Opinions of clincal training at Columbia?

[BallDontLie]

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I've got my Columbia interview coming up at the end of the month and I was just wondering if there are any Columbia students out there that can give me some insight on how the 3rd and 4th years are like there. I know Columbia is great for research and those looking to specialize, but my main goal is to be a good clinician/GP. Are there a lot of students there that want to be a GP? Or are the majority looking to specialize or go into research? Would I better off going somewhere else to get more experience?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Doggie]

I just recently graduated, so hopefully, I can give you some insight. I would tend to call Columbia more of an "academic school" rather than research or clinical. Columbia focused more on a stronger basic sciences foundation; clinic was not even started until 1/4 into the 3rd year and even then, we continued to take academic courses until the end of 3rd year. (from what i understand, most schools out there start clinic on 2nd year and taper off their academic courses by the end of 2nd year or early 3rd year......not sure on this though) Research is not required to graduate, although most people eventually do research in hopes of continuing into specialties.

From my class (2005) :

~40% - straight into specialities
~25% - went into GPR in hopes of getting into speciality
~25% - went into GPR/AEGD and eventually doing GP

 

[StarGirl]

Don't know where the "research" school thing came from, but I've never met anyone at Columbia that went into "research" after graduating, however the possiblities are there for you to do research (if you desire).

I think the clinical requirements to gradaute at Columbia is comparable to all other schools, however our system currently isn't under the typical # of crowns, # of RPDs, # of CDs... but we treat patients as a whole and have requirements based on the number of cases we complete. However you still have the typical endo, perio, ortho, pedo requirements. You also have rotations in different departments.

There are a lot of opportunities at Columbia. I have classmmates who have placed implants (we're required to do at least one perio surgery). We've done cerec crowns, implant restorations, overdentures, etc.

We do NOT have a production requirement. (this means you have to make X about of money for the school to graduate). If our patients doesn't pay, we're not liable to pay their work (some schools require you pay for the work you do, if your patients doesn't).

As Doggie said, we do have a lot of academic classes. Dentistry is a never ending learning process and that's how it seems to be set up here as well. We just started Lit review and other classes.

Most people tend to specialize, it appears that the current seniors are doing really well w/ interview invites. There are also a large number who plan to be GPs in the Sr class. I wish everyone luck.

Overall, I think you'll receive an awsome education... self-motivation will take you very far at columbia.

 

[Halitosis]

Don't know where the "research" school thing came from, but I've never met anyone at Columbia that went into "research" after graduating, however the possiblities are there for you to do research (if you desire).

I think the clinical requirements to gradaute at Columbia is comparable to all other schools, however our system currently isn't under the typical # of crowns, # of RPDs, # of CDs... but we treat patients as a whole and have requirements based on the number of cases we complete. However you still have the typical endo, perio, ortho, pedo requirements. You also have rotations in different departments.

There are a lot of opportunities at Columbia. I have classmmates who have placed implants (we're required to do at least one perio surgery). We've done cerec crowns, implant restorations, overdentures, etc.

We do NOT have a production requirement. (this means you have to make X about of money for the school to graduate). If our patients doesn't pay, we're not liable to pay their work (some schools require you pay for the work you do, if your patients doesn't).

As Doggie said, we do have a lot of academic classes. Dentistry is a never ending learning process and that's how it seems to be set up here as well. We just started Lit review and other classes.

Most people tend to specialize, it appears that the current seniors are doing really well w/ interview invites. There are also a large number who plan to be GPs in the Sr class. I wish everyone luck.

Overall, I think you'll receive an awsome education... self-motivation will take you very far at columbia.

hey stargirl, i heard a current senior is on sched to finish all grad requirements next march. how is that possible? is this extremely rare?

you're 07 right? yeah, so i recently have some tooth problems haha...services from a 3rd or 4th year are free for a sdos student right? well, i was told at the patient registartion window that i still have to pay 10 copay. what's going on? please explain?

 

[Halitosis]

senpai! so what's life like 5 mo after being released?

I just recently graduated, so hopefully, I can give you some insight. I would tend to call Columbia more of an "academic school" rather than research or clinical. Columbia focused more on a stronger basic sciences foundation; clinic was not even started until 1/4 into the 3rd year and even then, we continued to take academic courses until the end of 3rd year. (from what i understand, most schools out there start clinic on 2nd year and taper off their academic courses by the end of 2nd year or early 3rd year......not sure on this though) Research is not required to graduate, although most people eventually do research in hopes of continuing into specialties.

