How much do residency programs influence the overall D1-D4 experience?

[syn_apse]

How much do residency programs influence the overall D1-D4 experience?

Was this a large factor in your decision to attend a specific school?

The schools I'm considering range from 4 to 8 specialites so I'm curious to hear what others think about this...

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[DcS]

For me, zero. Money was the primary concern. I felt that regardless of where I ended up I could put in the work to get in the top 10%, etc. I didn't really have an interest specializing in the same school that I did dental school at. Sometimes you just get to know a program too well.

 

[Stanford Fencer]

For me, this was an important concern. I was not sure about what I'd do after dental school, but I wanted to keep all options open. Hence, I went to a school that had the full gamut of residency programs.

It's turning out that the decision was indeed critical, and very helpful to me right now.

 

[ElDienteLoco]

I actually chose from the opposite viewpoint. I chose a school with zero specialty programs because I felt that way my undergraduate clinical experience would be superior. For example, at our school, none of the molar endo gets sent to the specialty residents. As long as we are capable, we get to do the procedures that would normally be siphoned away from the undergraduate student dentists. I have talked to people who didn't even have to do molar endo at their school because it all went to the residents. I feel a school with no specialties gives you a broader clinical experience.

Just a thought.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I agree with the crazy tooth, since we're at the same school. There aren't any post-grad programs to take cases away from us, or for us to deliver cases to. We pretty much do it all (except ortho), and in that regard it has been an excellent clinical experience thus far.

 

[syn_apse]

thanks for your responses so far -- i hadn't really thought of specialties 'stealing' cases from the D3-D4 clinic...

if anybody else has some input -- please share!

 

[JMoney]

I actually chose from the opposite viewpoint. I chose a school with zero specialty programs because I felt that way my undergraduate clinical experience would be superior. For example, at our school, none of the molar endo gets sent to the specialty residents. As long as we are capable, we get to do the procedures that would normally be siphoned away from the undergraduate student dentists. I have talked to people who didn't even have to do molar endo at their school because it all went to the residents. I feel a school with no specialties gives you a broader clinical experience.

Just a thought.

Thats why I picked Arizona over a lot of other schools!!

 

[DcS]

I would check with each program on a school to school basis. At UNC we were able to do anything that the specialty programs would do. Granted, getting molar cases was more of a POA, but we do get them.

 

[toofache32]

I actually chose from the opposite viewpoint. I chose a school with zero specialty programs because I felt that way my undergraduate clinical experience would be superior. For example, at our school, none of the molar endo gets sent to the specialty residents. As long as we are capable, we get to do the procedures that would normally be siphoned away from the undergraduate student dentists. I have talked to people who didn't even have to do molar endo at their school because it all went to the residents. I feel a school with no specialties gives you a broader clinical experience.

Just a thought.

This also applies in residencies. Those residencies that also have fellowships often suffer from the same "case stealing."

But I can see it both ways. We had all specialties except Endo, and all I cared about was oral surgery. I got to know the residents well, and they would still let me help with the more complicated procedures that got turfed over to them. Sometimes they even let me do all of it and just talked over my shoulder and told me how to do it. I think most residents anywhere would be more than happy to let you help....it's an extra pair of hands if nothing else.