OMFS to Physician

[Vicviper]

Someone asked me an interesting question I didn't know the answer to, and after doing a search, I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. Not that I'd want to do this, but since an OMFS has an MD, can they just take the medical boards and become a practicing physician?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ToosStudent]

technically, OMFS's are physicians. It's considered as a subspecialty of medicine. if you go to a 6 yr program, you take the same medical classes, the same medical boards (USMLE) and you become a licensed MD. it's just that OMFS is considered as a subspecialty of medicine like any other kind of surgery. if you wanted to practice internal medicine....why would you do that?

 

[BFord23]

Sure you can. Sometimes OMFS residents "jump ship" and go into another medical specialty after they finish med school (generally frowned upon though). Others finish their OMFS residency and continue on in another specialty (usually plastics).

Also, one of my attendings next year graduated dental school, finished OMFS residency, practiced internal medicine for a few years, and then came back into OMFS. It's rare, but not unheard of.

 

[BFord23]

It's considered as a subspecialty of medicine.

Actually, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a dental specialty and not a medical specialty.

You need to graduate dental school; medical school is optional. A guy in my school's program graduated medical school and wanted to go into OMFS ... He had to go to dental school before he could start (amount of time differs by school).

 

[Vicviper]

Interesting! Thanks for the quick responses.

 

[dentstd]

If you want to do medicine, go to medical school. Don't get your MD from oral surgery just because you couldn't get into medical school.

 

[armorshell]

If you want to do medicine, go to medical school. Don't get your MD from oral surgery just because you couldn't get into medical school.

I've heard this comes up every once in a blue moon in cases where a dual-degree OS sustains a debilitating hand or eye injury. Depending on the nature of the injury they just complete a psych, radiology, IM, etc... residency and go on with life.

 

[fallout]

If you want to do medicine, go to medical school. Don't get your MD from oral surgery just because you couldn't get into medical school.

I can't resist myself from asking this one out of curiosity.

Suppose someone really did want to go to med school but couldn't get accepted and went to dental school. And again due to lack of decent grades, s/he couldn't go the MD route through OMFS.

How likely is it for this person to get into medical school after finishing up dental school? Any interesting experiences?

 

[gundam]

I've heard this comes up every once in a blue moon in cases where a dual-degree OS sustains a debilitating hand or eye injury. Depending on the nature of the injury they just complete a psych, radiology, IM, etc... residency and go on with life.

If a dentist gets disabled, why can't s/he just go on an oral path or dental public health residency and go on with life?

Only for the reason of being able to find work as a backup plan doesn't sound so reasonable to me.

 

[UCSF2012]

One perk of being a dentist-doctor. You can legally administer anesthetics, because you're a dentist. No need to hire an anesthesiologist.

 

[armorshell]

If a dentist gets disabled, why can't s/he just go on an oral path or dental public health residency and go on with life?

Only for the reason of being able to find work as a backup plan doesn't sound so reasonable to me.

I don't think I suggested this as being the reason to get an MD in an OMFS residency. It's just something that has happened in the past.

 

[achilles2]

I don't think I suggested this as being the reason to get an MD in an OMFS residency. It's just something that has happened in the past.

they are on to your armorshell. Everyone knows the REAL reason why your doing OMFS is so you can be a GP!!!!

 

[DrNush]

If you want to do medicine, go to medical school. Don't get your MD from oral surgery just because you couldn't get into medical school.

what? there are PLENTY of us who had the option to go to either medical or dental school and chose dental. and by the way, MANY of our physicians in the US are graduates of schools in the caribbean, australia etc. where all they do is pay a "donation" to get in that have links with US hospitals to do residency here and get their US license, whereas there are no programs like this for dentists since no non-US schools have accreditation or these types of links aside from la salle.
i don't know how many people chose to go into dentistry because they couldn't get into medicine, but it's highly offensive to suggest dentists are dentists because they couldn't be physicians for whatever reason. Whoever is doing so is going to be a horrible dentist.

 

[achilles2]

what? there are PLENTY of us who had the option to go to either medical or dental school and chose dental. and by the way, MANY of our physicians in the US are graduates of schools in the caribbean, australia etc. where all they do is pay a "donation" to get in that have links with US hospitals to do residency here and get their US license, whereas there are no programs like this for dentists since no non-US schools have accreditation or these types of links aside from la salle.
i don't know how many people chose to go into dentistry because they couldn't get into medicine, but it's highly offensive to suggest dentists are dentists because they couldn't be physicians for whatever reason. Whoever is doing so is going to be a horrible dentist.

wow strong realizing I was joking lol



Lets break it down

Path to a MD

1) doing well on the DAT to get into a solid feeder program (2-6 months)
2) 4 years dental school + no promise of getting OMFS speciality
3) Insane competition on the boards and in general to provide stats up to par to be competitive. So x amount of time to provide competitive grades and board scores though dental school
4) 6 years of post grad work for additional degree

vs

1) studying for the MCAT and getting a 35+ (3-6 months)
2) going to med school for 6 years and passing


now which is the easier path to the MD????