From my class (2005) :

~40% - straight into specialities
~25% - went into GPR in hopes of getting into speciality
~25% - went into GPR/AEGD and eventually doing GP

 

[StarGirl]

hey stargirl, i heard a current senior is on sched to finish all grad requirements next march. how is that possible? is this extremely rare?

you're 07 right? yeah, so i recently have some tooth problems haha...services from a 3rd or 4th year are free for a sdos student right? well, i was told at the patient registartion window that i still have to pay 10 copay. what's going on? please explain?

why can't we finish grad requirement next march? i'm hoping to be done by then... and i believe that's possible if I can get all of my current pts to finish in OS by the end of this month/early next month and pick up a few more complex cases after the new years. I heard in the 05 class, someone finished all their requirements in Dec/Jan. If you work hard and have some luck w/ patients, it's very doable to graduate early/on time.

you should be able to get treatment by a 3rd or 4th year free UNLESS you need to have things sent to the lab, then you have to pay for the lab fee. (do you need any fix work??? I'm looking for more fixed cases since I have a lot of removable started already).

let me know if you need any help (as long as it has nothing to do w/ med school).

 

[OMFSdoc]

I've got my Columbia interview coming up at the end of the month and I was just wondering if there are any Columbia students out there that can give me some insight on how the 3rd and 4th years are like there. I know Columbia is great for research and those looking to specialize, but my main goal is to be a good clinician/GP. Are there a lot of students there that want to be a GP? Or are the majority looking to specialize or go into research? Would I better off going somewhere else to get more experience?

Thanks for your help.

If you want to be a GP, DO NOT go to Columbia. They are a good academic school and carry a good name if you want to specialize. However, they are NOT a good all around clinical school. Clinics don't start until sometime in the third year. This is ok if you want to specialize, but NOT OK if you want to do GP, especially if you want to go into private practice right out of dental school. If you want to be a GP and you go to Columbia, you will almost certainly have to do a GPR/AEGD for a year. Again, great for specializing, but I would not do it for GP, there are many many many many other schools out there that will get you into the clinic before the end of your second year.

Good luck

 

[Doggie]

senpai! so what's life like 5 mo after being released?

Nothing has really changed. I am back in another school........so this learning thing is never-ending!! 😡

 

[Halitosis]

why can't we finish grad requirement next march? i'm hoping to be done by then... and i believe that's possible if I can get all of my current pts to finish in OS by the end of this month/early next month and pick up a few more complex cases after the new years. I heard in the 05 class, someone finished all their requirements in Dec/Jan. If you work hard and have some luck w/ patients, it's very doable to graduate early/on time.

you should be able to get treatment by a 3rd or 4th year free UNLESS you need to have things sent to the lab, then you have to pay for the lab fee. (do you need any fix work??? I'm looking for more fixed cases since I have a lot of removable started already).

let me know if you need any help (as long as it has nothing to do w/ med school).

thanks stargirl, always so helpful!
so, luck is huge in determining when you grad. that sux ass if you ask me. actually, this 4th year who i'm referring to did her externship overseas, and she said that was a big reason why she'll finish in march. dunno why. any comments, insights into this?

do you speak spanish? do your classmates who speak/learned to speak spanish get more patients?

yeah! it's free right? but, no, that guy on the 7th(?) fl said it's not. i guess it's cause i'm ugly. no haha i don't need any fix work. but if you ever need pt for simple stuff, let me know. not going to let you look at my teeth... just going to sit in your chair and ask u abt dao, etc...raise your pt counter and leave.

