Quit or Stick with it

[toothhype]

Hey SDN I frequent this site so much and am now in need of some advice. I graduated with my bachelors this past year and am planning on applying for dental schools this summer. In my gap year I got a job at a dental office working as a receptionist which as a male was very tough to find. However, after being a few months in I am really not enjoying the job at all because of my toxic management micromanaging and getting to the point of me getting written up and constantly being told I'm doing a bad job. There is a very high turnover rate at my office as well since people quite frankly don't want to deal with that type of environment. I don't know if I should
a) just disregard this experience and not list it on my application and just put my 2 weeks in or
b)if I should try to stick it out for a few more months then resign before applying so I have more time for length of employment which should bring me to about 6-7 months.... or
c) Put my 2 weeks in and still list on my application although it's only a couple months of employment (2 months).


In the mean time I've been studying for my DAT but find myself exhausted not from the work itself but from the toxic environment and would just like some guidance if I should try and stick it out and hopefully get a LOR or if I'm better off just putting my 2 weeks after 2 months of working there and finding another job for the meantime. The purpose of me wanting to work in the dental field was to strengthen my application and I would like to hear what your opinions are on my situation. Thank you so much in advance.

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[macsak]

Hey SDN I frequent this site so much and am now in need of some advice. I graduated with my bachelors this past year and am planning on applying for dental schools this summer. In my gap year I got a job at a dental office working as a receptionist which as a male was very tough to find. However, after being a few months in I am really not enjoying the job at all because of my toxic management micromanaging and getting to the point of me getting written up and constantly being told I'm doing a bad job. There is a very high turnover rate at my office as well since people quite frankly don't want to deal with that type of environment. I don't know if I should
a) just disregard this experience and not list it on my application and just put my 2 weeks in or
b)if I should try to stick it out for a few more months then resign before applying so I have more time for length of employment which should bring me to about 6-7 months.... or
c) Put my 2 weeks in and still list on my application although it's only a couple months of employment (2 months).


In the mean time I've been studying for my DAT but find myself exhausted not from the work itself but from the toxic environment and would just like some guidance if I should try and stick it out and hopefully get a LOR or if I'm better off just putting my 2 weeks after 2 months of working there and finding another job for the meantime. The purpose of me wanting to work in the dental field was to strengthen my application and I would like to hear what your opinions are on my situation. Thank you so much in advance.

quit
someone who supports that type of work environment is not likely to give you a great LOR anyways
list it on your app and talk about it in your interviews when asked as an example of how a dental office should not be run

 

[toothhype]

quit
someone who supports that type of work environment is not likely to give you a great LOR anyways
list it on your app and talk about it in your interviews when asked as an example of how a dental office should not be run

Would it be frowned on if I just quit without a LOR when applying this summer to dental schools though? I do have my shadowing hours already done from undergrad. I could potentially get a LOR from the associate dentist. But I don't know if its worthwhile nor if she would be willing to write me one either.

 

[macsak]

Would it be frowned on if I just quit without a LOR when applying this summer to dental schools though? I do have my shadowing hours already done from undergrad. I could potentially get a LOR from the associate dentist. But I don't know if its worthwhile nor if she would be willing to write me one either.

just get a better job and ask that dentist for a LOR

 

[toothhype]

just get a better job and ask that dentist for a LOR

If I were to quit I was planning on just getting a part time job. And are you referring to the associate dentist?

 

[UConnDoIt]

If I was in your position, I would quit. If it’s affecting you mentally, it’s not worthwhile to stay there any longer. I wouldn’t get a LOR from the dentist there. Instead, I would get it from the dentist(s) that you have shadowed in undergrad. If that’s not possible, find a new dentist to shadow and ask him/her. Having 100+ hours is highly recommended. Some schools require less than that, but the majority of schools want to see more.

One more thing, I hope you plan on taking the DAT soon and don’t leave it off for the summer. I made that mistake and unfortunately, did poorly (mostly due to test taking environment, something I never imagined). That forced me to take a unplanned GAP year.

 

[toothhype]

If I was in your position, I would quit. If it’s affecting you mentally, it’s not worthwhile to stay there any longer. I wouldn’t get a LOR from the dentist there. Instead, I would get it from the dentist(s) that you have shadowed in undergrad. If that’s not possible, find a new dentist to shadow and ask him/her. Having 100+ hours is highly recommended. Some schools require less than that, but the majority of schools want to see more.

One more thing, I hope you plan on taking the DAT soon and don’t leave it off for the summer. I made that mistake and unfortunately, did poorly (mostly due to test taking environment, something I never imagined). That forced me to take a unplanned GAP year.

Do you think I should still post the experience on my application? Even if it is only 3 months??

 

[DSchoolorBust202X]

Do you think I should still post the experience on my application? Even if it is only 3 months??

Definitely include it in your application. Be prepared to talk about it too.

 

[toothhype]

Definitely include it in your application. Be prepared to talk about it too.

Wouldn't it look bad on my application if it only shows 3 months vs something like 6 months?

 

[UConnDoIt]

Wouldn't it look bad on my application if it only shows 3 months vs something like 6 months?

Include in your application. It’s not always about how long you did something, rather what you can say about the experience.

