OMFS Programs-Marriage Friendly

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Tony Parker

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Interested in doing OMFS. Currently I'm a dental student and married. I feel guilty not spending enough time with the wifey just during dental school. I've done externships and know the krazy time commitment for OMFS. I don't know if there are any programs that would be more marraige friendly (probably no such thing, hahaha), but I thought I would take a poll. I'm thinking programs that are more similar to private practice? Any input would help and or specific programs and if they are 4 vs 6 year programs, thanx.



Go Spurs!!!

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Come to Dallas. We'll be very friendly with your wife. Got a picture?
 
Tony Parker said:
Interested in doing OMFS. Currently I'm a dental student and married. I feel guilty not spending enough time with the wifey just during dental school. I've done externships and know the krazy time commitment for OMFS. I don't know if there are any programs that would be more marraige friendly (probably no such thing, hahaha), but I thought I would take a poll. I'm thinking programs that are more similar to private practice? Any input would help and or specific programs and if they are 4 vs 6 year programs, thanx.



Go Spurs!!!

UCLA, North Shore-LIJ (Stony Brook), Columbia
 
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Tony Parker said:
Interested in doing OMFS. Currently I'm a dental student and married. I feel guilty not spending enough time with the wifey just during dental school. I've done externships and know the krazy time commitment for OMFS. I don't know if there are any programs that would be more marraige friendly (probably no such thing, hahaha), but I thought I would take a poll. I'm thinking programs that are more similar to private practice? Any input would help and or specific programs and if they are 4 vs 6 year programs, thanx.



Go Spurs!!!

The better question is: "Is your marriage residency friendly?" Even at my "marriage friendly residency", marriage sacrifices a TON for residency and its far reaching requirements/activities.....
 
Galveston, other programs with a "private practice" feel, and Parkland. Currently Parkland has enrolled 3 mokeys, a silverback, and 5 orangutans. If they can do it, certainly a married man can hack it.
 
These guys don't know what they're talking about...
For someone such as yourself, it's the Mayo Clinic all the way. I interviewed there, didn't like it at all, but couldn't help but think to myself that someone like you would really enjoy it there. They will throw money at you and your family all the way through, class size at MMS is ~30 students (all hand picked from the among the nation's brightest young boy-scout leaders), and when working with the attending (correction: "consultant") in clinic, you even have an opportunity to do HALF of the third-molar case ALL BY YOURSELF!
 
tx oms said:
Galveston, other programs with a "private practice" feel, and Parkland. Currently Parkland has enrolled 3 mokeys, a silverback, and 5 orangutans. If they can do it, certainly a married man can hack it.

Here's the picture I included with my application:

 
Fowl_Language said:
These guys don't know what they're talking about...
For someone such as yourself, it's the Mayo Clinic all the way. I interviewed there, didn't like it at all, but couldn't help but think to myself that someone like you would really enjoy it there. They will throw money at you and your family all the way through, class size at MMS is ~30 students (all hand picked from the among the nation's brightest young boy-scout leaders), and when working with the attending (correction: "consultant") in clinic, you even have an opportunity to do HALF of the third-molar case ALL BY YOURSELF!
I externed there, and that was my exact feeling. But only half the third-molar case if you're the chief.
 
toofache32 said:
I externed there, and that was my exact feeling. But only half the third-molar case if you're the chief.
Mayo has changed quite a bit. I would not consider it marraige friendly by any means. It's been a tough year. We typically do a minimum of 10 3rd molar cases per day, so even if you say we only do half we still are doing 5 cases/day, much more than most other programs in the country. You'll probably then counter with, 'well you only do private practice stuff", but last week we did a cancer resection with a free fib AND radial forearm flap for reconstruction which lasted 20hrs. We get plenty of experience here. Interns are routinely cutting half of the orthognathics at this point in the year. Also since we have 5 full time consultants and only 4 residents on service we are all paired with a consultant, meaning more operating, rather than being a 2nd assistant and retracting all day. The facial trauma schedule is hard as hell which we share with ENT and plastics on a 3 week rotation. Plastics doesn't do mandibles so they refer them all to us. The 2 interns take 1st call all year.
We also rotate with ENT for a month. I am on ENT this month and the operating experience they allow us is unbelievable to say the least. Mayo is not the program it used to be!

M
 
tjb said:
Mayo has changed quite a bit. I would not consider it marraige friendly by any means. It's been a tough year. We typically do a minimum of 10 3rd molar cases per day, so even if you say we only do half we still are doing 5 cases/day, much more than most other programs in the country. You'll probably then counter with, 'well you only do private practice stuff", but last week we did a cancer resection with a free fib AND radial forearm flap for reconstruction which lasted 20hrs. We get plenty of experience here. Interns are routinely cutting half of the orthognathics at this point in the year. Also since we have 5 full time consultants and only 4 residents on service we are all paired with a consultant, meaning more operating, rather than being a 2nd assistant and retracting all day. The facial trauma schedule is hard as hell which we share with ENT and plastics on a 3 week rotation. Plastics doesn't do mandibles so they refer them all to us. The 2 interns take 1st call all year.
We also rotate with ENT for a month. I am on ENT this month and the operating experience they allow us is unbelievable to say the least. Mayo is not the program it used to be!

