medical vs dental

[popoman]

Hi...i thinking of both dental and medical..
But i cant seem to choose.. to be perfectly honest i want to do Med... only because i dont like to touch other's people's teeth...But then im so good with my hands..and i heard that dentists need that...
Also i think ill stressed doing all the work that doctors does... i heard that you cant even sleep...okie i know i am not making alot of sense but....hehe okie i have a question about requirement for dental and medical... i know gpa is abit lower for dental but what else is different... i mean like do you need all the research experience and like other stuff for dental school..and how much easier is dental school than medical school. Do you need to do like internship for dental school??? and i dunno...any other diffference i didnt mentain... thanks..


The confused freshman....=)

[This message has been edited by popoman (edited 03-04-2000).]

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[Future DOc]

okie??? I dunno??? Are you a freshman in HS or college? Just curious b/c this message board can help you even better if you give us more stats about yourself!!

Anyhow, did you try shadowing both dentists & physicians yet? If not, then do so!! It will help tap more into what you really like & what you would like to become.

Last note, you mentioned that you might not like dentistry b/c you don't like putting your finger in people's mouths. How do you feel about physicians having to give rectal exams constantly? Just a little food for thought since I will be doing my Intro to Clinical Repro Medicine soon!!!

Rob
WesternU/COMP MS II

[This message has been edited by Future DOc (edited 03-04-2000).]

 

[popoman]

o hehe.... but then can you guys tell more... im still bit confused... i want to know how the difference of the process more... yes.. im a lazy bum... wellz im not all for easy rides but i want to know what is that i have to do? ... so i know all sides before making my decision... reply plz... =)

The confused freshman... =)

 

[Paul's Boutique]

This guy is a riot!

More, poopooman! More!

 

[DentalDi]

If you don't like working in people's mouths, then I'd say dentistry is probably not for you! Have you thought about surgery? Surgeons certainly use their hands! What about physical therapy? Research? If using your talent in working w/your hands is important to you, many other professions allow you to do so. You just have to know exactly what you want in addition to working w/your hands.

Yes, the GPA to get into dental school is a little lower than that required for med school, but that doesn't mean that dental school is a cakewalk. In fact, at some dental schools, the dental students are taking the same classes as the med students the first two years AND taking extra dental courses on top of that. However, once you've completed your 4 years of dental school, it's possible to start practicing right away (although most people do at least a year of general dentistry residency to gain experience and speed). If you want to specialize, it's 2-3 years in addition to dental school (although oral surgery is longer). By the way, oral surgeons obtain both dental and medical education, but it is certainly a long haul.

As for lifestyle, I think dentistry is more "family-friendly", if you will. For the most part, you don't have the rotten call schedule of physicians. It's more of a 9-5 job. (Although if you're an oral surgeon, what I just said probably would no longer hold true.)

I would definitely recommend shadowing both a dentist and a physician to find out whether you like either profession...Talk to people! Start w/your own dentist and doctors!! They'd love to help you. I think it's best to thoroughly explore multiple career options--don't rush into this important decision. Work experiences (both summers during undergrad and after graduation) can help enlighten you, too.

See my reply to your post under "Pre-Dental", "SUP alll" for specifics on what you need to get into dental school.

[This message has been edited by DentalDi (edited 03-07-2000).]