Need Advice/Help..Dental Shadowing

[TOOTHFAIRY^^^]

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Hello everyone,

I'm in the Houston area and I've visited and introduced myself to several dental private practices in the area only to find receptionists turn me down because their schedules are too busy/ do not call me back after taking my name and number. I even emailed the dentists at the UT dental school and one of the dentists told me HIPPA prevents me from shadowing at the dental school. Does anyone know of any places/ dentists that take up students?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[mrdocta]

Do you use a dentist in the area? If so, ask him or her. More than likely they will allow you to shadow. Next option is to make some connections with people you know and see if anyone is good friends with a dentist. Connections can take you a long way. Last option I can think of is to volunteer at a community health clinic where dentists volunteer during the week. Start volunteering and get to know the dentist at the clinic and see If you can shadow at their practice. Hope this helps!

 

[doc toothache]

You know, you could always try becoming a patient.....

 

[Lock_Jaw]

My advise is to take a HIPPA test online, i forget who does them, they are free. Then continue to ask around. Try and talk directly to the dentist and not the receptionist. Preferably friends of family, dentists of family ect. That's your best bet. I personally didn't even do any HIPPA training, my dentist and I were close enough that he was just under the assumption I wouldn't be an idiot. But I'm not sure how Houston area is, or the people so it may vary.

 

[zhou381OSU]

You can always ask your family dentist and he/she is not likely to turn you down (because you're the patient). You can always visit/call dental offices in the local community asking if you could speak directly to the dentist. If they're too busy, you can also leave the receptionists a message to let them deliver that message to the dentist.

Once you have a dentist agreeing to have you shadow him/her, it will become much easier to shadow other dentists in the local area that have connection/referral to the dentist that you shadow.

 

[TOOTHFAIRY^^^]

Thanks to everyone who has replied. I really appreciate it. The receptionists usually write down a message and never seem to get back to me...but I will try all of your suggestions!!! Thanks everyone, if anyone else in the Houston area knows specific places/dentists, please help me ya'll!!

 

[Hannah Banana]

Thanks to everyone who has replied. I really appreciate it. The receptionists usually write down a message and never seem to get back to me...but I will try all of your suggestions!!! Thanks everyone, if anyone else in the Houston area knows specific places/dentists, please help me ya'll!!

That's the exact same problem I had/have. Wish I could have more dentistry related connection. It's much easier to shadow and they even let you help out at low income/public clinics. I got all of my hours there. The places that I went to even have dental students who were on rotations so I learned a lot from them as well.

 

[TOOTHFAIRY^^^]

@hannah_hoac
thanks for your suggestion. I got my foot in through the door at a free clinic here and I just started. I'm trying to put in more hours per week so I feel more comfortable asking to shadow/assist. I don't want to step on their toes yet until I show them I am willing to do anything they want me to do first.....
are you from houston? again, thanks alot for replying.

 

[Hannah Banana]

@hannah_hoac
thanks for your suggestion. I got my foot in through the door at a free clinic here and I just started. I'm trying to put in more hours per week so I feel more comfortable asking to shadow/assist. I don't want to step on their toes yet until I show them I am willing to do anything they want me to do first.....
are you from houston? again, thanks alot for replying.

No I'm from Phoenix. I feel like many dentists are about business and not very willing to let students shadow. Or maybe we just have bad luck haha

 

[Rams 19]

Don't forget to use your pre-health advisor as a resource. They will likely have a list of local alums that are dentists who will be very willing to help you out.

 

[TOOTHFAIRY^^^]

hello everyone,

I want to thank you for your advice. At the moment, I am scheduled to shadow/assist at the clinic that I am volunteering at. I'm so excited about this opportunity.
I do have another question that I hope you guys can help with. Just a quick background, I'm currently an MPH student majoring in Epidemiology and up until this semester I was pre-med only to realize, this is not what I wanted to do at all (basically, all of last semester I devoted to studying for MCAT and that semester was 'wasted'). For several reasons (including seeing my own awesome dentist interact with his patients), I realized dentistry is a perfect fit for me. This semester, I've really gotten involved with several dental-related experiences (normal volunteering + and now, shadowing!!!/assisting). I'm in the process for becoming a RDA. Basically, my resume will show that all of my dental related experiences are limited to this semester ---however, I really do feel confident about the amount of experience I will accumulate by the time I apply in May-June. ( I conducted a dental research project for one semester prior to this ; this is what first wavered my pre-med path and started directing it to the dental world, yet I kept going pursuing medicine because I was under its spell lol. ).

Will this be looked down upon--all this dental experience in one semester? Evidently, I am not in any pre-dental groups (like ASDA) but I'm working hard to research any and all dental events out there to get involved in (Operation Smile, Texas mission of mercy, etc) I have several hundred hours of healthcare related- volunteering experience/ non-health related volunteering experience/ some research ( poster presentations), etc. I'm taking the DAT this semester and my MCAT studying has significantly helped me while preparing for the DAT. I know the type of score I should be aiming for.

I will have accumulated ~200 hours of dental volunteering experience this semester. ~150 hours of dental shadowing (this includes assisting).

I apologize for this long post. But this has been on my mind for quite some time and I'm starting to lose sleep over it lol. Thanks for all your help.

 

[tons_of_fart]

......

Will this be looked down upon--all this dental experience in one semester? ......

Funny thing is that I was in a very similar situation as you. I didn't have any problem and got multiple acceptances.

 

[Weakfart]

Funny thing is that I was in a very similar situation as you. I didn't have any problem and got multiple acceptances.

Your name. You think this is a game boy?

 

[TOOTHFAIRY^^^]

hey @tons_of_fart (nice name LOL)

really? that eases me a bit...if anyone else has similar stories../ advice. It is greatly appreciated.

 

[QNT390]

hello everyone,

I want to thank you for your advice. At the moment, I am scheduled to shadow/assist at the clinic that I am volunteering at. I'm so excited about this opportunity.
I do have another question that I hope you guys can help with. Just a quick background, I'm currently an MPH student majoring in Epidemiology and up until this semester I was pre-med only to realize, this is not what I wanted to do at all (basically, all of last semester I devoted to studying for MCAT and that semester was 'wasted'). For several reasons (including seeing my own awesome dentist interact with his patients), I realized dentistry is a perfect fit for me. This semester, I've really gotten involved with several dental-related experiences (normal volunteering + and now, shadowing!!!/assisting). I'm in the process for becoming a RDA. Basically, my resume will show that all of my dental related experiences are limited to this semester ---however, I really do feel confident about the amount of experience I will accumulate by the time I apply in May-June. ( I conducted a dental research project for one semester prior to this ; this is what first wavered my pre-med path and started directing it to the dental world, yet I kept going pursuing medicine because I was under its spell lol. ).

Will this be looked down upon--all this dental experience in one semester? Evidently, I am not in any pre-dental groups (like ASDA) but I'm working hard to research any and all dental events out there to get involved in (Operation Smile, Texas mission of mercy, etc) I have several hundred hours of healthcare related- volunteering experience/ non-health related volunteering experience/ some research ( poster presentations), etc. I'm taking the DAT this semester and my MCAT studying has significantly helped me while preparing for the DAT. I know the type of score I should be aiming for.

I will have accumulated ~200 hours of dental volunteering experience this semester. ~150 hours of dental shadowing (this includes assisting).

I apologize for this long post. But this has been on my mind for quite some time and I'm starting to lose sleep over it lol. Thanks for all your help.

Hey there, I'm in the Houston area as well, and if you don't mind, would you let me know where you're shadowing? I just recently think of dentistry, and I don't know how to start my dental journey.