My Life as a Resident in a GPR

[gryffindor]

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Today marks the end of my first month as a resident in the GPR program at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City. There are always so many debates on the board about "Should I do a GPR?" or "Isn't it just like another year of dental school?" of "You make way more if you go straight into private practice, a residency is a waste of time." So I figure I'll give you my insight on what it's like to be here.

#1 priority - I LOVE NYC!!! It's fantastic living here. The hospital provides sorta-subsidized housing on the Upper East Side and it is about a 20 minute walk to the hospital from here.

Who are we - There are 7 first year GPRs, one second year GPR, 2 pediatric dental residents in the new Pedo program, 12 Oral Surgery residents in the 6-year MD/OMS program, and 2 dental anesthesiology residents in a 2-year Dental Anesthesia program.

Clinical - The majority of the patients who walk in are Medicaid. However, we get a number of private-pay patients as well. It's not busy to the point where I feel overworked, but enough where I am doing more than I did in dental school. There are enough patients here to get experience in what you want - pedo, endo, ortho, OMS; perio, fixed, & implant if you look for it.

On-call - Because this is not a Level 1 trauma center, our on-call isn't bad. There is some crazy stuff that walks in, but nothing to the point where I would say I dread being on-call. We don't have to stay in-house at my program, just have to stay in the vicinity. We do monitor ("round") every morning and evening the in-house patients who have had surgeries in the head & neck, so this has been my first exposure to how a hospital functions.

What's cool - I've seen stuff here that we've only read about in dental school. Some stuff I've came across this month alone includes ameloblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Steven-Johnson's syndrome, tetralogy of fallot, hemifacial microsomia, Ludwig's, Ewing's sarcoma. Sound familiar? I had to go home and look some of these up b/c learning them in school, I never thought I'd actually ever come across some of this stuff.

What I've gotten out of it so far - I like that I am taking my time to transition into clinical dentistry. I still have so much to learn, for example, my school did so little in teaching us to treatment plant implants, but they are a HUGE part of where dentistry is heading. Lasers in dentistry, especially perio surgery, not covered at my dental school. Treating patients under IV sedation - again, not at school. Yet these are all things done out in private practice that are good to know to make me a better a practitioner.

I am definitely learning patient management - the patients here are a whole different level than the ones I saw in school at Buffalo. I've got some very nice motivated patients, but I also have seen patients who refuse to let me treat them and want to switch doctors. Being on emergency today, I had 2 patients walk in adamant about not having hopeless teeth with raging infections extracted, so it was upto me and my patient management skills to show them that their way isn't the best solution to the problem.

Overall, I am really happy with my decision to do this GPR. There are negatives - inefficient staff and big hospital administration being at the top of my list, but I am opting to make the best of the situation and have a good year. My friends in residencies where there are no specialty programs may be doing more, however, I am happy in having OMS and Pedo specialists around for consults if you need it.

It all depends on what you want. You really have to make a list of priorities of what you want to get out of a GPR, and then do some of your own research into finding one that will be a good fit for you.

As always, I am around to help out if anyone has questions about residencies or what to do after dental school (GPR/AEGD/specialize/private practice).

 

[lnn2]

Why did they want to switch dentist? how did u and hospital admin. react? how's your day, 8am to 5pm ?

 

[DrRob]

Griffin - Do you know anything about the ortho program at Eastman in Rochester? Its not a Masters program, but its only 2 years with a stipend.

 

[aphistis]

Outstanding thread, Griffin! I hope you're able to continue updating it as you progress through your GPR experience. You're in there for two years, then?

 

[Doggie]

Dont let manhattan spoil your rotten! There are just too many distractions on weekend evenings.......hehehe. 😎

 

[tinker bell]

The plus side of doing GPR is learning all of those like Griffin stated. The negative side is that you are stuck with it for two years. My question is, do you learn enough business skills like how to run your private office (if your main goal is to become a general practitioner) with your GPR training? Or do you have to work as an associate to learn all other details about business?

Great post, Griffin, keep us update with your journey

 

[UBTom]

to Griffin:

Glad to see you are doing good, classmate!

to answer Tinkerbell's question, unfortunately GPRs will not teach you much about the business side of dentistry. That you will have to learn either as an associate in an established practice or learn on your own by opening your own clinic.

