Need advice on Shadowing

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Kitowski90

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Hey everyone. I've been wanting to shadow a dentist, but can't seem to know what to say or ask. Could any of you tell me how you got to shadow? Oh, and could you also tell me what you did and asked the dentist when you were shadowing? I really appreciate anyone's advice. I've seen many of the past threads on shadowing and most of it was really vague in what they did or asked during their hours of shadowing.
 
Could any of you tell me how you got to shadow?

Pick a few dentists in your area. Look for general dental offices.
Find the phone numbers and call the offices.
When the receptionist picks up, introduce yourself (name, college, year in college) and explain briefly the purpose of your call ("i'm considering dentistry and i'd like to come in and shadow/observe dr. ..." thing).
Then ask them to transfer you to the doctor's voicemail.
Leave the doctor a message saying the same things from above and your phone number and ask them to call you back.
If they say the dentist has no voicemail, leave a message with the front desk person.
If you don't hear from them in a few days, you can try calling back or you can move on to the next guy.
Also, try to be brief as they are all pretty busy.

Hope that helps a little.
 
Hey everyone. I've been wanting to shadow a dentist, but can't seem to know what to say or ask. Could any of you tell me how you got to shadow? Oh, and could you also tell me what you did and asked the dentist when you were shadowing? I really appreciate anyone's advice. I've seen many of the past threads on shadowing and most of it was really vague in what they did or asked during their hours of shadowing.

Hey,

i was in your shoes not too long ago and worried about how the heck am i supposed to gain experience in the dental field. you can do one of the following options. That got my foot in the door:

1. get the phone book out and pick twenty dentists within a five mile radius from your home or school and send them all letters about who you are and what your plans are for the future. you'll prob be able to shadow for a few weeks.

2. or......in addition, instead of sending just a letter, send a cover letter and resume. Inform them that you are a student willing to learn more about dentistry and that you would be willing to work as an unpaid intern. This is the route that i went and not only did i get good experience, but i ended up using that 3 month experience as college credit. Also, i got health/dental insurance during the intern period and continued on as a paid part-time dental assistant. No more working at Starbucks for crap pay!

Don't take this experience lightly. Because i attribute 80% of my success in dental school to the experience that i had as a dental assistant! and the ppl in my class that flunked out, did so because of how hard a time it was learning about lab work and procedures. As a dental assistant, you learn that stuff pretty fast in a less stress environment. There is so much experience to have by shadowing/assisting that if i were on the admissions commitee, i would find this more valuable than GPA/DAT.
 
Hey everyone. I've been wanting to shadow a dentist, but can't seem to know what to say or ask. Could any of you tell me how you got to shadow? Oh, and could you also tell me what you did and asked the dentist when you were shadowing? I really appreciate anyone's advice. I've seen many of the past threads on shadowing and most of it was really vague in what they did or asked during their hours of shadowing.

Anyone hear of the recommendation for bi yearly dental check ups? Would it not mean that those of you seeking a dentist to shadow would be in a position to know someone in the field?

As to what questions to ask? Ask what comes natural- the dentist will guide you as he sees fit. (You could try, school attended, experience in dental school, why he chose dentistry, how long in practice, advice. Get the drift?)
 
I tried my own dentist, only because I'm home for the summer. My dentist has a great personality and a great staff. He also explains procedures as he is doing them and allows me to assist. I feel more like I'm in school learning instead of following him around and sitting in a corner like I have heard some here have experienced. So I would suggest that you not only call every dentist(try to stick with a general practice first, not a specialist) and then go by the office and "feel out" his/her personality, the staff and the environment.
Also, it helps if you go in and offer help with little things, such as breaking down the chairs and helping with sanitizing the equipment and taking out the trash; it helps the staff to realize your not just some kid following the doc like a lost puppy (like I feel sometimes:laugh:). And if you can, try to observe in an office with a heavy patient flow, you see so much more stuff in one day and you are never bored. 👍
 
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