 

[StarGirl]

thanks stargirl, always so helpful!
so, luck is huge in determining when you grad. that sux ass if you ask me. actually, this 4th year who i'm referring to did her externship overseas, and she said that was a big reason why she'll finish in march. dunno why. any comments, insights into this?

do you speak spanish? do your classmates who speak/learned to speak spanish get more patients?

yeah! it's free right? but, no, that guy on the 7th(?) fl said it's not. i guess it's cause i'm ugly. no haha i don't need any fix work. but if you ever need pt for simple stuff, let me know. not going to let you look at my teeth... just going to sit in your chair and ask u abt dao, etc...raise your pt counter and leave.

no there's no advantage in getting more patients if you speak spanish or not.... I don't think there's really a problem w/ getting patients. You may have a slow start/period in 3rd yr but after that if you work hard and you're not selective on the type of patients and call patients to remind them of their appt etc, it shouldn't be a problem. At least it wasn't for me. A lot of "simple" cases were handed to me during 3rd yr cause no one wanted to take patients with "just a cleaning". I got most of my scaling and a few simple points just from scalings.

Hmm, I might actually need to raise my encounter a bit. I was so good about keep it up til recently... =P although I'm not worried just yet 🙂

Who's going to do your dental work? 😛

 

[ScorpiORTHO]

If you want to be a GP, DO NOT go to Columbia. They are a good academic school and carry a good name if you want to specialize. However, they are NOT a good all around clinical school. Clinics don't start until sometime in the third year. This is ok if you want to specialize, but NOT OK if you want to do GP, especially if you want to go into private practice right out of dental school. If you want to be a GP and you go to Columbia, you will almost certainly have to do a GPR/AEGD for a year. Again, great for specializing, but I would not do it for GP, there are many many many many other schools out there that will get you into the clinic before the end of your second year.

Good luck

Columbia sends students on rotations summer BEFORE 3rd year to various hospitals around nyc and they do lots of extractions and other things. I dont' know about before but right now, students start seeing patients in our own clinic BEGINNING of 3rd year! Also, you HAVE TO DO GPR NO MATTER WHAT SCHOOL you go to if you want to practice general in NY starting 07! So...that's really not anything to consider when choosing a school in NY anymore!

 

[StarGirl]

plus even if you do general you still need to know the science and medical background... i'll never understand why people say columbia's not good for general. Anyone can drill teeth... it's those who understand the theories that will go far.

 

[Gurl21]

there are many many many many other schools out there that will get you into the clinic before the end of your second year.

Is NYU one of them?

 

[Doggie]

plus even if you do general you still need to know the science and medical background... i'll never understand why people say columbia's not good for general. Anyone can drill teeth... it's those who understand the theories that will go far.

I used to always hear ppl say "you can teach a monkey to drill teeth."

 

[toofache32]

I don't know...Columbia turns out some smart people, but you're asking about clinical experience. I've worked with 2 Columbia grads who have never even made a single denture. NEVER MADE A SINGLE DENTURE!!! How the hell do you graduate from Dental school without making a denture!?!? It sounds to me more like med school where you pass as long as you just show up every day.

 

[Maxillicious]

Is NYU one of them?

Yes, we'll be in clinic by May. Which doesnt include random clinic dates for: Radiology, Pedo, Admissions, and Diagnosis

 

[Gurl21]

Yes, we'll be in clinic by May. Which doesnt include random clinic dates for: Radiology, Pedo, Admissions, and Diagnosis

oh okay, thanks for answering my question!

 

[ScorpiORTHO]

Hmm..May versus July..not really a big difference.

 

[StarGirl]

I don't know...Columbia turns out some smart people, but you're asking about clinical experience. I've worked with 2 Columbia grads who have never even made a single denture. NEVER MADE A SINGLE DENTURE!!! How the hell do you graduate from Dental school without making a denture!?!? It sounds to me more like med school where you pass as long as you just show up every day.

that's pretty hard to do... but i guess the way columbia is set up, it's possible...but very unlikely... I think you must have heard wrong or misunderstood, cause it's almost impossible that you wouldn't be assigned a denture case since there are ample removable cases.

 

[drhobie7]

I don't know...Columbia turns out some smart people, but you're asking about clinical experience. I've worked with 2 Columbia grads who have never even made a single denture. NEVER MADE A SINGLE DENTURE!!! How the hell do you graduate from Dental school without making a denture!?!? It sounds to me more like med school where you pass as long as you just show up every day.

You know who those guys were? The luckiest people in dental school. I hate removable.

 

[ItsGavinC]

You know who those guys were? The luckiest people in dental school. I hate removable.

LOL.

 

[Doggie]

You know who those guys were? The luckiest people in dental school. I hate removable.

