General dentists who have applied to endo

[WiKed]

I’m considering applying to endo residency. I have practiced for 8 years, have a 3.8 GPA and haven’t taken the ADAT. I have done 200–300 root canals at least, but have not taken a lot of endo CEs. For those who have interviewed for endo residency, what advice would you give to strengthen my application.

Also after being out for so many years, I’m concerned about LORs. I don’t personally don’t know any endodontists I.e haven’t shadowed. Just a referring relationship with my local endodontist.

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[chiangmai2015]

1. Attend the AAE conferences - take CEs and meet the program directors/residents.
2. Get good letters of recommendation from endodontists and other dentists. Note: Some schools require a letter or two submitted from a faculty member.
3. Have your application scream Endo - this means anything related to endo. (Research, CE, volunteer, presentation, etc.)
4. ADAT - it depends on the program. some directors prefer it; some don't care. However, some directors might want to see if you are still capable of handling the rigors of residency, so they might want to see your score. If I were you, I wouldn't take it b/c your GPA is already high. Note: some schools require it.
5. Some programs ask you to share your Endo portfolio during your interview. So it's a good idea to prepare cases in a PDF format (Dx, pre-op, post-op radiographs).

 

[chiangmai2015]

I would contact your local endodontists and ask them whether you can shadow them. Also, ask them how you can prepare for admissions because they've already gone through the whole process. And once you become closer to them, I would ask if they are willing to write you LORs. But ideally, a letter from your dental school endo faculty would be more impactful. I know this could be a challenge for some seasoned dentists who have been out of school for a while. Best of luck!

 

[Boat on the Chesapeake]

What they said.

With strong GPA and strong experience you have a solid application and should eventually get it. But there are so many strong applicants now it can be hard to stand out. May take more than one cycle. Good luck.

 

[redchesus]

Hey I just finished this past application cycle and will be starting endo residency next year. I was in a similar situation as you, practicing 6 years, so yeah LORs were one of the more challenging aspects of the process.

What I did was reach out to the few old faculties that I got along with (one was my direct clinical mentor and the other was my research PI). What I did was offer to write them draft letters. This was mutually beneficial because it was less work for them and I basically got to emphasize my best traits that I wanted them to convey (because let's be honest, they've had so many students since me, they're not gonna remember). All they had to do was edit it however they want it and send it off.

My third letter came from a local endodontist I shadowed. I asked to shadow him a few months before the application opened and was at his office once every 2-3 weeks for the whole day. We discussed cases, endo practice vs general practice (really useful stuff for interviews actually). He introduced me to a lot of his endo colleagues at AAE and I made a lot of connections with PDs that way.

I don't think you need to take the ADAT with that GPA unless your top schools require it.

Hope this helps!

 

[chiangmai2015]

What they said.

With strong GPA and strong experience you have a solid application and should eventually get it. But there are so many strong applicants now it can be hard to stand out. May take more than one cycle. Good luck.

Agree. One in about 30 people gets in... very competitive...

 

[Davicaine]

Agree with the above. Also, personal statement is really all they have to get to know you prior to offering an interview, so make sure that's very good and try to avoid being generic. One additional benefit you have over recent grads is that you probably have a bunch of money, so I'd just apply everywhere if you really want to get in. If you get too many interviews or get accepted early in the cycle, just make sure to let the other programs know so that they can offer an interview spot to someone else. Make sure applications are in as early as possible and make sure you filled out everything correctly and submitted everything they asked for. If you have classmates who went into endo, they already know you and that might be a good option for more personalized letters.

 

[jennifer kim]

Agree with the above. Also, personal statement is really all they have to get to know you prior to offering an interview, so make sure that's very good and try to avoid being generic. One additional benefit you have over recent grads is that you probably have a bunch of money, so I'd just apply everywhere if you really want to get in. If you get too many interviews or get accepted early in the cycle, just make sure to let the other programs know so that they can offer an interview spot to someone else. Make sure applications are in as early as possible and make sure you filled out everything correctly and submitted everything they asked for. If you have classmates who went into endo, they already know you and that might be a good option for more personalized letters.

I really need a great personal statement. Do you have any advice on how to prepare one? I realized it cannot be childish like my personal statement for dental school. I have to be professional , but make it interesting.

 

[SirBrotherJam]

I really need a great personal statement. Do you have any advice on how to prepare one? I realized it cannot be childish like my personal statement for dental school. I have to be professional , but make it interesting.

This is something only you can do. I spent a long time drafting mine. Unfortunately, most personal statements I have read are very similar so would be very difficult to "be unique". Keep it simple. Why endo, what you have done, and why you will make a good resident. Doesn't need to be very long.