What the GPR is great for is learning advanced techniques that will command high fees once you get out! 😉 I think it's also optional to do 2 years; it's not mandatory.

 

[DrJeff]

One of the best ways to get practice administration experience from a GPR is to pick the brains of the part time attendings(the attending Docs who are private practitioners first and volunteer to come in and teach in the residency). These are the folks who are out there running a business on a daily basis, and while you'll often find their clinical information great, the real hidden gems you garner from them may very well be the business side of things.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Outstanding thread, Griffon! I hope you're able to continue updating it as you progress through your GPR experience. You're in there for two years, then?

Just one year, I believe. I think all GPRs are one year, and then some offer a 2nd year to students who really desire it. But I recall Griffin saying she was applying to Ortho again this coming cycle.

 

[toothcaries]

super post.

My friends in residencies where there are no specialty programs may be doing more, however, I am happy in having OMS and Pedo specialists around for consults if you need it.

...curious, where did your buds go?

 

[aphistis]

One thing I'm curious about with a GPR- when a dental resident is on call, is it performed in conjunction with the med resident on call to handle oral emergencies (as I would intuitively expect), or is the dental resident placed in charge of the entire ship?

 

[tooth_sleuth]

Griffin,

Who is the new director at Sinai? I heard Dr. Buchbinder left.

Also, do you feel GPRs at Sinai are sometimes slaves to the OMFS program? How do you like the new OMFS Chief? 😉

 

[toothcaries]

Griffin,

Who is the new director at Sinai? I heard Dr. Buchbinder left.

Also, do you feel GPRs at Sinai are sometimes slaves to the OMFS program? How do you like the new OMFS Chief? 😉

so...
generally would u try to avoid programs that have omfs programs on site?

 

[DrJeff]

One thing I'm curious about with a GPR- when a dental resident is on call, is it performed in conjunction with the med resident on call to handle oral emergencies (as I would intuitively expect), or is the dental resident placed in charge of the entire ship?

During my GPR, you functioned as an independent consulting unit for whichever service called you(i.e. the ER, General Medicine, Cardiology, etc). Basically you didn't directly have a medical resident/attending watching your every move 98% of the time (the other 2% was when you were called into the Trauma room of the ER and multiple services (hospital talk for departments) were there working on the patient simultaneously). The vast majority of the time, you received a request for a consult for a certain service (i.e. they paged you), you went and assessed the patient and either treated them right then, or ordered the appropriate tests/films, or rendered an opinion on the patient if that's all that was needed. You filled out the paper work in the patients record, and off you went.

Alot of the time, I'd be called to the ER for someone with a facial laceration, sew them up, give the follow up instructions to the ER attending Doc, and off I went. The rule of thumb in my GPR, was that you never, ever took out teeth in the ER, because if you did it once, word would spread on the street, and you'd be getting calls at 3AM to take out a trooth that had been bothering that person for many months 😱 Also, if you had a likely drug seeker who might have some legitimate pain, but you weren't quite sure, you'd get them a prescription for a non narcotic pain reliever in a suppository form 😀 (you rarely would see that drug seeker coming back to your ER after that ) 😎

 

[DrJeff]

so...
generally would u try to avoid programs that have omfs programs on site?

That depends, if you really want to learn how to take out teeth, and do alot of them, then you want a place that doesn't have an affiliated OMFS program since the OMFS residents will do most of the exo's.

If that doesn't really interest you that much, then maybe a program with an attached OMFS program would be better for you.

 

[ehop24]

FYI, I've found that GPR programs are variable around the country in terms of length. All mandate either one or two years, with an additional year that can be served as a "chief resident".

AEGD's, on the other hand, are all one year long as best I can tell.

 

[toothcaries]

That depends, if you really want to learn how to take out teeth, and do alot of them, then you want a place that doesn't have an affiliated OMFS program since the OMFS residents will do most of the exo's.

If that doesn't really interest you that much, then maybe a program with an attached OMFS program would be better for you.

thanks for the info, brooklynite.

