How does a D1 know what specialty they want so early in the game?

[kashyranz]

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Hello,

I'm a D1 and I am faced with the dilemma of not knowing what area of dentistry I would like to be a part of. I always had the goal of specializing in some field, but I find it challenging to gain exposure to the daily procedures these docs do. I have shadowed Endo but honestly cannot see or learn much of anything as they are looking through a microscope the entire time. I also won't be able to do my first root canal until the start of D3. The thought of being an Endodontist is nice, but i've never even done a root canal before and I don't know if I will like it. I have been shadowing, but I get the impression that I will never know what is right for me until I have done it on an actual patient several times which won't be for a long time. I have the competitive gpa at a 3.9 which is around top 10-15% in my school. However, I feel that my time attaining the highest marks almost feels wasted if becoming a GP is my endgoal. I could be practicing new techniques and perfecting my skills in lab but instead Im here memorizing facts for a craniofacial biology exam that will lead me realistically nowhere. My friends who are gunning for endo and ortho already are lining up research with their respective specialties and making strides in their own specialty organizations. By the time the application cycle rolls around they'll have a full 3-4 years of an extensive resume built solely on that field. How do I compete with that without knowing what I want yet? I do Perio research, but am not even sure I want to go into Periodontics from the sheer lack of exposure. Bottom line - How do I know what I want to do this early in the game? Is shadowing the only option? A big goal of mine for dentistry is to maximize the time I spend at work ($/hr). Sad truth. I do enjoy the field but I will not fall into a ridiculous amount of debt without the ability to maximize my return on investment when I come out. I may be naive in thinking this but that ideology coincides with specializing. I do not live to work. I want to work fewer hours and use the extra time to do things that I love doing. Not sure I even love dentistry (i do like it), but I find it can provide for a good life.

#8

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

However, I feel that my time attaining the highest marks almost feels wasted if becoming a GP is my endgoal.

Why? Don’t your future patients deserve that you pushed yourself to be the best you could be, regardless if you specialize or not? The top two people in my class didn’t even go on to residency. Another guy in my class was a diehard ortho gunner from Day 1. That is until we had our first ortho class during second year and he found it boring. Where is he now? In an oral surgery residency.

At this point, I’d just work hard to keep my options open. You could even graduate, practice for a while, and then decide there’s a specialty you’d really like to go into. In fact, this is the most common route to endo. My endo friends have told me that many programs, if not most, won’t even seriously consider you without a GPR/AEGD or fulltime experience. And many endo programs are starting to require the ADAT, so those “worthless” craniofacial biology facts you’ve crammed into your head actually might come in handy down the road.

My advice would be to keep doing what you’re doing and reassess your goals at the end of D2 after you’ve gained some more exposure to everything. That gives you an entire year to work on putting together a solid application by the end of D3.

Big Hoss

 

[schmoob]

Program directors dont expect you to know what you want to specialize in before setting foot in clinic. Your friends cant expect to KNOW they want to do endo if they've never instrumented a canal. Same thing with OS, shadowing a private practice surgeon who does nothing but 3rds is not indicative is not an accurate representation of the specialty. It's when you get hands on patient experience is when you really know.

It's ok if you dont know yet. Many people do go into DS thinking they know what specialty they want, but it's not always the case. Work hard in your classes and try to keep your grades high. This will leave you with better chances no matter which specialty you choose to pursue. Plus its OK to be a GP, you can make a great living.

 

[Yesnoyes]

Well said, I couldn't have put it better than you did. Just know there are many others feeling the same way as you

Hello,

I'm a D1 and I am faced with the dilemma of not knowing what area of dentistry I would like to be a part of. I always had the goal of specializing in some field, but I find it challenging to gain exposure to the daily procedures these docs do. I have shadowed Endo but honestly cannot see or learn much of anything as they are looking through a microscope the entire time. I also won't be able to do my first root canal until the start of D3. The thought of being an Endodontist is nice, but i've never even done a root canal before and I don't know if I will like it. I have been shadowing, but I get the impression that I will never know what is right for me until I have done it on an actual patient several times which won't be for a long time. I have the competitive gpa at a 3.9 which is around top 10-15% in my school. However, I feel that my time attaining the highest marks almost feels wasted if becoming a GP is my endgoal. I could be practicing new techniques and perfecting my skills in lab but instead Im here memorizing facts for a craniofacial biology exam that will lead me realistically nowhere. My friends who are gunning for endo and ortho already are lining up research with their respective specialties and making strides in their own specialty organizations. By the time the application cycle rolls around they'll have a full 3-4 years of an extensive resume built solely on that field. How do I compete with that without knowing what I want yet? I do Perio research, but am not even sure I want to go into Periodontics from the sheer lack of exposure. Bottom line - How do I know what I want to do this early in the game? Is shadowing the only option? A big goal of mine for dentistry is to maximize the time I spend at work ($/hr). Sad truth. I do enjoy the field but I will not fall into a ridiculous amount of debt without the ability to maximize my return on investment when I come out. I may be naive in thinking this but that ideology coincides with specializing. I do not live to work. I want to work fewer hours and use the extra time to do things that I love doing. Not sure I even love dentistry (i do like it), but I find it can provide for a good life.