I believe that my whole class was well trained at being a prosthodontist by the time we graduated......almost every other patient that walked into the clinic needed some form of dentures.

 

[OMFSdoc]

Columbia sends students on rotations summer BEFORE 3rd year to various hospitals around nyc and they do lots of extractions and other things. I dont' know about before but right now, students start seeing patients in our own clinic BEGINNING of 3rd year! Also, you HAVE TO DO GPR NO MATTER WHAT SCHOOL you go to if you want to practice general in NY starting 07! So...that's really not anything to consider when choosing a school in NY anymore!

A couple of things.....

I would be willing to say that a LARGE population of Columbia students do NOT plan on staying in the state of NY in order to practice, therefore they may not need to do a GPR. I don't disagree with NY state's decision to complete a GPR in order to get licensed, in fact, I support it. If someone doesn't want to practice in NY, and wants to go into general dentistry, they may not want to go to Columbia if they can get into the clinics earlier at another school with a good didactic program.
Also, I know a handful of people that graduated from Columbia within the past 5 years. Some of them only completed 4 crowns prior to graduation. How do you become a dentist if you only completed 4 crowns? They all agreed and said they went there to specialize. Again, I think Columbia offers one of the BEST didactic education programs among US dental schools. If you want to specialize, it is a great place to go. However, if you want to practice general dentistry, I wouldn't put it at the top of my list.

 

[Doggie]

I know a handful of people that graduated from Columbia within the past 5 years. Some of them only completed 4 crowns prior to graduation. How do you become a dentist if you only completed 4 crowns?

🙂 I only made 3 crowns........but it's ok, since I wont ever have to restore crowns anyways.

 

[aphistis]

Is it just me, or is there something vaguely discomfiting about a dentist who doesn't mind knowing his school graduates people whose crown cases can be counted on a hand, or who have never done a denture?

 

[toofache32]

🙂 I only made 3 crowns........but it's ok, since I wont ever have to restore crowns anyways.

...until you get that pink slip from EE.

 

[Doggie]

Is it just me, or is there something vaguely discomfiting about a dentist who doesn't mind knowing his school graduates people whose crown cases can be counted on a hand, or who have never done a denture?

Columbia is strange in that there are really no set "procedural requirements" for graduation. We basically need to complete 10 simple cases and 8 complex cases.

The simple cases range from multiple surface fillings, 1-arch RPD or CD, multiple endo, less than 3 crowns........or a combination of these. Complex cases range from bridges, more complicated multi-surface fillings, 2-arch RPD or CD, multiple post/core/crown. There are instances where we may recieve 1/4 or 2x credit, depending on the complexity.

It just so happened that I was stuck with patients needing only dentures and a few crowns. Some other people got stuck with only crowns and no dentures.

Yes........I agree that Columbia sucks in terms of clinic, but most of my classmates passed the NERB's. And......with only 3 crowns under my belt, I still got 100% on my Fixed portion of the NERB's. 😀

 

[Doggie]

...until you get that pink slip from EE.

I actually had to deliver an immediate denture for Big Red's private patient. 😡

 

[BallDontLie]

If someone doesn't want to practice in NY, and wants to go into general dentistry, they may not want to go to Columbia if they can get into the clinics earlier at another school with a good didactic program.

Thanks for the input everyone! I'm starting to think maybe Columbia isn't the best fit for me, but oh well...we'll see how it goes i guess. Things can change once I see the school and get a feel for it.

However, of the schools I applied to (Michigan, UDM, Case, Temple, Columbia, BU, Pitt, Marquette), which to you think has the best balance of clinical and didactic work for somebody who wants to be a GP? I still want a school that will provide a strong clinical experience, just not at the expense of quality in the didactic courses. Basically, I'm looking for the best of both worlds. I know Michigan is fairly strong didactic wise, but is weaker in the clinic compared to say, Detroit-Mercy or Temple. As for Case, Pitt, Marquette, BU....im not really sure. Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[StarGirl]

I dont know how other students at other schools can judge how "poor" columbia's clinical program is... but as a student here, I think I'm getting excellent clinical trainning.


I still think Columbia's a great clinical and didatic. We actually do a lot more clinical work than you would think for being "a not so good clinical school". I think the only thing we may have fewer experiences with are cavity fillings... but after doing my 5th class 2, I feel like I can do them in my sleep....