 

[aphistis]

Also, if you had a likely drug seeker who might have some legitimate pain, but you weren't quite sure, you'd get them a prescription for a non narcotic pain reliever in a suppository form 😀 (you rarely would see that drug seeker coming back to your ER after that ) 😎

Best advice I've heard all day. 😀

 

[gryffindor]

To clarify, I am in a one-year GPR program. There is an optional second-year available. Currently, the second year slot is filled by someone who did a one-year GPR at a different hospital before coming here for the second year. AEGDs are the same way. Most AEGDs are 1 year, but there are programs that have an optional second year. I am currently applying to ortho; some of the other residents are also applying to specialties.

What Dr. Jeff said about being on-call is exactly how it is for us. When we are on call after hours, the range of procedures we do are limited to incision and drainage, suturing lacerations, and maybe splinting teeth. If the clinic is closed, there are no dental x-rays, extractions, pulpotomies, denture adjustments, temporary fillings, etc. done in the emergency room. It varies by program though, b/c a classmate is at a program in Brooklyn where they do pulpotomies and extractions on after-hours emergency, and word does spread that if you go to the ER of that hospital you will get dental treatment. Things you can get called for range from people who walk into the ER with dental complaints, to in-patients at the hospital who are there for many nights for a medical surgery/illness complain to their MD/nurse on a Saturday morning that their denture hurts. If the emergency involved a patient younger than 21, we call the pedo resident. If it's a broken jaw or face, we call the OMS resident. In either case, we have to help them till they are done. So if you want more experience in handling dental emergencies, go to a program where there are no specialty residents and you are on-call solo.

Our days are 7:30 - 6 (approximately). We may have to come earlier or stay later depending on the day, call schedule, etc. Actual dental treatment in the clinic is done from 9 - 5, with lunch from 12 - 1 and a lecture from 1 - 1:30. Before 9 and after 5, we have lectures, meetings, and other hospital things that have to get done. However, the schedule is going to change on Sept. 1 for the better, and that's when it will be more like an 8 - 5 schedule. To address what toothsleuth was saying, I don't feel like I am a slave to the OMS residents.

The attendings do offer insight into practice management, but if you want to know the real nitty-gritty, you have to go work in a private office yourself. I do like the lectures they give though, b/c I have learned a lot of new things. What I learned at Buffalo was correct, but I have learned there is more than one way to accomplish dental procedures and it is neat to have the insight of attendings and fellow residents who come from different dental schools to see how things can get done.

Inn2 - I don't take it personally if a patient wants to switch dentists, b/c I know I am nice and professional with each patient and give them my best. The patients have been in the clinic longer than me, so some of them are working the system or others have legit psych problems that may be influencing their behavior. Usually it's not a problem to switch dentists if the patient is reasonable, but we did have to call security once for a patient who was verbally abusing me and everyone else in my vicinity.

doggie - The weekend evening distractions are the best part of being here! The difference is that I'm no longer a dental student, so the words "exam" and "study" and "lab work" are non-existent in my vocab so it's a lot easier to fit all sorts of fun distractions into my schedule now. 😀

 

[xc1999]

HEre's a question...(actually, it may sound kinda stupid)....but does anyone know if the GPR's at hospitals really look for students who have volunteered in a hospital before? I must admit that I myself have never really volunteered in one; I was always more interested in volunteering in free dental clinics. I'm assuming that volunteering in a hospital would benefit you since it gives one an idea of how a hospital is run? But would not volunteering in one be a huge disadvantage for you?

 

[DrJeff]

HEre's a question...(actually, it may sound kinda stupid)....but does anyone know if the GPR's at hospitals really look for students who have volunteered in a hospital before? I must admit that I myself have never really volunteered in one; I was always more interested in volunteering in free dental clinics. I'm assuming that volunteering in a hospital would benefit you since it gives one an idea of how a hospital is run? But would not volunteering in one be a huge disadvantage for you?

I had never volunteered at a hospital prior to doing my GPR, and they thought so little of me that they ranked me #1 on their match list, offered me a 2nd year, and gave me the "outstanding resident award" each of my two years

I can only imagine what would have happened if I had "candy striper" on my CV while I was interviewing 😉 😀

 

[aphistis]

I had never volunteered at a hospital prior to doing my GPR, and they thought so little of me that they ranked me #1 on their match list, offered me a 2nd year, and gave me the "outstanding resident award" each of my two years

I can only imagine what would have happened if I had "candy striper" on my CV while I was interviewing 😉 😀

The interviewer probably would have asked you out. 😉 😀

 

[Smilemaker100]

I am a little over one month into my GPR residency program and just wanted to share some of my personal advice/experience.

