NHSC and Residencies

[annonymousdentalstudent]

Hey everyone! So I am very fortunate to be a NHSC scholarship recipient and I have recently been considering a pursuing a GPR or AEGD prior to graduation (I’m only a D1). I was wondering if you guys think completing a residency would be worth the time investment. One of my concerns is simply that I will lose a lot of the skills acquired while repaying my NHSC obligation because my guess is there is a focus on more basic dentistry at the FQHC’s I will likely be practing at. Just an idea I’ve been considering and I was hoping to get some more opinions on it. Thanks!

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[princeafrica]

@cooliyak

 

[cooliyak]

Hey everyone! So I am very fortunate to be a NHSC scholarship recipient and I have recently been considering a pursuing a GPR or AEGD prior to graduation (I’m only a D1). I was wondering if you guys think completing a residency would be worth the time investment. One of my concerns is simply that I will lose a lot of the skills acquired while repaying my NHSC obligation because my guess is there is a focus on more basic dentistry at the FQHC’s I will likely be practing at. Just an idea I’ve been considering and I was hoping to get some more opinions on it. Thanks!

Depends on what you are learning in your GPR/AEGD and what you are wanting to use in private practice after you are done with your commitment. Things like implants, sedation, full mouth rehab, etc. you will not likely see much of in an FQHC. Things like molar endo, 3rd molar extractions, medically compromised patients, you will get lots of practice. I wouldn’t necessarily say it is “basic dentistry” because it can be pretty complex. It is definitely primary care/community health dentistry though.
I personally don’t think residencies are worth it unless you are trying to learn something specific in it (implants etc). For simply “more experience,” you would be better off skipping it and going right into practice. You’ll get way more experience that way, although it is unsupervised experience. Learning definitely happens, but it is a completely different kind of situation/circumstances. All depends on you. Don’t let someone push you one way or another. You’ll get more of an idea once you get to D3 and D4 years.

 

[bean6598]

Hey everyone! So I am very fortunate to be a NHSC scholarship recipient and I have recently been considering a pursuing a GPR or AEGD prior to graduation (I’m only a D1). I was wondering if you guys think completing a residency would be worth the time investment. One of my concerns is simply that I will lose a lot of the skills acquired while repaying my NHSC obligation because my guess is there is a focus on more basic dentistry at the FQHC’s I will likely be practing at. Just an idea I’ve been considering and I was hoping to get some more opinions on it. Thanks!

I am wondering the same thing, have you figured out if a residency is worth it or not before completing your service requirement?