#8

 

[sb.tnh]

OP, I think you go to NYU, correct? To be honest with you, with the amount of debt that you have (500k for NYU if you rely entirely on loans) you might find specializing much less appealing upon graduation. If you go to a specialty program that charges tuition (most do), expect to add another significant chunk of debt to what you already accrue after 4 years of d-school. As a specialist your income is higher, but so does your debt and you might end up having to work harder than your GP peers to pay that off. Nevertheless, D1 is still too soon to decide on a specialty, wait until the end of D2 when you have more exposure to dentistry.

 

[TanMan]

Hello,

I'm a D1 and I am faced with the dilemma of not knowing what area of dentistry I would like to be a part of. I always had the goal of specializing in some field, but I find it challenging to gain exposure to the daily procedures these docs do. I have shadowed Endo but honestly cannot see or learn much of anything as they are looking through a microscope the entire time. I also won't be able to do my first root canal until the start of D3. The thought of being an Endodontist is nice, but i've never even done a root canal before and I don't know if I will like it. I have been shadowing, but I get the impression that I will never know what is right for me until I have done it on an actual patient several times which won't be for a long time. I have the competitive gpa at a 3.9 which is around top 10-15% in my school. However, I feel that my time attaining the highest marks almost feels wasted if becoming a GP is my endgoal. I could be practicing new techniques and perfecting my skills in lab but instead Im here memorizing facts for a craniofacial biology exam that will lead me realistically nowhere. My friends who are gunning for endo and ortho already are lining up research with their respective specialties and making strides in their own specialty organizations. By the time the application cycle rolls around they'll have a full 3-4 years of an extensive resume built solely on that field. How do I compete with that without knowing what I want yet? I do Perio research, but am not even sure I want to go into Periodontics from the sheer lack of exposure. Bottom line - How do I know what I want to do this early in the game? Is shadowing the only option? A big goal of mine for dentistry is to maximize the time I spend at work ($/hr). Sad truth. I do enjoy the field but I will not fall into a ridiculous amount of debt without the ability to maximize my return on investment when I come out. I may be naive in thinking this but that ideology coincides with specializing. I do not live to work. I want to work fewer hours and use the extra time to do things that I love doing. Not sure I even love dentistry (i do like it), but I find it can provide for a good life.

#8

I like the way you think. Fact is, you don't really know if you want to specialize as a D1 unless you have personal experience in that specialty (parents or family). You're in it for the money, and you should do GP all the way. Attaining the highest marks is a large waste of time if you're planning to do GP. Why? Because not everything you learn in dental school is relevant to becoming a good dentist. If you have unlimited time in the world, sure, learn everything you can to the finest detail. However, in the real world, you have to filter out all the irrelevant material that doesn't make you a good gp so that you're not bogged down with useless information. If you follow my method outlined somewhere in the forums, you can definitely maximize your profitability as long as you are flexible in locations/hours and willing to work hard.

Make as much money as you can and retire early as a gp. Otherwise, you're going to spend 2-6 additional years of your life in school. If you live to be 50, that's 4-12% of your life out the window. Even if you live to be a 100, that's 2-6% of your prime youthful years.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

OP, I think you go to NYU, correct? To be honest with you, with the amount of debt that you have (500k for NYU if you rely entirely on loans) you might find specializing much less appealing upon graduation.

If this is the case, @kashyranz, choose your postgraduate program carefully. You don’t want to be some new grad specialist trying to service $800,000+ just in student loans. At that point your monthly loan payment will be $6,000/month for TWENTY YEARS!!! And that’s from money after you’ve paid taxes, so you’ll need to earn around $100,000/year just to keep up with your student loans. As is, just paying off your DDS from NYU is going to run you approximately $3,800/month — significantly more than leasing a Lamborghini. Your loans are no joke, so budget accordingly.

Big Hoss

 

[321931]

Do whatever you enjoy but take into account finances. All the information is out there for you to learn and come to a logical conclusion. Keep your grades up and decide later on after clinical experience what you want to do. By the way just because you specialize doesn’t mean you make more money. As a business owner your income is on equal footing.

$1 Million? Why Dr. Mike Meru is Paying Too Much on Dental School Loans

 

[2TH MVR]

If you can specialize for a reasonable debt .... than go for it. If you cannot ..... then specializing is out of the question. If you are not qualified (i.e, rank top 5, stipend paying residencies, etc. etc.) then trying to BUY a specialty (Dr. Meru ... I'm talking to you) makes no financial sense. It's reality. Not everyone can be a specialist. I mentioned ranking. Of course you can get into residencies with a lower ranking, but you will PAY more. The top 5 students get their pick of moderately price residencies.

Wanting a profession and paying for it long term are two different things.