Hey Guys:
I was wondering about the GPR experience after dental school:
1. Do you pay tuition for GPR ? or Do they pay you?
2. Do your salary actually increases if you do GPR ? (if hired by a dentist)
3. How helpful is a GPR experience? I know it's required by NY state, but do you really "master" your skills during GPR training?
4. Is it hard to get into GPR program like getting into specialty program?
5. Difference between GPR and AEGD?
Any info on GPR would help! Thank you for reading!
1. You usually get paid, somewhere from $35k to $45k depending on the program. AEGDs tend to pay much less, somewhere in the $20k range.
2. Varies. Having done a GPR will likely make you a bit more likely to get hired or find a position you would like to have. Hopefully you'll be doing less hygeine and more actual crown/bridge work. If you get paid as a % of production, then that could end up being more income. The main thing about a GPR is it's still a learning environment. You'll get more independence than during dental school, but will be treating more medically complicated cases along with picking up new skills depending on the program. You might learn to place implants or how to monitor for IV sedation, etc. Some of the new skills might translate into higher pay, but it really depends if you can find someone to work for who wants those skills in their practice.
3. You won't be a master of anything in just one year. You'll probably be way better than you were just coming out of dental school though,
4. Some GPR programs are competitive, but many of them are not. There are usually open spaces at a lot of the GPR/AEGD programs, which usually indicates they're not really worth going to. You'll have to do your research to find out which ones are fitting for your goals.
5. GPRs are hospital based and AEGDs are clinic based. Some GPRs are in a hospital, but you deal almost exclusively with the dental treatment. Whereas others are almost like mini-OS rotations, usually full of residents that want to end up going into OS. I believe UCLA has a 2-year GPR in which you're on call most of the time and you're putting in 100+ hours a week. Many of the Veteran hospitals, you're only working 40-45 hours, doing mainly crown/bridge.
Hope that helps, but try asking in the residency forum. They might know more about specific programs, etc.