I've compared requirements w/ friends from other schools and it's pretty comparable. Our clinic is run like a mini practice, so each student gets a set of patients and it's our responsiblity to treat them so one student may do more crowns than another who has more removable. We do start clinic slowly, so during 3rd yr we get the simple cases (cleaning, restorations, single unit crowns etc). But it's important to get used to scaling and using the handpieces and MOST IMPORTANTLY learning how to treatment plan properly AND how to interact with patients properly. Then when you're comfortable with these things, you move on to the MORE complex cases and start doing crowns, bridges, RPDs, and implant dentistry, and perio surgeries etc, etc w/ an endless list of possiblities.

The good thing is columbia LETs you try/do the newest things. Some schools do not allow their predocs to do implants! We are encourage to do implants and overdentures and actually give those patients LARGE discount so that way we have the opportunity to do them. They also encourage us to try at least one cerec crown, which I'm sure not all dental school has the technology to do. We have the option to do our own lab work (wax up, casting, setting teeth etc). Some schools do not teach their students how to cast metal or process dentures etc... At columbia you might do fewer class 2 fillings...but you'll learn to be great at diagnosis and treatment planning and will have a chance to try many different procedures. With time, you'll get great and speedy with drilling, but it's not at every school that you're encouraged or have the chance to do such a variety of procedures!!!

Columbia gets a 👍 from me! I'm 100% satisfied w/ the education I'm getting here and how much I'm learning and I FEEL COMPLETELY confident with my skills.


and yes, if you're wondering, i know how to do a facebow. 😍

 

[StarGirl]

🙂 I only made 3 crowns........but it's ok, since I wont ever have to restore crowns anyways.

send me pts you do exos on please.

 

[OMFSdoc]

I dont know how other students at other schools can judge how "poor" columbia's clinical program is... but as a student here, I think I'm getting excellent clinical trainning.


I still think Columbia's a great clinical and didatic. We actually do a lot more clinical work than you would think for being "a not so good clinical school". I think the only thing we may have fewer experiences with are cavity fillings... but after doing my 5th class 2, I feel like I can do them in my sleep....

I've compared requirements w/ friends from other schools and it's pretty comparable. Our clinic is run like a mini practice, so each student gets a set of patients and it's our responsiblity to treat them so one student may do more crowns than another who has more removable. We do start clinic slowly, so during 3rd yr we get the simple cases (cleaning, restorations, single unit crowns etc). But it's important to get used to scaling and using the handpieces and MOST IMPORTANTLY learning how to treatment plan properly AND how to interact with patients properly. Then when you're comfortable with these things, you move on to the MORE complex cases and start doing crowns, bridges, RPDs, and implant dentistry, and perio surgeries etc, etc w/ an endless list of possiblities.

The good thing is columbia LETs you try/do the newest things. Some schools do not allow their predocs to do implants! We are encourage to do implants and overdentures and actually give those patients LARGE discount so that way we have the opportunity to do them. They also encourage us to try at least one cerec crown, which I'm sure not all dental school has the technology to do. We have the option to do our own lab work (wax up, casting, setting teeth etc). Some schools do not teach their students how to cast metal or process dentures etc... At columbia you might do fewer class 2 fillings...but you'll learn to be great at diagnosis and treatment planning and will have a chance to try many different procedures. With time, you'll get great and speedy with drilling, but it's not at every school that you're encouraged or have the chance to do such a variety of procedures!!!

Columbia gets a 👍 from me! I'm 100% satisfied w/ the education I'm getting here and how much I'm learning and I FEEL COMPLETELY confident with my skills.


and yes, if you're wondering, i know how to do a facebow. 😍

I am glad that you are happy with Columbia. I just don't think that their clinical education comes even close to that of many other programs. EVERY school has cerec, implant options if you choose to, blah blah blah... If you are a go-getter in the clinic and it sounds like you are, you will do fine at almost any program. It is the rest of the class that just wants to get their requirements done and get out asap that skate free at Columbia. Almost all school follow the comprehensive care model and don't do block clinical dentistry anymore, everyone treats their patients from start to finish. You said that at Columbia we start with easy things and get complex cases later, so does every school! The only difference is that at most other schools, you get into clinic months earlier and are able to do that many more cases. At Columbia, your clinic is divided into mini-practices, so are most schools! I am sure you are doing well and will continue to thrive at Columbia and will be a great clinical dentist, but don't say that Columbia's clinical education, rigors and requirements come close to most other programs. Your didactics likely exceed most other programs, but NOT your clinics. Go there to specialize: otho, endo, OMFS, pedo...you should get in. Good name, smart peeps, stinky clinics.