 

[thestylishgeek]

you should stick with your instinct and leave that toxic environment! you don't want to hurt your chances of performing the best you could on the DAT

I would put the work experience on your application. just write about the positives from the experience, how it taught you more about dentistry. i'd avoid describing/dwelling on the negatives while including a short blurb explaining why you left earlier than you would have liked

 

[toothhype]

Include in your application. It’s not always about how long you did something, rather what you can say about the experience.

you should stick with your instinct and leave that toxic environment! you don't want to hurt your chances of performing the best you could on the DAT

I would put the work experience on your application. just write about the positives from the experience, how it taught you more about dentistry. i'd avoid describing/dwelling on the negatives while including a short blurb explaining why you left earlier than you would have liked

Thank you for your inputs! Personally I feel like I will try to last 6 months hopefully!! And then give my 2 weeks around then and hopefully get one of the dentists there to write me a LOR. I feel like it would show my perseverence to see this thru despite how horrible the management is

 

[dentist432]

Do not worry! it would not look bad on your application. But rather you will have unique experiences to talk about during the interview and answer such questions "what is the least favorite part of the dentistry," "what was your ethical dilemma," "what did you learn during shadowing or clinical experiences," etc

 

[toothhype]

Do not worry! it would not look bad on your application. But rather you will have unique experiences to talk about during the interview and answer such questions "what is the least favorite part of the dentistry," "what was your ethical dilemma," "what did you learn during shadowing or clinical experiences," etc

Do you think I should still stick with it until 6 months so I can get a LOR from one of the dentists? I don't have issue with dentist only office manager whose constantly writing me up.

 

[dentist432]

Do you think I should still stick with it until 6 months so I can get a LOR from one of the dentists? I don't have issue with dentist only office manager whose constantly writing me up.

How many LOR do you have from dentists? Honestly speaking, if i was you, i will only stick with the job until i find another dental assisting or dental receptionist job. There is no point of working in the toxic environment. You can still ask for the LOR from the dentist not working at the current place.

 

[toothhype]

How many LOR do you have from dentists? Honestly speaking, if i was you, i will only stick with the job until i find another dental assisting or dental receptionist job. There is no point of working in the toxic environment. You can still ask for the LOR from the dentist not working at the current place.

I have one LOR from a dentist I shadowed in college. I was not planning on working at another dental office. I was planning on working part time after leaving this job. Yeah I agree that there is no point in continuing to work in this environment though but don't want to appear as a quitter to dental schools

 

[2TH MVR]

So ... after a few months ... you don't need micro-managing? You know everything? Look ... It's just a temporary job. Just suck it up and do your job, get paid and don't involve yourself with the pettiness of the office staff. Is 3-4 more months going to kill you? 6 months in a dental office is better than 3 months on your application. Get your LOR and at the interview .... I would not bring up the toxic culture in that office. Discuss the good points. I cannot believe any interviewer wants to hear about the petty office politics in that office. They want to hear that you spent time (8 hours a day for 5-6 months) being in the dental environment as opposed to the applicant that spent 1 or 2 days observing in an office. They want to hear about your involvement with the dentist, and the patients. Your exposure to the inner workings of a dental office. Being a receptionist means you have the necessary social skills to deal with people. This is a positive. Talk it up. Use it to your advantage.

 

[toothhype]

So ... after a few months ... you don't need micro-managing? You know everything? Look ... It's just a temporary job. Just suck it up and do your job, get paid and don't involve yourself with the pettiness of the office staff. Is 3-4 more months going to kill you? 6 months in a dental office is better than 3 months on your application. Get your LOR and at the interview .... I would not bring up the toxic culture in that office. Discuss the good points. I cannot believe any interviewer wants to hear about the petty office politics in that office. They want to hear that you spent time (8 hours a day for 5-6 months) being in the dental environment as opposed to the applicant that spent 1 or 2 days observing in an office. They want to hear about your involvement with the dentist, and the patients. Your exposure to the inner workings of a dental office. Being a receptionist means you have the necessary social skills to deal with people. This is a positive. Talk it up. Use it to your advantage.

Any tips on avoiding it? We have morning meetings and me and my coworkers get chewed out and told what we do wrong every day to the point where I have anxiety I will be let go of ...

 

[AppalachianDentalBoy]

On the bright side if you get let go then you won’t need to worry about quitting or getting a LOR lol

 

[toothhype]

On the bright side if you get let go then you won’t need to worry about quitting or getting a LOR lol

But that would look horrible on my application right LOL

 

[doktorinprogres]

But that would look horrible on my application right LOL

You're overthinking it, quit if you want, stick it out if you want to. See if the micromanaging is actually valid points that you would agree with if you were running the show or not. As far as a dental application goes, they will not care how long you were there or that you left. Be prepared to talk about what you gained from it and phrase in a constructive way what you might try differently. I'd say be a sponge right now and really take notes on/learn about what it takes to run the office day-to-day. They don't teach you this in dschool and then you have to figure it out while you associate/on the fly while you own. This is invaluable experience to know the innerworkings of an office. If they'll let you, see about working on some billing aspects. If you can get trained on that you should stick it out. If you feel you've gotten what you can out of it and it's not worth the stress let it go. These couple months are a blip in the trajectory of your career.

If you opt to stick it out and you get fired, don't tell anyone that. What happened was you decided to leave to spend more time on the DAT.