Those of you who think there is no more studying involved once enrolled in a residency program are only fooling themselves. Why do I say this? Well, maybe I am just a bit of a nerd or very passionate about my career, but I find that there concepts or medical conditions which I come across from time to time which require further reading or revising and investigation. You only benefit more from the residency experience if you invest more of your time.
We also follow a few courses in physical diagnosis, surgery, iv therapy and others. You don't have to necessarily study a lot for these courses "to get by" but to have a full understanding, I would highly recommend reading refences.

What I love about my residency experience so far is that I am exposed to all sorts of conditions like Lyme disease, Myasthenia Gravis, Chronic Osteomyelitis, cancer patients , stroke patients etc. which I only learned in textbooks during my schooling...conditions which you rarely encounter as a private practitioner. The GPR experience really makes you feel like you are a part of the health care team and not really a technician.

Another reason why I love my GPR experience is that practically every week, once a week, the attendings and residents meet up to discuss their cases and different treatment options. I find that I can benefit a lot from not only the attendings but from my collegues who have had different schools of thought introduced to them as dental students.

One aspect which does fatigue me a bit are the on calls. I am on call once a week and typically see 3-4 patients during the night- mostly for facial lacerations. But I am feeling more confident when I do my suturing in my surgery cases ( for flaps) after suturing all those facial lacs.

There is one book which I would highly recommend for those in GPR programs which I only found about through one of the ER nurses...
" Wounds and Lacerations: Emergency Care and Closure" by Alexander T. Trott

I was just curious about how many people out there have done a second year in a GPR and if so, where are these second years offered? What is the benefit of doing this second year?

 

[toothcaries]

I am a little over one month into my GPR residency program and just wanted to share some of my personal advice/experience.

Those of you who think there is no more studying involved once enrolled in a residency program are only fooling themselves. Why do I say this? Well, maybe I am just a bit of a nerd or very passionate about my career, but I find that there concepts or medical conditions which I come across from time to time which require further reading or revising and investigation. You only benefit more from the residency experience if you invest more of your time.
We also follow a few courses in physical diagnosis, surgery, iv therapy and others. You don't have to necessarily study a lot for these courses "to get by" but to have a full understanding, I would highly recommend reading refences.

What I love about my residency experience so far is that I am exposed to all sorts of conditions like Lyme disease, Myasthenia Gravis, Chronic Osteomyelitis, cancer patients , stroke patients etc. which I only learned in textbooks during my schooling...conditions which you rarely encounter as a private practitioner. The GPR experience really makes you feel like you are a part of the health care team and not really a technician.

Another reason why I love my GPR experience is that practically every week, once a week, the attendings and residents meet up to discuss their cases and different treatment options. I find that I can benefit a lot from not only the attendings but from my collegues who have had different schools of thought introduced to them as dental students.

One aspect which does fatigue me a bit are the on calls. I am on call once a week and typically see 3-4 patients during the night- mostly for facial lacerations. But I am feeling more confident when I do my suturing in my surgery cases ( for flaps) after suturing all those facial lacs.

There is one book which I would highly recommend for those in GPR programs which I only found about through one of the ER nurses...
" Wounds and Lacerations: Emergency Care and Closure" by Alexander T. Trott

I was just curious about how many people out there have done a second year in a GPR and if so, where are these second years offered? What is the benefit of doing this second year?

thanks for sharing your experiences, Smilemaker100..

...if u dont mind me asking, which program do u attend?

 

[Smilemaker100]

Hi Toothcaries,

Is there a particular reason why you asked me which GPR program I am presently enrolled in? Are you applying for a GPR program in the near future?

I am at the Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut. It was rated one of the top 100 hospitals in the US for six years in a row. Only 13 teaching hospitals were listed and St Francis was one of them.

It's true that the night life and social atmosphere in the city of Hartford doesn't make this program all that appealing, however, I didn't chose the program based on it's location but rather on the positive "vibes" I got when I had my interview and got a tour of the facilities. In any case, your access to entertainment isn't all that limited are there are areas in West Hartford which are pretty vibrant. In addition, you are about 1hr 30 min away by car from Boston and about the same distance away from the Big Apple. There is no doubt that you will absolutely need a car to get around!

