I'm wondering how easy it is for somebody fresh out of dental or medical school to actually get a job in their field. I know this probably varies depending on things like location, but generally speaking would I be worried about finding a job right away coming out of dental school- or is it a little more secure than that? I'd think that volunteering at a dental practice while in school would help the chances of maybe getting a position there?
After medical school, you have to apply for a residency, and your chances of getting one are extremely high. The demand for doctors is such that you'll probably be able to work anywhere you want. I would imagine dentists have similar job prospects.
I don't know a thing about dental school so I'll limit my response to medicine. Once you've completed medical school your first "job" will be your residency. If you graduate from a US MD or DO school, you should be able to get into a residency (i.e. get a job). Now getting the job you want, might be a little more tricky. Some residencies are far more competitive than others. Most graduates would have no difficulty matching into a community Family Medicine Residency (there are plenty of these out there and the demand is low) while only the most competitive applicants will get into a Radiation Oncology or Dermatology residency. There are far fewer spots available and the demand is much higher. Regarding your volunteering question: Generally, volunteering somewhere before going off to school wouldn't hurt, but your better bet would be to continue this association through your professional training. If you continued to train in this office as a dental student (and a resident) you'll be able to demonstrate your proficiency and knowledge, you'll also maintain that familiarity and the chances of you being able to join that practice would improve.
Echoing what you said. Yeah, I'm not a med student but I can tell you that ALL doctor's are in high demand, even here in N.J. You should easily be able to get a lucrative job out of residency, which, as noted, is technically your "first job".
I don't know about medicine, but the job prospects in dentistry are great. The IHS, VA, Army, Navy, and Air Force are always trying to recruit dentists. There pay islow but the benefits and vacation time are great. All the chain clinics are also always looking for more dentists, and most of them pay very well. Also, many private dental offices are looking for associates. Also, a there more old dentists are retiring and selling practices than there are new dentists graduating and buying them. Additionally, you can start your own practice, and historically these have a 95% success rate. Finally, you can do a residency and get paid a low salary, but learn a lot more. It is pretty easy to get into a general practice residency program if you want to, but like in medicine the difficult part is matching certain specific general practice residency or matching a specialty residency.
