Considering the switch from dent to med

[dentalchamp98]

Hey guys, so I’m going to be a second year dental student and been having doubts as to whether or not I should stay in dental school. I have always known that I wanted to be some sort of doctor but I have a parent in the dental professional that influenced me to choose dentistry. I will not be seeing patients until third year so for now there are aspects that I like but also those that I hate. I also am not sure whether or not I will be able to overcome the feeling of not being a 'real' doctor. I feel like people have more respect for medical professionals than dental. I have thoughts that "I could have done better", not being sure if I will be able to deal with the physical demands of dentistry, but most importantly not knowing if my passion lies in dentistry.

Would medical schools even take a dropout from dental school? Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do as far as taking a semester off for medical leave perhaps?

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[Gwynbleidd]

I also am not sure whether or not I will be able to overcome the feeling of not being a 'real' doctor. I feel like people have more respect for medical professionals than dental. I have thoughts that "I could have done better", not being sure if I will be able to deal with the physical demands of dentistry, but most importantly not knowing if my passion lies in dentistry.

Are you considering medicine for the perceived “respect” and prestige or because you genuinely think you’ll like it better? It sounds like you weren’t super informed of your motivation for dentistry, so what about medicine makes you think it will be any different? Have you shadowed a medical doctor in any capacity to see if you’d like it better?

I think these are important questions to ask yourself before making such a huge decision. There is also the issue of debt (if you have any) from your first 2 years of dental school on top of the additional debt you might take on with med school. Is it worth taking on an added ~200k from dental loans to switch over? Just food for thought.

 

[dentalchamp98]

Are you considering medicine for the perceived “respect” and prestige or because you genuinely think you’ll like it better? It sounds like you weren’t super informed of your motivation for dentistry, so what about medicine makes you think it will be any different? Have you shadowed a medical doctor in any capacity to see if you’d like it better?

I think these are important questions to ask yourself before making such a huge decision. There is also the issue of debt (if you have any) from your first 2 years of dental school on top of the additional debt you might take on with med school. Is it worth taking on an added ~200k from dental loans to switch over? Just food for thought.

I shadowed neurologists, ophthalmologists, and neurosurgeons in both a private and hospital setting. With medicine it is less hands-on than with dentistry and thats something that I feel may be more of my fit. I don't know if I can see myself doing procedures everyday for the rest of my life.

In my situation I am fortunate enough that it is more of a time issue than a money issue. My main concern is whether I even have a shot of getting in to med school, as I do not want to lose it all

 

[candbgirl]

Well we can’t tell you if you’ll get in because you haven’t shared anything with us and even then it’s a crap shoot. Only around 40% of all applicants each cycle are accepted at all and half of those are only accepted to one school. You will have to have a convincing argument for the switch. You’ll have to prove to ADCOMS you are not running away from dentistry for whatever reasons.

 

[dentalchamp98]

Well we can’t tell you if you’ll get in because you haven’t shared anything with us and even then it’s a crap shoot. Only around 40% of all applicants each cycle are accepted at all and half of those are only accepted to one school. You will have to have a convincing argument for the switch. You’ll have to prove to ADCOMS you are not running away from dentistry for whatever reasons.

from an undergrad that I attended which is a well known public university, I had a overall gpa of 3.67 and science gpa of 3.45. I have a biochemical major and language minor. I have 1 year of research experience but no publication as well as a summers worth of shadowing at the hospital. I don’t have any leadership experience though.

 

[candbgirl]

from an undergrad that I attended which is a well known public university, I had a overall gpa of 3.67 and science gpa of 3.45. I have a biochemical major and language minor. I have 1 year of research experience but no publication as well as a summers worth of shadowing at the hospital. I don’t have any leadership experience though.

Well your GPAs are below average for matriculated MD students(3.7x-cGPA AND 3.6x-sGPA). DO might be around your stats. Although I’m not sure. Stats go up every year. Don’t worry about research or shadowing. You will need around 200+ hours of clinical experience (can be paid or volunteer)face to face contact with the sick, injured and dying and 200+ hours of nonclinical volunteering focusing on the unserved/ underserved in your community. And of course you’ll have to take and do well on the MCAT. You have quite a journey ahead if you decide to switch. Have you thought about taking a leave of absence from Dental School and get a job in a hospital?

 

[KnightDoc]

Well we can’t tell you if you’ll get in because you haven’t shared anything with us and even then it’s a crap shoot. Only around 40% of all applicants each cycle are accepted at all and half of those are only accepted to one school. You will have to have a convincing argument for the switch. You’ll have to prove to ADCOMS you are not running away from dentistry for whatever reasons.

This^^^^^. If you don't absolutely hate dentistry, you have a much more difficult call than the typical applicant.

Is your parent a dentist (you said they were in the profession but did not specify)? If so, you are potentially walking away from the family business, with a decent lifestyle and income, in order to roll the dice with a med school admission. Super high potential opportunity cost.

Again, unless you are totally miserable, the smart move is probably to stay where you are. If you are totally miserable, then it's a no-brainer because you really can't spend the rest of your life miserable just because it is safe. Just do a little soul searching and the answer will be obvious.

 

[deleted1105534]

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[dentalchamp98]

DM me (I cannot start a conversation with you for some reason). I was not in a situation this extended from undergrad, but something mildly similar. Got II's at like 20 schools mostly T20s and A's at like all of them that I attended and all interviewers were curious about my background. Below average stats for all as well.

I think you can spin it positively especially in the sea of carbon-copy premeds that exist. However, disrespecting dentistry as a whole ("I could have done better" "med professionals have more respect") is not the way to think about it.

Also before dropping dentistry, actually think about why you're doing it beyond perceived ego reasons. There are many aspects of dentistry (and similar fields, orth) that make it much, MUCH better than MD, especially for mental health and lifestyle. Many high achieving and savvy dentists make exponentially more money than MD's will ever see (in the case that "more respect" means more money, to you).

DM'ed you

 

[DigNewton]

I have a couple friends in dentistry who went through that sound similar to what you're experiencing. Both ended up sticking it out in dental school and seem happy with their careers now. One did a 1-year General Practice Residency and is a hospital dentist. The other went the nuclear route and did a 6-year OMFS residency – super competitive to get into, and a huge commitment... but they have their DDS and MD now, and do a pretty cool mix of quick outpatient surgeries and craniofacial trauma surgeries. If you get into the clinic and hate procedures, neither of those are likely to be a great fit. But if you end up liking the procedural side, they're options worth considering.