Like many of my collegues in the program, we ranked this program highly on our list mainly because of the director's great hospitality/warm personality and the manner in which the program was presented to us. I had quite a number of interviews and I really noticed a difference at St Francis. There was no rush or disinterest on the part of the attendings and director. They really seemed interested in getting to know the applicant and were open to answering any questions.

If you are applying for a residency, one of the main points I would suggest to you is to inquire about the degree of supervision the residents have or how often the attendings are present. That factor played a pretty prominant role in my choice. There is no point in doing a residency program if you are repeating the same old bad habits and are afraid to challenge yourself with new concepts/techniques because no one is there to guide you. Another good idea would be to try to get in contact with individuals who are presently doing a GPR at a hospital which peeks your interest as they can give you an insider's view.

I love the program in which I am enrolled. Not only are the attendings all nice but the rest of the staff also get along well with the residents. If you love to learn , I strongly suggest doing a GPR program as a postgraduate choice of study. If you are one of those people who just wants to raise your feet up on a table and slack off , trying to earn the most amount of money yet doing the minimal amount of work, then don't bother doing a GPR ( or being a dentist for that matter!). "YOU GET AS MUCH OUT OF A GPR PROGRAM AS YOU PUT INTO IT "- those were the words of advice given to me from the resident who won last year's prize for "Resident of the Year".

I personally don't care about the salary I am presently earning as a resident
(as long as I have food on my table and a place to sleep at night). I don't mind delaying my joining the work force because what is important for me at the moment is increasing my base of knowledge and the improvement of my dexterity. I think that if you concentrate on being the best dentist you can be, even if that means taking more time with your patients, then eventually it will pay off because patients will realize that you are trying to provide the best care possible and this in the long run, gets you more referals.

I hope this has been of some help!
Smilemaker

 

[tinker bell]

Where can one find info about specialty programs ranking?

 

[DrJeff]

Hi Toothcaries,

Is there a particular reason why you asked me which GPR program I am presently enrolled in? Are you applying for a GPR program in the near future?

I am at the Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut. It was rated one of the top 100 hospitals in the US for six years in a row. Only 13 teaching hospitals were listed and St Francis was one of them.

It's true that the night life and social atmosphere in the city of Hartford doesn't make this program all that appealing, however, I didn't chose the program based on it's location but rather on the positive "vibes" I got when I had my interview and got a tour of the facilities. In any case, your access to entertainment isn't all that limited are there are areas in West Hartford which are pretty vibrant. In addition, you are about 1hr 30 min away by car from Boston and about the same distance away from the Big Apple. There is no doubt that you will absolutely need a car to get around!

Like many of my collegues in the program, we ranked this program highly on our list mainly because of the director's great hospitality/warm personality and the manner in which the program was presented to us. I had quite a number of interviews and I really noticed a difference at St Francis. There was no rush or disinterest on the part of the attendings and director. They really seemed interested in getting to know the applicant and were open to answering any questions.

If you are applying for a residency, one of the main points I would suggest to you is to inquire about the degree of supervision the residents have or how often the attendings are present. That factor played a pretty prominant role in my choice. There is no point in doing a residency program if you are repeating the same old bad habits and are afraid to challenge yourself with new concepts/techniques because no one is there to guide you. Another good idea would be to try to get in contact with individuals who are presently doing a GPR at a hospital which peeks your interest as they can give you an insider's view.

I love the program in which I am enrolled. Not only are the attendings all nice but the rest of the staff also get along well with the residents. If you love to learn , I strongly suggest doing a GPR program as a postgraduate choice of study. If you are one of those people who just wants to raise your feet up on a table and slack off , trying to earn the most amount of money yet doing the minimal amount of work, then don't bother doing a GPR ( or being a dentist for that matter!). "YOU GET AS MUCH OUT OF A GPR PROGRAM AS YOU PUT INTO IT "- those were the words of advice given to me from the resident who won last year's prize for "Resident of the Year".

I personally don't care about the salary I am presently earning as a resident
(as long as I have food on my table and a place to sleep at night). I don't mind delaying my joining the work force because what is important for me at the moment is increasing my base of knowledge and the improvement of my dexterity. I think that if you concentrate on being the best dentist you can be, even if that means taking more time with your patients, then eventually it will pay off because patients will realize that you are trying to provide the best care possible and this in the long run, gets you more referals.