 

[StarGirl]

I am glad that you are happy with Columbia. I just don't think that their clinical education comes even close to that of many other programs. EVERY school has cerec, implant options if you choose to, blah blah blah... If you are a go-getter in the clinic and it sounds like you are, you will do fine at almost any program. It is the rest of the class that just wants to get their requirements done and get out asap that skate free at Columbia. Almost all school follow the comprehensive care model and don't do block clinical dentistry anymore, everyone treats their patients from start to finish. You said that at Columbia we start with easy things and get complex cases later, so does every school! The only difference is that at most other schools, you get into clinic months earlier and are able to do that many more cases. At Columbia, your clinic is divided into mini-practices, so are most schools! I am sure you are doing well and will continue to thrive at Columbia and will be a great clinical dentist, but don't say that Columbia's clinical education, rigors and requirements come close to most other programs. Your didactics likely exceed most other programs, but NOT your clinics. Go there to specialize: otho, endo, OMFS, pedo...you should get in. Good name, smart peeps, stinky clinics.

obviously you don't know much about colubmia's program. i'm at most average in my clinical requirements now as compared to my class. I actually have deficiencies so I know I'm not at the top w/ clinical requirements.

Of course all schools have the option of implants but do they let the predocs restore them???? I know for sure not all schools let their predoc students replace single unit crowns (I was just at a school that doesn't). You can't deny how important implant dentistry is and will become in the near future. Not all schools learn how to cast. Not all schools have a cerec machine. Not all schools encourage implant supported overdentures.

After comapring clinical requirements w/ schools on both coast w/ friends, I KNOW that the requirements are on average about the same. The ONLY thing we may do less of compared to some schools are fewer operative procedures, but it doesn't take that many cavity preps to get good. But when comparing other types of tx-modality, on average I'll say it's about the same.
Didactics to me means understanding concepts, you can't deny that treatment planning and knowing diagnosis isn't the MOST important thing you can get out of dental school.

if you're looking for a school that'll let you do a billion fillings, then don't come to columbia....

what are your requirements to graduate and where do you go?

 

[toofache32]

Of course all schools have the option of implants but do they let the predocs restore them????

I was restoring implants when I was in dental school over 4 years ago. Just an old State-funded school in Tennessee.

what are your requirements to graduate and where do you go?

Here's how it was at Tennessee a few years ago:

Fixed: 30 units, including 4 gold inlay/onlays, and a few bridges.

Removable: 10 units and at least 10 patients.

Operative: 2700 "points" of which 500 had to be in composite. Each filling was 25-40 points depending on how many surfaces and how complex. A buildup was 75 points but had to be carved to full contour before you could cut the crown prep.

Endo: 12 canals with at least 1 molar, 1 premolar, and 1 anterior.

Perio: I can't remember. It was another points system and they were bastards.

Pedo: More points but I can't remember. I hated those little screaming bastards and avoided that place...I almost didn't make the requirements.

OMS: Needed 1400 points, of which you got 28-40 points per procedure. This sucked because you could pull one tooth and get 28 points, or pull a whole quadrant and get 40. So most of us just brought our patient back every week and pulled them one at a time to maximize our points.

Ortho: You had to demonstrate that you knew how to fill out a referral form.

 

[Dr.BadVibes]

Yes........I agree that Columbia sucks in terms of clinic, but most of my classmates passed the NERB's. And......with only 3 crowns under my belt, I still got 100% on my Fixed portion of the NERB's. 😀

I dont know how other students at other schools can judge how "poor" columbia's clinical program is... but as a student here

Hey stargirl, didnt doggie graduate from Columbia?

 

[Doggie]

Hey stargirl, didnt doggie graduate from Columbia?

Hey Stargirl, didnt Dr.Badvibes get rejected from columbia?

