Is this wise?

[DentalLonghorn2014]

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Hello all,

I am currently in my 2nd semester of an informal post bac and will be reapplying next spring. As of now, I may be very close to getting a 2nd BS (biology). Once I reapply, I will have very little classes to take in terms of dental school recommended courses. I am wondering if y'all think I should also start working towards a BS in nursing just in case I may never get in to dental school? I would only have to take about 3 or 4 more classes in order to fulfill the prereqs for the nursing school here and I can work on a nursing degree while I wait for dental school interviews.
Would appreciate your advice especially those with a BSN applying to dental school!

Thank you!

 

[doc toothache]

The pay and job prospects are better than bio.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

The pay and job prospects are better than bio.

That is true. One of the main reasons I am considering nursing as a possible back up is because I still get to help people. I just wasn't sure if it would hurt my application though. :/

 

[I want to go to there]

Take the pre req, but don't mention that you are pursuing nursing program unless they ask you.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Take the pre req, but don't mention that you are pursuing nursing program unless they ask you.

If they do ask, what would I say? lol

 

[I want to go to there]

If they do ask, what would I say? lol

They would only ask you if you applied for any other professional programs in supplimentary or aadsas app. If you haven't applied to nursing by then, say nothing. If you have to explain... **** I can't think of any good reason right now because nursing and dentistry are so different and saying that it's a back up option is pretty bad. So, you think of a good reason by then.

 

[Incis0r]

.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

They would only ask you if you applied for any other professional programs in supplimentary or aadsas app. If you haven't applied to nursing by then, say nothing. If you have to explain... **** I can't think of any good reason right now because nursing and dentistry are so different and saying that it's a back up option is pretty bad. So, you think of a good reason by then.

I can only think of one reason: To serve others with compassion and provide the best care possible.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Diabetes has been linked to periodontal disease in a two-way street. Plaque/bacteria in your mouth have been linked to endocarditis. The connection between oral and overall health has never been stronger. If extrapolated, the need for collaboration between dentists and their medical counterparts such as doctors and NURSES has never been stronger.

Say that you appreciate the vital significance of oral health to overall health and vice versa, and that you want to be able to have a decent medical background in your dental practice since in the future, dental practices will take on medical functions like blood pressure monitoring (regularly, not just for extractions), etc. You thought that this post-bac time would be a good way to continue to grow your knowledge of the healthcare field, in preparation for your ultimate goal of dentistry.

That's great. Thank you.

Have you been in my situation before?

 

[Incis0r]

That's great. Thank you.

Have you been in my situation before?

Nope- Glad it helped!

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Nope- I'm just extremely interested in the connection between oral and overall health (I did some work with a local public health clinic on publicizing this connection- definitely looking forward to applying what I learned when I practice dentistry). Glad it helped!

very cool. thank you again!

 

[bjpenn]

Have you thought abt pa school ?

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Have you thought abt pa school ?

Never thought about it. Although I hear a lot of people praise it. Why do you suggest that?

 

[bjpenn]

its just 2 years of school. Look into it. They even have pa's for dermatology.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

its just 2 years of school. Look into it. They even have pa's for dermatology.

2 years?? so its like a masters program or something?

 

[darknightzzz]

2 years?? so its like a masters program or something?

yep pa is considered a master program but the 1000 hour clinical requirement at most school is a high wall to jump through.

if you truly like dentistry, please don't plan back up as like switching career. you can plan back up that you can get a BS degree that you can use to work while applying in case you need some years off (in this case, biology or chemistry with some research experience can land a job).

keep your focus

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

yep pa is considered a master program but the 1000 hour clinical requirement at most school is a high wall to jump through.

if you truly like dentistry, please don't plan back up as like switching career. you can plan back up that you can get a BS degree that you can use to work while applying in case you need some years off (in this case, biology or chemistry with some research experience can land a job).

keep your focus

Oh I def wont be switching. I haven't even applied twice yet. but thank you!

 

[BabyShades]

Oh I def wont be switching. I haven't even applied twice yet. but thank you!

Getting a B.S. in Nursing isn't that bad. I would not mention it to the schools, but apply to nursing school anyways. You can get an acceptance to nursing school after one semester, and during nursing school you will definitely learn how to communicate with patients effectively. In addition to effective communication, you will also learn how to work with other (physicians, physician assistant, medical assistant, and CRN).

This is pretty important because dentistry is about being able to work with several different personalities. You want to own your own practice eventually right? Nursing school will help you learn professionalism and work ethics, you can really learn a lot from nursing school. It is much better than working as a research assistant with a Biology degree. What do you learn as a research assistant? Learn how to set up your own experiments, analyze data, draw conclusions, and present them to your professor or manager? I really think the advantages of going to nursing school outweighs being a research assistant.

Many people will say otherwise though. A lot of people are really passionate for research, but research is definitely not for everyone. Everyone is applying to dental school to become a dentist, not a researcher. In this case, that's why I believe nursing school is a great route!

As for the PA school, I would not get into that route at all. Yes, it is 2 years of school but you will need 1000+ clinical hours. You will not be able to apply to PA school at the same time as dental school because you are now focusing your application to PA school. With that 1000+ clinical hours, you can definitely boost something else for your dental application. Not saying that working as a medical assistant is a bad thing, but some school will question it.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Getting a B.S. in Nursing isn't that bad. I would not mention it to the schools, but apply to nursing school anyways. You can get an acceptance to nursing school after one semester, and during nursing school you will definitely learn how to communicate with patients effectively. In addition to effective communication, you will also learn how to work with other (physicians, physician assistant, medical assistant, and CRN).

This is pretty important because dentistry is about being able to work with several different personalities. You want to own your own practice eventually right? Nursing school will help you learn professionalism and work ethics, you can really learn a lot from nursing school. It is much better than working as a research assistant with a Biology degree. What do you learn as a research assistant? Learn how to set up your own experiments, analyze data, draw conclusions, and present them to your professor or manager? I really think the advantages of going to nursing school outweighs being a research assistant.

Many people will say otherwise though. A lot of people are really passionate for research, but research is definitely not for everyone. Everyone is applying to dental school to become a dentist, not a researcher. In this case, that's why I believe nursing school is a great route!

As for the PA school, I would not get into that route at all. Yes, it is 2 years of school but you will need 1000+ clinical hours. You will not be able to apply to PA school at the same time as dental school because you are now focusing your application to PA school. With that 1000+ clinical hours, you can definitely boost something else for your dental application. Not saying that working as a medical assistant is a bad thing, but some school will question it.

I will keep this in mind. Thank you very much.

 

[Dent_Dent]

I can only think of one reason: To serve others with compassion and provide the best care possible.

You learn to deal with patient and to work under stressful conditions, which require you to multi-task as well as prioritize your tasks. Also, you learn to explain to patients medical jargons in layman terms. There are lots of things nursing (and other healthcare professions) share with dentistry.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

You learn to deal with patient and to work under stressful conditions, which require you to multi-task as well as prioritize your tasks. Also, you learn to explain to patients medical jargons in layman terms. There are lots of things nursing (and other healthcare professions) share with dentistry.

Very true.