I hope this has been of some help!
Smilemaker

Smilemaker, I hope that at the end of this year that your name will be on the same Resident of The Year plaque as mine since I'm a St Francis GPR alum myself!

You'll really get alot out of your assitant program director as he's one great clinician and not to mention an all around great guy who I'm happy to call a great friend. If you want to really get on his good side, wear a "Michigan Football" hat or tee shirt to a morning stand-up meeting, I guarentee that you'll likely end up spending a Saturday aftrenoon this fall at his house watching a game on the big screen and having a few beers

BTW, have you been "mitched" yet?? 😱 😀 If not, your in for a real treat at somepoint 😉

 

[toothcaries]

Smilemaker100,
thanks for taking the time to post.
actually, i am making my application right now for 2005.
🙂

it's a good thing i guess..but there are quite a few good GPR and AEGD programs that are attractive to me...
...but, i'd like to avoid applying everywhere if possible.
😉

the best way to learn about this whole process is from you all that have already been at this stage...or are there now.

so thanks again everyone for sharing.
🙂

Hi Toothcaries,

Is there a particular reason why you asked me which GPR program I am presently enrolled in? Are you applying for a GPR program in the near future?

I am at the Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut. It was rated one of the top 100 hospitals in the US for six years in a row. Only 13 teaching hospitals were listed and St Francis was one of them.

It's true that the night life and social atmosphere in the city of Hartford doesn't make this program all that appealing, however, I didn't chose the program based on it's location but rather on the positive "vibes" I got when I had my interview and got a tour of the facilities. In any case, your access to entertainment isn't all that limited are there are areas in West Hartford which are pretty vibrant. In addition, you are about 1hr 30 min away by car from Boston and about the same distance away from the Big Apple. There is no doubt that you will absolutely need a car to get around!

Like many of my collegues in the program, we ranked this program highly on our list mainly because of the director's great hospitality/warm personality and the manner in which the program was presented to us. I had quite a number of interviews and I really noticed a difference at St Francis. There was no rush or disinterest on the part of the attendings and director. They really seemed interested in getting to know the applicant and were open to answering any questions.

If you are applying for a residency, one of the main points I would suggest to you is to inquire about the degree of supervision the residents have or how often the attendings are present. That factor played a pretty prominant role in my choice. There is no point in doing a residency program if you are repeating the same old bad habits and are afraid to challenge yourself with new concepts/techniques because no one is there to guide you. Another good idea would be to try to get in contact with individuals who are presently doing a GPR at a hospital which peeks your interest as they can give you an insider's view.

I love the program in which I am enrolled. Not only are the attendings all nice but the rest of the staff also get along well with the residents. If you love to learn , I strongly suggest doing a GPR program as a postgraduate choice of study. If you are one of those people who just wants to raise your feet up on a table and slack off , trying to earn the most amount of money yet doing the minimal amount of work, then don't bother doing a GPR ( or being a dentist for that matter!). "YOU GET AS MUCH OUT OF A GPR PROGRAM AS YOU PUT INTO IT "- those were the words of advice given to me from the resident who won last year's prize for "Resident of the Year".

I personally don't care about the salary I am presently earning as a resident
(as long as I have food on my table and a place to sleep at night). I don't mind delaying my joining the work force because what is important for me at the moment is increasing my base of knowledge and the improvement of my dexterity. I think that if you concentrate on being the best dentist you can be, even if that means taking more time with your patients, then eventually it will pay off because patients will realize that you are trying to provide the best care possible and this in the long run, gets you more referals.

I hope this has been of some help!
Smilemaker

 

[toothcaries]

Smilemaker, I hope that at the end of this year that your name will be on the same Resident of The Year plaque as mine since I'm a St Francis GPR alum myself!

You'll really get alot out of your assitant program director as he's one great clinician and not to mention an all around great guy who I'm happy to call a great friend. If you want to really get on his good side, wear a "Michigan Football" hat or tee shirt to a morning stand-up meeting, I guarentee that you'll likely end up spending a Saturday aftrenoon this fall at his house watching a game on the big screen and having a few beers

BTW, have you been "mitched" yet?? 😱 😀 If not, your in for a real treat at somepoint 😉

hmmm..
i wonder how a born and bred buckeye would do there...

