I am starting dental school in the fall, and I would like to get an idea of how difficult it is to obtain a position in a pediatric residency program. At this point I could see myself working as a family dentist, but I think I would prefer working strictly in pedo. I am not opposed to hard work, but I don't thrive in an extremely competitive atmosphere, and if trying to get into a pedo program is going to be cut-throat, I'll pass. I'd like to hear some current dental students weigh in. Thanks!
How competitive are pedo residencies?
- Thread starter turrrtle
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If I recall correctly from the ADA guide, of all applicants applying for specialty programs Pedo has the highest percentage of specialty applications, second is ortho, third is os.
although what the above poster says about % specialty applicants being the highest in pedo may be true (i haven't checked myself), that doesn't correlate directly with the "competitiveness" of matching into pedo. from what i've seen over the years, matching into pedo is much more about showing a true interest in working with children/communityservice/prevention/etc rather than class standing or board scores. obviously high board scores and rank will help the cause, but overwhelmingly it doesn't seem to be the major factor in getting into a pedo residency. although it would be beneficial to try to stop in the top 1/3 of the class, i've seen more than my fair share of bottom 50% match into pedo.
work hard, find out what you'd love to do in dentistry for the rest of your life, and go for it. in the meantime, enjoy yourself before dental schools starts 🙂
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