[PreMedPoohBear]

Hi all; I'm currently a junior in college majoring in Biology, and I'm trying to decide between medicine and dentistry (not because I believe one to be easier, better, etc.) My school offers a one hour course that allows students to explore different health professions and this course can be repeated up to 6 times I believe, so basically I would be getting about 15 hours of clinical experience each semester. I was just wondering would this experience be good enough when applying to dental schools in addition to other non-clinical ECs? I was just wondering would it look bad to only have experience through a course offered by my school and not actually calling up dentists to shadow and such?

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[dexadental]

If you're wondering if it would look bad, don't wonder anymore, and call those dentists and get some shadowing in. It'll be alot easier than some class, but I'm sure the class will be beneficial as well. Just seems like putting the little effort into making a few phone calls and getting out there in the mix may look better to me, than a little class. Good luck in your endeavors.

 

[Dr.Smiley-OR]

Hi all; I'm currently a junior in college majoring in Biology, and I'm trying to decide between medicine and dentistry (not because I believe one to be easier, better, etc.) My school offers a one hour course that allows students to explore different health professions and this course can be repeated up to 6 times I believe, so basically I would be getting about 15 hours of clinical experience each semester. I was just wondering would this experience be good enough when applying to dental schools in addition to other non-clinical ECs? I was just wondering would it look bad to only have experience through a course offered by my school and not actually calling up dentists to shadow and such?

I don't think that class would substitute the requirement of "shadowing a dentist". I believe certain schools require a number of hours shadowing a dentist" (30-60 hours). And beside, if you do not shadow a dentist for an adequate amount of time, how would you know you like dentistry? If you can't make up your mind to choose between dentistry and medicine, then you should put a lot of time into exploring your passion. By just visiting a dental office for a few hours would not do it. It is best that you actually be in a dental office for more than 20 hours to see if you like what a denstist do.

 

[toofache32]

I think most applicants avoid the shadowing thing because they are wary of cold-calling some dentist and having to talk them into letting you hang out in their office. The truth is this: it's a huge complement to the dentist that you called them (instead of other dentists) and most of them love to have someone around they can try to impress. They were all in your shoes just a few years ago, and they know exactly why you are calling.

Just call them yourself. Then you can set up your own schedule around what fits your needs instead of what your college wants.

 

[PreMedPoohBear]

Thanks all for the advice. I was in fact worried about just cold calling dentists about shadowing. I'm at a new university this spring, and I really don't know the area. I guess I'll just have to find a phone book and being calling different offices. I would really like the experience before I make a final career choice. Anyways, thanks again for the advice.

 

[Sprgrover]

...I was just wondering would it look bad to only have experience through a course offered by my school and not actually calling up dentists to shadow and such?

I say take the course, if not for the extra credits. Any venue which encourages you to explore and develop your interests is worthwhile. Would the 15 hours be enough? Probably not enough to have a school smile down up your application in glee, but hey, it's better than nothing. Furthermore, if you were to enroll in the course you could develop a rapport with some dentists in the area (connections are a real plus!) which could lead to more shadowing and experience and you could avoid the dreaded cold-call.