 

[Doggie]

Compared to other clinically oriented schools, columbia clinic-wise is a joke. Compared to other didactic schools, columbia is comparable clinic-wise.

I think the only thing about clinic that columbia provided was that it forced you to take care of a patient from start to finish (ie: kiss their asses). We are judged on a case per case basis, so if half-way through your patients skip out, it sucks to be you because you have to start from square 1.

Another thing that I didnt like about the clinic was that the faculty plays favoritism to certain students. This one girl in my class found out she was going into a prostho program upon graduation. After the clinic director found out of this, that girl began to recieve all interesting/complex prosth cases. She was doing cases like roundhouses, etc.......i had a several roundhouse cases and the director told me to refer the patients to our prosh dept. WTF!@?#

 

[toofache32]

Another thing that I didnt like about the clinic was that the faculty plays favoritism to certain students. This one girl in my class found out she was going into a prostho program upon graduation. After the clinic director found out of this, that girl began to recieve all interesting/complex prosth cases. She was doing cases like roundhouses, etc.......i had a several roundhouse cases and the director told me to refer the patients to our prosh dept. WTF!@?#

She must have had bigger [tracts of land] than you.

 

[Dr.BadVibes]

Hey Stargirl, didnt Dr.Badvibes get rejected from columbia?

no i didnt

 

[aphistis]

Keep it clean, please, and don't be knocking on each other.

 

[ChubbyBaby]

Hey Stargirl, didnt Dr.Badvibes get rejected from columbia?

 

[toofache32]

She must have had bigger dinners than you.

Sorry. I sometimes forget that I'm not in the operating room here. How's this?

 

[aphistis]

Sorry. I sometimes forget that I'm not in the operating room here. How's this?

Just fine, and no harm done.

 

[Woodsy]

Hey Stargirl, didnt Dr.Badvibes get rejected from columbia?

Oh oh owned.


Columbia is a great school, it really is. I don't know why people bash it. I should have gone there it seems, if you don't have reqs to grad, but doesn't matter. I can drill and fill with composite, a tooth in like 10 mins so I don't think I will have trouble taking care of my reqs. I would love Columbia I think. I just stayed in Canada because I am gonna practice in Canada. I already have an office set up for me i.e. I'm taking over one and eventually all of my uncle's practices, just need to make some upgrades once i am out.

Dr. Badvibes is one of the few guys who wants to go into dental public health..... NO ONE from my class wants to do that, in fact, we hate that class so much we purposely throw parties and school events that conflict with that class.

 

[blanca]

hi
people are saying that students get little clinical training at columbia .............but is it due to the less patient pool or due to the graduating requirement..........made simple by giving 10 simple and 8 complex cases.........
blanca

Oh oh owned.


Columbia is a great school, it really is. I don't know why people bash it. I should have gone there it seems, if you don't have reqs to grad, but doesn't matter. I can drill and fill with composite, a tooth in like 10 mins so I don't think I will have trouble taking care of my reqs. I would love Columbia I think. I just stayed in Canada because I am gonna practice in Canada. I already have an office set up for me i.e. I'm taking over one and eventually all of my uncle's practices, just need to make some upgrades once i am out.

Dr. Badvibes is one of the few guys who wants to go into dental public health..... NO ONE from my class wants to do that, in fact, we hate that class so much we purposely throw parties and school events that conflict with that class.

 

[RubySlippers]

...We have the option to do our own lab work (wax up, casting, setting teeth etc)...

It must be nice to have that option. We have to do most of our own lab work. I wonder how many other schools make it optional.

You also mentioned treatment planning-do you have to do all sorts of data collection before formulating a treatment plan? We have to do an oral med eval, any other needed radiographs, an odont eval, diagnostic study models, and a perio eval and any necessary consults before we can formulate an optimal and alternative treatment plan.

 

[Doggie]

It must be nice to have that option. We have to do most of our own lab work. I wonder how many other schools make it optional.

You also mentioned treatment planning-do you have to do all sorts of data collection before formulating a treatment plan? We have to do an oral med eval, any other needed radiographs, an odont eval, diagnostic study models, and a perio eval and any necessary consults before we can formulate an optimal and alternative treatment plan.

It's optional, but it usually ends up us doing most of the work because it takes more than 2 weeks for lab work to come back.