Columbia University

[Sangmitr]

Can columbia university students give me some insights about the school What kind of clinical training is offered during DDS program, How is the Patient pool, How do students do in the NERBS and Are there any problems faced by students for fulfilling graduating requirements.
Thanks ,
Sangmitr

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[StarGirl]

Can columbia university students give me some insights about the school What kind of clinical training is offered during DDS program, How is the Patient pool, How do students do in the NERBS and Are there any problems faced by students for fulfilling graduating requirements.
Thanks ,
Sangmitr

we had about 60 people taking the nerbs this yr... so far we've only took the first clinical part... 6 failed one of two sections... most people got upper 90's on both sections and many w/ 100 (75 is passing and 100 is max).

patient is mostly medicaid and self pay patients. I haven't had any problems w/ patients (dropping ones that aren't compliant, or getting new ones). As long as you go to your assigned clinic time and you don't slack off and w/ some luck and some decent hand skills... graduation on time shouldn't be too much of a problem.

In the clinic, you basically will get to do anything your patient needs... you refer extractions to oral surgery (but you have to rotate thru oral surgery...). You also rotate at other schools/hospitals for Oral Surgery and depending on where you choose to go, you can/may expereince different procedures (suturing lacerations, going to the OR, etc etc) You can refer the harder molar endos to PG Endo, but if you feel capable you can do them. We have the technology to do Cerec crowns. We can replace implants. I think you can do implant placement as your perio surgery... you're required to do 1 perio surgery. You scale all your patients unless they need perio surgery. Overdentures are highly stressed/recommended for Mandibular CDs by the prostho director... You're not required to set your own teeth for dentures (although you do it in preclinic) but you can if you want (and it expedites your case if you can set them correctly). We can cast our own gold crown and cast post and cores, or you can send them to lab. We do one processing for CD/CD (in groups) in preclinic. We get the well behaved pedo patients where you do stainless steal crowns, extractions, fillings, pupotomy, endo, sealants etc...basically anything they may need. We do both amalgams and composites... That's all i can think of now... back to clinic! Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[LadyxJC]

Hey, I'm also an applicant of Columbia and I do like many aspects of the school. But visiting other schools as well, I saw that Columbia has very few dental simulation units. I asked the faculty how they're able to allow students to get enough practice using the units if there are so few and they said that they assign the times that a student can use it. I was just wondering what the student perspective is on that. Do you feel that the alloted time that you're assigned is enough? Cause some schools have a sim unit for each of their students so that they can go practice whenever they want/need to. Thanx...

 

[Doggie]

Hey, I'm also an applicant of Columbia and I do like many aspects of the school. But visiting other schools as well, I saw that Columbia has very few dental simulation units. I asked the faculty how they're able to allow students to get enough practice using the units if there are so few and they said that they assign the times that a student can use it. I was just wondering what the student perspective is on that. Do you feel that the alloted time that you're assigned is enough? Cause some schools have a sim unit for each of their students so that they can go practice whenever they want/need to. Thanx...

I thought the simulation was useless. The only thing that made it seem more real than the typodont was that it had water. Get your lab partner to spray water at you if you want that experience.

 

[aphistis]

I thought the simulation was useless. The only thing that made it seem more real than the typodont was that it had water. Get your lab partner to spray water at you if you want that experience.

Ditto. At risk of soapboxing, I think sim units are an excellent method of wasting thousands of dollars per chair without producing any real benefit to the students using them.

The learning curve for dental manual skills is plenty steep enough as is. You can practice them with a typodont on a pole just as well as on a $25,000 sim unit, and particularly in the beginning you'll benefit from a perfect environment, without cheeks & tongues & saliva & everything else that makes clinical dentistry a pain in the glutes at times.

 

[drhobie7]

Ditto. At risk of soapboxing, I think sim units are an excellent method of wasting thousands of dollars per chair without producing any real benefit to the students using them.

The learning curve for dental manual skills is plenty steep enough as is. You can practice them with a typodont on a pole just as well as on a $25,000 sim unit, and particularly in the beginning you'll benefit from a perfect environment, without cheeks & tongues & saliva & everything else that makes clinical dentistry a pain in the glutes at times.

I agree as well. Sim units really don't get you that much closer to a real patient than a typodont and a rubber face on a pole. They are nice for selling CE courses though. Remember, in the end you're paying for all this stuff. You'll probably want to whittle down your mandatory school supplies by half when you realize what they cost. More and fancier equipment is not always better.

 

[toofache32]

Why do you want to go to school in South America?

 

[Doggie]

Why do you want to go to school in South America?

it might as well be......60-70% of the patients there were only spanish speakers

 

[toofache32]

it might as well be......60-70% of the patients there were only spanish speakers

But what do you expect in Bogota?