My post was so outrageously silly that I assumed people would see that there was no possible way it could be serious. But alas despite my efforts I appeared to have failed.

 

[DrReo]

wow strong realizing I was joking lol



Lets break it down

Path to a MD

1) doing well on the DAT to get into a solid feeder program (2-6 months)
2) 4 years dental school + no promise of getting OMFS speciality
3) Insane competition on the boards and in general to provide stats up to par to be competitive. So x amount of time to provide competitive grades and board scores though dental school
4) 6 years of post grad work for additional degree

vs

1) studying for the MCAT and getting a 35+ (3-6 months)
2) going to med school for 6 years and passing


now which is the easier path to the MD????


My post was so outrageously silly that I assumed people would see that there was no possible way it could be serious. But alas despite my efforts I appeared to have failed.

Medical school is 4 years. A residency thereafter is typically 3+ years.

 

[achilles2]

Medical school is 4 years. A residency thereafter is typically 3+ years.

last time I checked its 2 years residency for GP.

Now a speciality whoa that can run you.

 

[BFord23]

I don't think I suggested this as being the reason to get an MD in an OMFS residency. It's just something that has happened in the past.

Agreed. If for some reason I can't practice OMFS after I complete med school I would try and find an interesting med specialty to pursue as opposed to going into dental pubic health or oral path (but that's just me).

An interesting side note, a program I spent time at last summer has a resident in a similar situation. Can't practice OMFS but just completed Med school. That resident decided to start an oral path residency next year.

 

[aphistis]

One perk of being a dentist-doctor. You can legally administer anesthetics, because you're a dentist. No need to hire an anesthesiologist.

This is flatly incorrect. I'm better at administering anesthetics than 90% of physicians (i.e. any doctor who isn't an anesthesiologist) because I've spent almost a full year doing it, whereas they will have not. Suggesting that anyone with an MD can safely administer a general anesthetic is as ridiculous as suggesting anyone with an MD can safely perform brain surgery. Training is what enables you to safely perform a given medical procedure, not initials.

 

[dentist2010]

Someone asked me an interesting question I didn't know the answer to, and after doing a search, I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. Not that I'd want to do this, but since an OMFS has an MD, can they just take the medical boards and become a practicing physician?

My friend who's applying to OS this year, found many others including medical students, surgeons, and general public neglecting the 6 years of schools an MD OMS has to go thru and refer to them as dentist who pulls teeth all day long. For him who thought of the 6 year program as a pathway to becoming a real doctor of medicine, it's dishearting. How much prestige do you guys think the MD DDS/DMD carry? Are oral surgeons real surgeons in people's mind? (sorry if this offends the hardcore OS people)

 

[DrNush]

wow strong realizing I was joking lol

lol i was responding to dentstd.... 🙂

 

[DrReo]

last time I checked its 2 years residency for GP.

Now a speciality whoa that can run you.

Family practice is 3.

 

[DrNush]

How much prestige do you guys think the MD DDS/DMD carry? Are oral surgeons real surgeons in people's mind? (sorry if this offends the hardcore OS people)

well i dont have answer to ur question BUT even within medicine the docs make fun of each other - u dont think neurosurgeons look down on radiologists, radiologists on internists etc? no matter what you do, there will always be haters. if ur happy doing what ur doing and u know how hard u worked to get there, who cares what others think? 😎

 

[achilles2]

lol i was responding to dentstd.... 🙂

lol

the failure is mine

sorry for the rant on you bro

My friend who's applying to OS this year, found many others including medical students, surgeons, and general public neglecting the 6 years of schools an MD OMS has to go thru and refer to them as dentist who pulls teeth all day long. For him who thought of the 6 year program as a pathway to becoming a real doctor of medicine, it's dishearting. How much prestige do you guys think the MD DDS/DMD carry? Are oral surgeons real surgeons in people's mind? (sorry if this offends the hardcore OS people)

You have an MD AND a DMD/DDS. It carries alot of weight. Of course neuro surgeons look down on just about everyone but particle physicists look down on ALL of us lol. People always hate on daywalkers. Oral surgeon is an apex position, and they are respected by pretty much everyone.

 

[DrNush]

lol

the failure is mine

sorry for the rant on you bro

wrong gender but no probs 😛

 

[achilles2]

wrong gender but no probs 😛

i'm a roll!!!

lol sorry

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

Actually, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a dental specialty and not a medical specialty.

FYI:

In the UK its actually a medical specialty. You get an FRCS (Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons) title after you finish your training.. and about half of the Maxfacs residents there completed a medical degree before their dental degree.

In the UK now you can do Oral surgery with just a dental degree, but to do lots of maxillofacial and head and neck you will need both degrees.

 

[BFord23]

In the UK now you can do Oral surgery with just a dental degree, but to do lots of maxillofacial and head and neck you will need both degrees.

Interesting, so in the UK are there essentially 2 types of Oral Surgeons? The single degree dental guys are pretty much limited to the oral cavity while the dual degree guys are the ones doing the orthognathics etc? Or when you say "head and neck" are you referring to the things which generally require fellowship training to do here in the US (which tend to require a medical degree anyway)?