MIlitary Dentistry for a Foreign Trained Dentist

[tanyast]

Hello all,
I'm a foreign trained dentist, went through a Pediatric Dentistry residency, and got my Virginia license.
I'm thinking to join the local Air National Guard as a dentist. Does anybody know of a similar education background that joined the military? Is it possible that I won't get the military dental license because of my foreign DDS degree?
I don't even know where to go with this questions, so any suggestions would be great!

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[vellnueve]

Are you a US citizen?

 

[tanyast]

I will be, hopefully, in less than a year, will be joining the Air National Guard then.

 

[gatorfan99]

Good luck - probably not going to happen as a pedo, you *could* potentially be hired as a general dentist (if you become a citizen and everything is good with the background check) - the military has its own residencies and tend to prefer the specialists it trains rather than outside programs.

Edit: You also need to do some sort of international student program from a US accredited dental school program - I remember hearing about being able to skip that to get a Virginia license, but I doubt they will let you get away with that in the military.

This is fuzzy territory, check with your local healthcare recruiter. By the way, I've never met a foreign-trained dentist in the service, so this might not even be possible..

 

[tanyast]

Thanks gatorfan99!
I've been trying to get in touch with a healthcare recruiter , but I feel they don't even want to talk to me until I'm a citizen.
I wouldn't mind being a GP for them. I guess I'll just have to wait a bit until I become a citizen

 

[vellnueve]

You will also need a degree from a US school.

 

[tanyast]

Vellnueve, I have a certificate from UAB. Did you mean to say that I need a DDS or DMD from a US school?

 

[vellnueve]

Yes.

 

[tanyast]

What's the source of this information?

 

[vellnueve]

A degree from a school accredited by CODA is required.

 

[tanyast]

UAB Pediatric Dentistry is CODA accredited.

 

[vellnueve]

But you don't get a degree. A degree from a CODA accredited dental school is a requirement.

 

[schmoob]

Vellnueve, I have a certificate from UAB. Did you mean to say that I need a DDS or DMD from a US school?

What's the source of this information?

UAB Pediatric Dentistry is CODA accredited.

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY
MINIMUM EDUCATION
Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry degree from an ADA-accredited college or university
QUALIFICATIONS

• Completion of a residency in pediatric dentistry, acceptable to the Surgeon General
• Completion of 5.5-week Commissioned Officer training course
• Must be between the ages of 18 and 58

Like Vellenueve said, you need to have your DDS/DMD from a CODA accredited program.
All it took was a quick Google search.

Good luck - probably not going to happen as a pedo, you *could* potentially be hired as a general dentist (if you become a citizen and everything is good with the background check) - the military has its own residencies and tend to prefer the specialists it trains rather than outside programs.

I've never heard of this before. The military would turn down a Direct Accession from being detailed as a specialist, even if they completed a CODA approved program? Just to make them go through their own program?

 

[vellnueve]

They'll train their own specialists and then recruit for whatever specialty isn't projected to be full. It's not preference, it's filling gaps as they come up.

 

[schmoob]

They'll train their own specialists and then recruit for whatever specialty isn't projected to be full. It's not preference, it's filling gaps as they come up.

So let's say I'm perio or ortho (not taking into consideration manning levels, just random choices), and manning is at 100%. If I wanted to join as a DA, I wouldn't be allowed to? Or would I be allowed to commission, but detailed to a GP slot because there aren't any available billets for that particular specialty? Would I even fall under the specialty leader for the PG training I received, but deal with the GP detailer? Oh, and what about promotion? Are ALL dentists competing against each other when it comes time for selection boards? Or is it subdivided by designators? Would one receive entry grade credit for PG training, despite potentially not being assigned to duties commensurate with that specialty?
Sorry for all the questions, I know it sounds like a very specific scenario, and there is no concrete right or wrong answer to them. I'm just trying to get an idea of how the system works in those situations. I'm sure there can be SOME flexibility.
Although anecdotal, I personally know someone (physician, not dentist) who came in as a DA after residency, fellowship, and a couple of years in practice. He was detailed to his specialty. A buttload of entry grade credit too. But I would guess his residency had manning issues because he got everything he wanted.

Thanks for the feedback!
Oh, and how's training?

 

[vellnueve]

You could always revert to being a GP but you'd be paid as a GP.

 

[827511]

Hello all,
I'm a foreign trained dentist, went through a Pediatric Dentistry residency, and got my Virginia license.
I'm thinking to join the local Air National Guard as a dentist. Does anybody know of a similar education background that joined the military? Is it possible that I won't get the military dental license because of my foreign DDS degree?
I don't even know where to go with this questions, so any suggestions would be great!

Thanks!

Hey @tanyast, I am a foreign trained dentist too looking for residencies. Could you please give me some information on where and how to be licensed in Virginia?

Thanks in advance.