 

[StarGirl]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my spanish-only-speaking patients!!! they're the best! I don't have to joke around w/ them, I don' thave to make small talks, they don't have to tell me one hour long stories during a two hour appointment.


and have to agree, sim labs are the biggest waste of time!! I was in charge of the key to the sim lab room so I had access if I needed to practice, but not once did I use it on top of the min. required time.

 

[drhobie7]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my spanish-only-speaking patients!!! they're the best! I don't have to joke around w/ them, I don' thave to make small talks, they don't have to tell me one hour long stories during a two hour appointment.


and have to agree, sim labs are the biggest waste of time!! I was in charge of the key to the sim lab room so I had access if I needed to practice, but not once did I use it on top of the min. required time.

Hey Stargirl, I just got a patient who only speaks Spanish. It's funny, on the patient assignment slip it says: "Patient assigned to Spanish speaking student." I read that and thought, "What the heck?! Do they mean me?!" I haven't spoken Spanish for 6 years. I had my first appt with her last week. It went ok, but I have fears of going into the removable clinic and having an instructor rip my nads off because I can't communicate to the patient the pros and cons of immediate dentures. She's too good of a patient to give up. Upper CD, lower RPD, 3 or 4 endos! Sounds like you get by pretty well with simple Spanish, no? Si?

 

[StarGirl]

Hey Stargirl, I just got a patient who only speaks Spanish. It's funny, on the patient assignment slip it says: "Patient assigned to Spanish speaking student." I read that and thought, "What the heck?! Do they mean me?!" I haven't spoken Spanish for 6 years. I had my first appt with her last week. It went ok, but I have fears of going into the removable clinic and having an instructor rip my nads off because I can't communicate to the patient the pros and cons of immediate dentures. She's too good of a patient to give up. Upper CD, lower RPD, 3 or 4 endos! Sounds like you get by pretty well with simple Spanish, no? Si?

we have assistants that act as translators... the most important time to have a translator is during treatment planning...once you figure out what you need to do... I have the translator as if there's change in med hx and to let them know what I'll be doing for the day...then I get to work and it's smooth saling. No small talks. And when profs come, you can ask anything and never really sound incompetent as long as your voice doesn't sound like you're nervous/scared it's the best!

oh the few phases you should know "dolor?", "duele?", "estas bien?" and of course open and close... with "poquito" "grande" that's all I use.

 

[Doggie]

we have assistants that act as translators... the most important time to have a translator is during treatment planning...once you figure out what you need to do... I have the translator as if there's change in med hx and to let them know what I'll be doing for the day...then I get to work and it's smooth saling. No small talks. And when profs come, you can ask anything and never really sound incompetent as long as your voice doesn't sound like you're nervous/scared it's the best!

oh the few phases you should know "dolor?", "duele?", "estas bien?" and of course open and close... with "poquito" "grande" that's all I use.

what about "puto?"

 

[BDS-DMD]

Why do you keep o saying South America for Columbia Univ when it is actually located in NYC?

 

[StarGirl]

Why do you keep o saying South America for Columbia Univ when it is actually located in NYC?

i think they're confusing the country w/ the school.

 

[toofache32]

Why do you keep o saying South America for Columbia Univ when it is actually located in NYC?

I thought Columbia was in South America. Near the Panama Canal.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

I thought Columbia was in South America. Near the Panama Canal.

Toof,
You freakin' crack me up.

 

[Halitosis]

stargirlllllllllllllllllllll

i still have to wax up 6 teeth with 1.5 wks left before start of finals...what do i do????

the prof are never at the clinic to sign stuff off!

 

[StarGirl]

stargirlllllllllllllllllllll

i still have to wax up 6 teeth with 1.5 wks left before start of finals...what do i do????

the prof are never at the clinic to sign stuff off!

first you have to tell me who you are then I'll help you....
6 teeth isn't so bad, go in one day this weekend and get it done.... then go up to the 9th floor or down to the 7th floor and find a prof (just don't go to the 7th on monday & wed cause I get annoyed when you take up our attending time )

 

[Sangmitr]

first you have to tell me who you are then I'll help you....
6 teeth isn't so bad, go in one day this weekend and get it done.... then go up to the 9th floor or down to the 7th floor and find a prof (just don't go to the 7th on monday & wed cause I get annoyed when you take up our attending time )

what is the student teacher ratio at columbia?
how long is the summer break in 2nd year and what do u do ?

 

[StarGirl]

what is the student teacher ratio at columbia?
how long is the summer break in 2nd year and what do u do ?

don't know the prof to student ratio...
summber break b/n 2nd and 3rd yr is 6 weeks. people do externship, study for boards, go on a vacation... anything you want.... but every year the schedule is different so it may change....