 

[DrJeff]

Smilemaker100,
thanks for taking the time to post.
actually, i am making my application right now for 2005.
🙂

it's a good thing i guess..but there are quite a few good GPR and AEGD programs that are attractive to me...
...but, i'd like to avoid applying everywhere if possible.
😉

the best way to learn about this whole process is from you all that have already been at this stage...or are there now.

so thanks again everyone for sharing.
🙂

Good luck at getting in, I 100% feel (and granted I'm a bit biased) that that GPR is one of the best in the country. If you put alot into it, you won't believe what you'll get out of it. And BTW, when you're at your interview and your 1 on 1 with the assistant director, Dr. D, throw in a Michigan Football plug, I'll almost guarentee you that he'll lobby strong for you to be ranked #1 on the match list 😀

 

[DrJeff]

hmmm..
i wonder how a born and bred buckeye would do there...

Depends on who wins the game that year 😉 😀 The best thing though is that his wife is a big fan of both Illinois and Northwestern and when Michigan plays them, it's a riot to watch them 😱

But as he likes to remind me, if it weren't for Michigan, my beloved New England Patriots (hence my avitar) would be missing quite a few key players 😱 🙄 😀

 

[Smilemaker100]

Hey Dr Jeff!

Well, I always knew it was a small world...it seems even smaller on the internet!!!! 😀

As for me, I don't care much for getting my name on a plaque. I just want to be a good dentist.

As for your advice about sucking up to the assitant director ( wearing Michigan Football" hat or T-shirt) and spending a Saturday afternoon watching football 😴 at his place with a couple of beers within grasp...errrr....it sounds more like guy stuff ( I guess you assumed I was a guy). I am more of a hockey, tennis and soccer fan.

Yes, about my assistant director...I was in for a real surprise. let's just say that there are certain things that he does in the OR which completely changed my view of him as a serious guy...I laughed hysterically...I won't get into it. It was so hilarious. 😛
And about being "mitched"...don't really know what that means but I was in the OR with him a while ago, and he seemed to be adding all these "ishes" to adjectives which I said and he did some sort of "pirate talk". They're both loads of fun.

I also think this was a lucky year because all the residents seem to be getting along just fine- that really makes a difference. I don't feel as homesick . 🙂

What sort of practice are you in now?

Smilemaker

 

[DrJeff]

Hey Dr Jeff!

Well, I always knew it was a small world...it seems even smaller on the internet!!!!

As for me, I don't care much for getting my name on a plaque. I just want to be a good dentist.

As for your advice about sucking up to the assitant director ( wearing Michigan Football" hat or T-shirt) and spending a Saturday afternoon watching football at his place with a couple of beers within grasp...errrr....it sounds more like guy stuff ( I guess you assumed I was a guy). I am more of a hockey, tennis and soccer fan.

Yes, about my assistant director...I was in for a real surprise. let's just say that there are certain things that he does in the OR which completely changed my view of him as a serious guy...I laughed hysterically...I won't get into it. It was so hilarious. 😛
And about being "mitched"...don't really know what that means but I was in the OR with him a while ago, and he seemed to be adding all these "ishes" to adjectives which I said and he did some sort of "pirate talk". They're both loads of fun.

I also think this was a lucky year because all the residents seem to be getting along just fine- that really makes a difference. I don't feel as homesick . 🙂

What sort of practice are you in now?

Smilemaker

The real scary thing about your assistant program director is the way he is in the OR is how he used to be all the time 😱 I guess that he's starting to "mature" (although I think that if he knew that I was calling him mature that he'd be offended ) And don't even get me started about some of the assistants that you have there, they're comedians in their own right.

As for getting "mitched", until you've sat in his office infront of the Mary statue and heard his views, you haven't truely been "mitched" 😉 During my 1st year(I was a 2 year GPR'er), we didn't have any second year residents, so it was just you and 1 attending going to the OR, and when it was with Dr. M, all the OR nurses and the anesthesia crew would do everything possible to keep Dr. M occupied so that you as the resident could do the case as fast as possible. 🙂

As for Dr. D in the OR, he and I on occasion during a full mouth exo would "race to the mid line" (He'd give me a fighting chance and take the left hand side )

Now I'm a GP in Eastern CT (about 50 miles due East of St. Francis).