M

That's all good news to me. I will be the first to admit that it was ~7 years ago when I rotated there. And I know you have Deepak K. now bringing in some serious respect also. The potential resources were severly underdeveloped when I was there, but now it seems Mayo is realizing the potential of the OMFS department. I stand corrected from my previous post.
 
tjb said:
Also since we have 5 full time consultants and only 4 residents on service we are all paired with a consultant, meaning more operating, rather than being a 2nd assistant and retracting all day.
M


What in the hell is a consultant?


Is that some sort of slang for attending i've never heard of.

Are they paid better?

Toof, if you'r going to stay in academia you should become a consultant not an attending. Although i bet consultants have to wear a shirt and tie every day. That wouldn't go well with your mullet.
 
OMFSCardsFan said:
What in the hell is a consultant?


Is that some sort of slang for attending i've never heard of.

Are they paid better?

Toof, if you'r going to stay in academia you should become a consultant not an attending. Although i bet consultants have to wear a shirt and tie every day. That wouldn't go well with your mullet.

No way he can stuff the mullet into his shirt collar during the day time, then break that b*tch out at night to party when you're least expecting it.
 
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1FutureDDS said:
No way he can stuff the mullet into his shirt collar during the day time, then break that b*tch out at night to party when you're least expecting it.

A mullet never stopped anybody from going acedemic. There is a transplant surgeon here with one. Business up front and party in the back.
 
to answer your question, consultants are just like attendings except they're better with soft tissue. on a more serious note, nobody's ripping on mayo; it's a reputable program... i'm just poking a little fun at the whole ambience of the place. for some of us who were raised on the other side of the tracks, it makes us a little uncomfortable that's all. bottom line: the specialty is progressing tremendously and the developments at your program are only reflective of the greater change; it's something we should all feel fortunate to be a part of. dr. k is an amazing surgeon, a good man, and a valuable gift to any program. let's keep it at that.
 
I have heard the rumors of how Mayo once was. Now this is a great program. I will be starting in July. I externed at some of the most reputable programs in the country. I attended a school with an excellent program. It was made clear to me that I could have match at the school that I am at, but I picked Mayo. When I was there I did an entire case with one of the chiefs. The chief was the primary surgeon. This situation was exactly what I say at every other program. There are alot of fantastic programs out there. Mayo has changed a great deal, new attendings and a changing environment. You get fantastic training in a broad scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery.
The bottom line is that there are great programs across the nation. It is important to look at what you want to do when you’re done. Residency provides a good base of knowledge and experience. Every program offers different strengths. After, and during, your residency it is up to you if you will be a great surgeon or a piece of crap. You’re either a driver or a passenger.
The great will be great at any program, and the crap will be crap and any program.
I was always mentored to pick a program with a broad scope and good balance. Mayo offers just that. I know that other programs do as well.
I have friends going to programs all over. Some programs that have a good reputation, some that don't. I'm sure that all of my fellow future OMFS will all be good because that is the type of people that they are.
 
Tony Parker said:
Interested in doing OMFS. Currently I'm a dental student and married. I feel guilty not spending enough time with the wifey just during dental school. I've done externships and know the krazy time commitment for OMFS. I don't know if there are any programs that would be more marraige friendly (probably no such thing, hahaha), but I thought I would take a poll. I'm thinking programs that are more similar to private practice? Any input would help and or specific programs and if they are 4 vs 6 year programs, thanx.


I was wondering the the same thing. I was talking to a part time OMFS faculty at our school and he started telling us that there were some omfs programs he considered a "gentlemans program". he went on to explain that some were better than others about allowing you to spend time with your family if you weren't on call. I am not in a residency yet, so I dont know if this is true or not. I have heard rumors that I wont see my family for basically 4 years, others have said that it is rough, but I still will be able to see my wife and kids. I know there are going to be sacrifices, but I am still in the dark about the actual time commitment. I am not afraid of the time commitment, I would just like to know the details. Can anyone (seriously) shed some light on this?
 
Reconabe said:
I was wondering the the same thing. I was talking to a part time OMFS faculty at our school and he started telling us that there were some omfs programs he considered a "gentlemans program". he went on to explain that some were better than others about allowing you to spend time with your family if you weren't on call. I am not in a residency yet, so I dont know if this is true or not. I have heard rumors that I wont see my family for basically 4 years, others have said that it is rough, but I still will be able to see my wife and kids. I know there are going to be sacrifices, but I am still in the dark about the actual time commitment. I am not afraid of the time commitment, I would just like to know the details. Can anyone (seriously) shed some light on this?

There are no "family friendly" OMFS residency programs out there... just varying intensities of "family un-friendly" programs out there. For example, my residency makes regular death threats to my wife and children and MOM! But since my program isn't that intense, my family isn't too concerned because they know it is just words.....I knew this one program who sent people to the bus stop of the OMFS residents' children just to kick the poor kids in the chins and tell them they weren't welcome in "this neck of the woods"....
 
LSU Shreveport is a notorious Gentlemen's program. Take a look at their two incoming residents:

Incoming residents
 
omfsres said:
LSU Shreveport is a notorious Gentlemen's program. Take a look at their two incoming residents:

Incoming residents
At Shreve, we have plenty of time to spend with OMFSRes's wife and kids. I'm sure you'd have plenty of time for your own.
 
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