 

[Sangmitr]

don't know the prof to student ratio...
summber break b/n 2nd and 3rd yr is 6 weeks. people do externship, study for boards, go on a vacation... anything you want.... but every year the schedule is different so it may change....

Thanks stargirl !!

 

[Halitosis]

first you have to tell me who you are then I'll help you....
6 teeth isn't so bad, go in one day this weekend and get it done.... then go up to the 9th floor or down to the 7th floor and find a prof (just don't go to the 7th on monday & wed cause I get annoyed when you take up our attending time )

i am halitosis! i'm sorry stargirl, that's all i can tell you. theres much i still have to complain abt cu...for ex, why do they force us to take an useless classs like scidmd...a grand waste of time(i'm sorry dr. z).

thanks for the heads up. i'm going to do all in one day then hand in my typodt for freeman to sign off all 6 wax ups plus the final one.

7th floor....i usually put on a mask and just walk around your clinic for fun.

 

[Halitosis]

don't know the prof to student ratio...
summber break b/n 2nd and 3rd yr is 6 weeks. people do externship, study for boards, go on a vacation... anything you want.... but every year the schedule is different so it may change....

6wks...is that after the board part 1(paper version) or is that the entire s.vacatn starting the last day of schl?

how long do you get to study for the paper version part one?

have you ever heard of specialty hopefuls doing a summer of voluntring(ex: go down to new orl to help out katrina victims) instaead of a summer of research?? the pt is to get a good rec right? so does it matter what you do to get a good rec?? thanks, as always!

btw, do you still remember "badaboom" and "nycblows"...the former actually told me who you are. and i hope the latter is still doing dentistry.

 

[StarGirl]

6wks...is that after the board part 1(paper version) or is that the entire s.vacatn starting the last day of schl?

how long do you get to study for the paper version part one?

have you ever heard of specialty hopefuls doing a summer of voluntring(ex: go down to new orl to help out katrina victims) instaead of a summer of research?? the pt is to get a good rec right? so does it matter what you do to get a good rec?? thanks, as always!

btw, do you still remember "badaboom" and "nycblows"...the former actually told me who you are. and i hope the latter is still doing dentistry.

i think it was 4 or 5 weeks to study for the paper part 1, i heard that it may no longer be on paper? i am not sure, you should look into this.
who's badaboom and nycblows? Why wouldn't nycblows be doing dentistry? I know the real name of one of them but no idea of the other....and who are you? I don't really keep track of who's who anyways... I just come on to help whoever I can... (send me a private message regarding this...since really it's no one else's business who they are or what they're doing).

I'm not completely sure about volunteering etc... i guess it maybe be important depending on what speciality you're going into, but I really don't recommend doing things just to do it to have for your CV. If you really think you'll enjoy it, then do it. If you are really interested in a school or two, go check those schools out. If you like research, do research....

 

[Doggie]

btw, do you still remember "badaboom" and "nycblows"...the former actually told me who you are. and i hope the latter is still doing dentistry.

the latter isnt doing dentistry........well, I dont really consider orthodontics dentistry!

 

[StarGirl]

the latter isnt doing dentistry........well, I dont really consider orthodontics dentistry!

who's Doggie? and is OS dentistry? you can do it w/ a piece of string and a door knob

 

[Halitosis]

the latter isnt doing dentistry........well, I dont really consider orthodontics dentistry!

i wasn't tyring to imply anything ill abt nycblows. much respect to the man...met him once during my interv. i've just heard some stuff to make me think that there's a slight chance that he wouldn't be in dentistry any more.

anyho, where's he doing ortho? back in the homeland?

 

[Miss Mammelon]

who's Doggie? and is OS dentistry? you can do it w/ a piece of string and a door knob

Ha ha ha... StarGirl- You are fantastic!
(BTW- I hardly ever come on here and post, but I'll betcha you can figure out who this is. *Hint: Call me- I left u a message after going to RadioShack *

 

[Miss Mammelon]

who's Doggie? and is OS dentistry? you can do it w/ a piece of string and a door knob

Ha ha ha... StarGirl- You are fantastic!
(BTW- I hardly ever come on here and post, but I'll betcha you can figure out who this is. *Hint: Call me- I left u a message after going to RadioShack *

 

[Doggie]

anyho, where's he doing ortho? back in the homeland?

Yeah, he might as well go back home, eh? hehe...

I believe he is either in BU or Tufts or one of those programs up there.....cant remeber....

 

[onetoothleft]

I still dont know who halitosis and stargirl are. . . . I think I have figured most everyone else out. At least give me a hint!

LOL

 

[StarGirl]

who are you? who's everyone else?

i get the feeling everyone besides you at sdos knows who i am....

i don't really come on that much anymore, only for the columbia threads....

I still dont know who halitosis and stargirl are. . . . I think I have figured most everyone else out. At least give me a hint!

LOL

i think he's at BU