Pre-Med working as dental assistant? Bad

[bostonmedical]

I'd never thought I would write a post like this.

BUt I just graduated and needed a job while I study for the MCAT. Dental assistant positions are everywhere and they pay good money. Advisors told me you can work anywhere you want but volunteer or show interest in medicine. But could working as a dental assistant seems as though I was battling between careers and that I am not sure.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Iamnumber24]

Personally I dont think its such a bad thing. As long as you have a good amount of volunteer hours good grades and good extra-curriculars along with good letters of recommendation you should be ok. make sure u study hard and do well on the mcat. Good luck to you

 

[[pj]]

Hmm... not so sure about that. What if they ask you why you didn't go to dental school? And even if you have an answer, they'll have that lingering in the back of their mind.

 

[umz]

Hmm... not so sure about that. What if they ask you why you didn't go to dental school? And even if you have an answer, they'll have that lingering in the back of their mind.

i don't necessarily agree. if they ask someone who knows little to nothing about dentistry why they didn't apply to dental school, the person would not have much to back up their claims. if, on the other hand, you have first hand experience in a dental office, you can explain, with examples, exactly how that experience showed you that not only you did not want to go into dentistry, but also why medicine is the right fit for you. i would think of this as a plus.

 

[Nataliemay24]

don't you need an associate's degree or at least some sort of certificate to work as a dental assistant?

 

[TheRealMD]

Simply exploring other options to make sure being a medical doctor is right for you. Easy as that.

 

[omgmedschool]

ok during the summers i worked as a dental assistant. and so far I'm in 5 medical schools one is a top ten school. all my interviewers that it was super cool that I was a dental assistant and that i explored a different field. Plus its great patient exposure and shows that you can really interact with people.

 

[drholiday]

Interesting. Dilemma