Smilemaker, are you a Gengras Resident or a Burgdorf Resident?? Either way you may have some of my "dental experiements" in your patient pool 😱 😉

One last thing, if the football reference with Dr. D isn't your cup of tea, just ask him about waterskiing, and who knows, you may end up on his boat at 1PM on some OR days if you finish early(not that I ever did anything like that during my St. Francis days 😉 )

 

[Smilemaker100]

Hi Dr Jeff,

Oh boy! Oh boy! This is really getting into the knitty gritty little details ! All the things I should have been warned about before starting this program! Honestly, it is really refreshing to work with such colorful personalities compared to all the uptight and autocratic people I have encountered over the 9 years I spent in university! I think if I kept encountering the type of individuals who were like a lot of my professors in dental school, I would have been tranformed into one of those uptight and dogmatic people myself!!!! But now I am sort of worried that feeling so at ease in this new environment will bring out the wild child in me ...I might just break out in song (even though I suck at singing in harmony) and dance like in some Julie Andrews or Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney or Fred Astairs & Ginger Rogers musical ! (speaking of which, I am really excited that "The King and I " will be performed at the Bushnell theater soon- got to buy the tickets for that soon) I have to keep that in check!

I think the last time I encountered a really colorful and refreshing caracter in the world of academia was when I did my undergrad in microbiology. I had this professor named Dr Dubow. He was a man in his mid 40s who was a virologist and who was really from the "far side"! He used to ride on his Harley Davidson motorcyle to the university clad from head to toe in black leather. When he would arrive to the lecture hall, he would take off his helmet and shake out his shoulder length black hair. He had really unconventional lectures. He hated "Time" magazine and brought in all these issues of Time magazine which had cover pages which pertained in any way to microbes. He completely bashed the credibility of Time magazine's features on AIDS etc. saying it erroneously informed people and bred fear in the public. I don't know if you every learned about the lactose operon or other bacterial genetics in any of your microbiology courses but this man really made it exciting. He got the whole class stand on their feet and do all these arm and hand gestures to replicate the way the operon worked - it was sort of like dancing to the "YMCA" 70s song. One of my friends, even passed by his office once and saw him all sprawled out on the floor drawing with his daughter .


About Dr D, I think the perfect description for him is "Peter Pan". He has this ageless quality about him. It's refreshing! He said that he occasionally spends time with his eldest daughter coloring in her coloring books. He even admitted to mowing his lawn in his scrubs. His wife and kids must have a blast with him! I think that one of the greatest traits that Dr Dr has is that he is humble and down to earth. Unlike many people who are in our profession, Dr D isn't arrogant and downgrading to others who don't have that "Dr" in front of their name. 👍 About Dr D in the OR...he seems to like being ordered around by women. Ok, this is getting into too many details.

I'm based mostly at the Gengras clinic. I'm surrounded by a surplus of testosterone in the air (only girl resident ) however , the female assistants help equilibrate the testosterone-estrogen balance in the clinic so that it is not overwhelming for me!

In regards to being "mitched"...yes, I have had quite a few of those long conversations. It always starts off innocently when I want a word of advice in regards to certain treatment plans or other dentistry related issue and then the conversation goes off on a tangent! But there is always a dose of his Irish sense of humor It's funny that you mention the Mary statue...whenever I pass by his office in the hallway, I always get this feeling that a person is standing there and have to keep reminding myself that it is a statue !!!! I have to tell you, people talk so openly in the US. In Canada, talking religion or politics with your superiors is a big "no no". So it was a real surprise when I was "mitched" the first time.

Going off with Dr D on his boat on a summer's afternoon after a day in the OR...errr.....sounds like fun as I am a "water" person- I love to swim and like boat rides BUT I think you seem to forget that I mentioned I was a girl...don't know what Mrs D would think about that 😱 ( unless of course she was also there). I like to be a "good" girl just like my mommy raised me to be 😉

So Hartford boy, are there any great places to go out dancing in this town? My friends used to call me the "Dancing Queen"

Ok, time to behave now and be a studious little nerd..."girls are like sugar and spice and everything nice"

Ciao, fellow "Barber Surgeon" ( as we would be referred as if it were 100 years ago)

Smilemaker