Pediatric Dentistry - Extracurriculars

[gppa715]

Hey guys,

I'll be 2nd yr dental student this fall and I just wanted to ask a quick question.

To all the pediatric dentists/residents -

what extracurricular activities have you done (beside research, shadowing a pediatric dentist) to gain experience in pediatric dentistry?

Any inputs/ideas are greatly appreciated ! 👍

Thank you !

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[gppa715]

Anyone ?? :-(

 

[DGDDS]

Rotations are helpful and I'm not just speaking about the ones through other schools or pediatric programs. See if your school offers you the chance to work in your local community health clinic or if you have required longer rotations (we did between 3 and 4th year: 2 one month long ones), see if you can get yours set up in a pediatric setting. IHS and community health clinics tend to be de facto places to see children so they're good places to start.

 

[Kahr]

Anyone ?? :-(

Not a resident, but my school has a pediatric dental club that's pretty active, I'd think that's the type of thing you're talking about.

 

[setdoc7]

So I share an office with a pedo asst PD ( I am a GPR director) and here is the insight I have.
Be a student member of the AAPD
Attend the annual session (excellent networking venue)
Research great if you end up published in a real journal
Work with kids in a non dental environment (boy scouts, girl scouts, work at community center for autistic kids, etc)
Nothing compensates for poor overall academic credentials the first time applying, so maintain good grades. Working closely with your pedo dept at school should garnish a good LOR, preferably from the chairman.
The essay must be right. Have three people you trust from school read it (professors). Accept constructive criticism. See if the pedo director will read it if you are not applying to your own school. Essay must be meaningful, grammatically correct, and free from spelling errors ( I know you think this is obvious but I read 150 essays a year). Accept all the help you can get, you are not an expert at this process, and if you get assistance from someone who is you are way ahead of the game.
Good luck

 

[himynameis]

What do you consider poor overall academic credentials? Since there's no more NBDE scores, what GPA would you consider as a cut-off for either a pediatrics or a GPR program?
Thanks in advance!

 

[setdoc7]

Good question. Do not have an answer for that yet. Will keep you posted.

 

[bikedoc]

Get as involved as you can in the pediatric dentistry club at your school and take part in any and all pediatric outreach programs that are offered. I think this will set a candidate apart, also gives you plenty of information and experience to draw from for your personal statement.

 

[MissionPedo]

Get as involved as you can in the pediatric dentistry club at your school and take part in any and all pediatric outreach programs that are offered. I think this will set a candidate apart, also gives you plenty of information and experience to draw from for your personal statement.

I would second this. I great advice!

Sent from Galaxy S3

 

[setdoc7]

The vast majority of applicants do outreach and are members of the Pedo club. This certainly is good but in no way will set you apart from the hoards of pedo applicants. Read my above post. Working with and liking to work with kids in an ongoing setting, not just a week or two, seems more meaningful. It means you might actually like working with children, a key ingredient here (haha). The AAPD meeting has a student component I believe, and also demonstrates some serious interest.

 

[setdoc7]

Get as involved as you can in the pediatric dentistry club at your school and take part in any and all pediatric outreach programs that are offered. I think this will set a candidate apart, also gives you plenty of information and experience to draw from for your personal statement.

Your personal statement should have some serious info in it. Anecdotal tales of how you helped a child overcome fear or regain their smile is nice, but cannot be the crux of your statement. There should be a lot more to it. Helping one child or a small group during a short period does not ring true for a lifelong career.

 

[himynameis]

Good question. Do not have an answer for that yet. Will keep you posted.

Ok, thanks!

 

[bikedoc]

The vast majority of applicants do outreach and are members of the Pedo club. This certainly is good but in no way will set you apart from the hoards of pedo applicants. Read my above post. Working with and liking to work with kids in an ongoing setting, not just a week or two, seems more meaningful. It means you might actually like working with children, a key ingredient here (haha). The AAPD meeting has a student component I believe, and also demonstrates some serious interest.

I guess it depends on which programs you are applying to, some programs place a higher value on certain components of the application than others. Each year it seems like it is becoming more and more competitive, its getting harder to set oneself apart as a candidate. I think the ideal candidate is strong in all areas and shows involvement on many different levels. Being involved with the pediatric dentistry club on an ongoing basis over time shows that you are interested in the specialty. AAPD involvement as a student can be beneficial in reinforcing your commitment. Observing in a public health pediatric dentistry clinic also can help.

As for the personal statement, a few of the program directors that I have come in contact with have said that it has become very hard to set oneself apart in this area. An excellent personal statement is not going to get someone an interview, but I do think a bad statement is enough to make it so that an interview isn't offered.

I think effort should not be put towards setting yourself apart as a candidate, rather be strong in as many areas of the application as you can, build great relationships with faculty (including pedo faculty), apply to a proper number of programs, interview at a proper number of programs, be smart in how you rank and you will MATCH.