Experience after Dental School and applying for residencies

[pmoney]

Hi, I hope this post is appropriate here, if not please move it.

I am considering a military scholarship for Dental School. Obviously, at this point I have no clue what specialty (if any) I might possibly be interested in doing down the line. But, I did want to know that if I was interested in a 'competitive' specialty down the line, would 1 year AEGD + 4 years experience in the Army Dental Corps be too much when applying. I see a lot of posts that many specialty programs are interested in at least some experience, whether it be a GPR, private practice, etc after dental school in order to get interviews. Would any programs consider an applicant who has five years of practice experience as a bad candidate in any form compared to a new doc who is 1 or 2 years out of school?

It seems to me that such an applicant might be considered a good fit since they would have good grasp on the basics of General Dentistry and know what they want. I would also assume that any research type opportunities during the 5 year stint in the service would be beneficial if they were related to the specific specialty you are interested in.

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[dexadental]

Of course experience and an AEGD won't hurt you and give you an edge over an applicant straight out of dental school. Not sure if you can become involved in research while in the service as a dentist (within your payback time) but anything is possible. I've talked to a Navy dentist before who mentioned that most of his colleagues that applied to specialty programs after their HPSP duty were accepted. He also said they mainly asked him about his time in the service and he also stated that most had many military awards which helped their application - leadership positions and such. I don't think the military will hurt you, but I don't think an applicant right out of dental school should be labeled a bad candidate - I think more applicants specialize right after dental school. It all comes down to qualifications, who you know, and your desire to enter a specialty.

 

[Dadoh]

I would have to agree with dexa. You would have an advantage compared to others that have the same dental school qualifications. Honorable service in the military shows maturity, and the fact that you have seen and done every aspect of dentistry because of the AGD shows that you know what you want to do. I used to work with many of the residents at Loma Linda and in most of programs each year they had someone who had been out of school for several years before doing their residency. I think for the most part they were some of the best residents.

 

[ElDienteLoco]

I don't think the 4 years and AEGD will ever hurt you. Most programs like seasoned veterans - especially endo. The only downside I see is a lot of time committed to other stuff before you end up doing what you want to do. I for instance love endo and an HPSP + repayment option would mean that I wouldn't get to endo full time until I was almost 35! A year or two of post-grad AEGD/GPR would probably strengthen my post-doc app almost as much and I could be done with school 4-6 years earlier.

But...you should also really look into the fine print about that military AEGD. How much time will be added to your "repayment years" for doing the military AEGD. You might find yourself in the military for a bit more than 5 years if you know what I mean (1 yr AEGD + 4 yr HPSP repayment + 1 or 2 yr repayment for the AEGD = 6-7 years after DMD/DDS) Best of luck.

 

[dexadental]

The AEGD is one year pay back and I think that applies to most branches, but I'm talking about the Navy here. Pretty simple, each year they fund the education, you pay them back. I've heard of people, some spoke of it on the military dentistry forum, deferring their comitment while on the HPSP to do a civilian residency right out of dental school, say endo. This would not account for anymore time owed back to the Navy provided it is paid by you, and not the Navy. To be honest, this seems like something I'd really be interested in. Finish dental school at 25, do a 3 year residency, then 4 years in the Navy as a specialist - more pay, more respect (hopefully). All in all, done at 32 and doing pretty well. Then again, just becoming a general dentist is my primary goal right now being that I haven't started dental school yet, but thinking about this is always a good start.

 

[Dadoh]

The AEGD is one year pay back and I think that applies to most branches, but I'm talking about the Navy here. Pretty simple, each year they fund the education, you pay them back. I've heard of people, some spoke of it on the military dentistry forum, deferring their comitment while on the HPSP to do a civilian residency right out of dental school, say endo. This would not account for anymore time owed back to the Navy provided it is paid by you, and not the Navy. To be honest, this seems like something I'd really be interested in. Finish dental school at 25, do a 3 year residency, then 4 years in the Navy as a specialist - more pay, more respect (hopefully). All in all, done at 32 and doing pretty well. Then again, just becoming a general dentist is my primary goal right now being that I haven't started dental school yet, but thinking about this is always a good start.

all the branches of the military change the rules quite a bit, but I wouldn't count on getting into a civilian residency, especially in the navy or army. I believe the air force does it a little more, and when they do it, it is because they are critically in need of a certain specialty. I believe that this is why es sclavo got to do it for omfs. Since you are interested in a 3 year residency, it sounds like you might be interested in ortho. I am not sure but I don't think that they are in desperate need of Orthodontists. The ortho guys usually end up doing a civilian residency in the military, but it is usually military sponsered and thus the you would have a commitment, but I don't see why you would want to do a civilian residency anyway if you can get into the residency right out of school. Since the payback is concurrent, the commitment would end up being the same.

 

[Dadoh]

you should also really look into the fine print about that military AEGD. How much time will be added to your "repayment years" for doing the military AEGD. You might find yourself in the military for a bit more than 5 years if you know what I mean (1 yr AEGD + 4 yr HPSP repayment + 1 or 2 yr repayment for the AEGD = 6-7 years after DMD/DDS) Best of luck.

The time in the military would only be 5 years total. It used to be that it was only 4 years because the AGD counted towards payback but now it does not but it does not incur another year. But if YOU were to do endo in the army you would be in for 8 years. The first three doing general, two residency, and three payback for residency. By then your oldest child would almost be ten and wouldn't suffer the depravities from lacking a stable home, but it is too late for you now anyway, no sense in getting the one year HPSP.

 

[pmoney]

Thanks for the replies. It does seem like you are a relatively 'old' age before you would be able to start practicing.

For a specialty where a lot of people get in straight out of D school the military seems like it might not the best option. For something like endo, you do lose an extra couple of years if you get into a program after 5 years vs 2 years after dental school, but it is not that much in th whole scheme of things.

During D school, if I was interested in a specialty, I would consider still doing the AEGD my first year when entering the service because I have heard that you get very good training and besides, you actually are learning what you need to know then rather than the limited cases you see in school.

 

[rarm1]

Hi
Depending on the speciality you want... you may look at the military. Yes, it will add to your payback time... but you may be paid for the training.
They may even pay for training outside of the military... We have had some in our OMFS program (programs must be inspected and approved by govt - and some programs do not want to go through that). The additional years will get you close to full retirement benefits... and NO - i was not in the military.

Some advanced programs like to see the year of AEGD or GPR done after pvt practice or military to "prove" you can get back to education... or to "conditional" you to education.

 

[pmoney]

Some advanced programs like to see the year of AEGD or GPR done after pvt practice or military to "prove" you can get back to education... or to "conditional" you to education.

ARe certain specialties more prone to prefer something like this or is it basically dependent on what the individual programs (regardless of specialty) like to see?