****RN to DMD/DDS****

[rn2futuredmd]

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Hello everyone, my name is henry. I am currently a RN with an associate's of science nursing degree. I started to have interest in becoming a doctor in dentistry recently because I love what dentist do and second, I dont like working under a doctor so I figured why not be a doctor? doctor of dentistry. I originally wanted to get my master's degree in nurse anesthesia. I'm not completely blowing off becoming a CRNA (nurse anethetist) yet...my plan is to get my BSN (bachelor's of science, major in nursing) and complete all the remaining pre-reqs needed to the DMD or DDS program..But i have a few questions that I wish you guys can help me out with.

1) I want to get my bachelors degree in nursing since I already have my asn degree, is the bsn degree acceptable? Would someone with a bachelors degree in science (chem, biology and etc.) have a better chance of getting into your program than someone with a bsn?

2) 8 years ago, I got 2 F's in eng and anthro 101 and a few W's in some classes (not science or math classes). I went back to college with a better and more focused attitude in fall 2007 and raised my overall gpa to 3.75 and science gpa of 3.6. Will my past gpa look bad?

3) Regarding the recommended courses but not required (histology, genetics and etc.) is there anyone here got accepted to a DMD/DDS program without taking the recommended upper division science courses and only took the pre-reqs classes REQUIRED?

4) Should I get a BSN degree or another bachelor's degree like in chem, microbiology and etc?

I just feel so confused with what to do...or will i even be qualified to be a dentist...

 

[wired202808]

Hello everyone, my name is henry. I am currently a RN with an associate's of science nursing degree. I started to have interest in becoming a doctor in dentistry recently because I love what dentist do and second, I dont like working under a doctor so I figured why not be a doctor? doctor of dentistry. I originally wanted to get my master's degree in nurse anesthesia. I'm not completely blowing off becoming a CRNA (nurse anethetist) yet...my plan is to get my BSN (bachelor's of science, major in nursing) and complete all the remaining pre-reqs needed to the DMD or DDS program..But i have a few questions that I wish you guys can help me out with.

1) I want to get my bachelors degree in nursing since I already have my asn degree, is the bsn degree acceptable? Would someone with a bachelors degree in science (chem, biology and etc.) have a better chance of getting into your program than someone with a bsn?

2) 8 years ago, I got 2 F's in eng and anthro 101 and a few W's in some classes (not science or math classes). I went back to college with a better and more focused attitude in fall 2007 and raised my overall gpa to 3.75 and science gpa of 3.6. Will my past gpa look bad?

3) Regarding the recommended courses but not required (histology, genetics and etc.) is there anyone here got accepted to a DMD/DDS program without taking the recommended upper division science courses and only took the pre-reqs classes REQUIRED?

4) Should I get a BSN degree or another bachelor's degree like in chem, microbiology and etc?

I just feel so confused with what to do...or will i even be qualified to be a dentist...

You simply need a bachelors degree in any major. There is no advantage of getting it in bio or chem or nursing. Just get the bachelors degree and score well on the DAT. Your GPA is looked at from a total perspective so a 3.75 is a 3.75, schools wont care that happened in the past. In terms of upper bio level courses, it varies by school. Some schools want the basics i.e bio, gen chem, orgo and physics; meanwhile others require biochem, microbio, ap 1 and 2, etc. If i were you I would take those 4 courses and score well in them. Then focus on destroying the DAT and you have a shot. Also dont forget to shadow a dentist, aim for 100+ hours to be safe.

I came from a non-science background. I took all the necessary courses, i shadowed, volunteered and did well on the DAT. I applied broadly and have received a ton of interviewees and a few acceptances. Good luck in your journey.

 

[rn2futuredmd]

Hey thanks man...i have taken anatomy, physiology and microbiology and got A's in them...does that count towards anything? Thanks for the advice and giving me some type of hope.

 

[dru180]

Id personally say you are in a great spot Henry (not that my word counts for much). Here is why:

1) like wired said, what you get your bachelors in is of very little relevance (although I would disagree saying that it is completely irrelevant). What matters most is your overal GPA and science gpa. You have done well so far, so If you do well in the rest of your pre-reqs you should be set on that front.

2) your poor grades were a LONG time ago. Dental school will be very forgiving on that. They shouldn't be much of an issue.

3) You have been out in the science field and are coming back for your interest in dentistry. That shows a strong desire and interest in the profession. Schools will also look favorably on that.

My advice (take as you will) would be to finish your bachelors in the shortest amt of time possible taking into acct the required pre-requisites. If that is finishing your nusring degree...cool (plus it gives you that back-up plan). Shadow a few dentists (because you need to say you did it and you need a letter of rec from one). Do well on the DAT. The DAT is the next important factor other than your grades. Dont half ass it. As far as the recommended pre-recs are concerned, common sense tells you they aren't required lol. They help your application, because they help you in dental school. You dont need to take them, but obvously if you can fit some of them in your schedule that would be good!

Good luck

 

[rn2futuredmd]

Id personally say you are in a great spot Henry (not that my word counts for much). Here is why:

1) like wired said, what you get your bachelors in is of very little relevance (although I would disagree saying that it is completely irrelevant). What matters most is your overal GPA and science gpa. You have done well so far, so If you do well in the rest of your pre-reqs you should be set on that front.

2) your poor grades were a LONG time ago. Dental school will be very forgiving on that. They shouldn't be much of an issue.

3) You have been out in the science field and are coming back for your interest in dentistry. That shows a strong desire and interest in the profession. Schools will also look favorably on that.

My advice (take as you will) would be to finish your bachelors in the shortest amt of time possible taking into acct the required pre-requisites. If that is finishing your nusring degree...cool (plus it gives you that back-up plan). Shadow a few dentists (because you need to say you did it and you need a letter of rec from one). Do well on the DAT. The DAT is the next important factor other than your grades. Dont half ass it. As far as the recommended pre-recs are concerned, common sense tells you they aren't required lol. They help your application, because they help you in dental school. You dont need to take them, but obvously if you can fit some of them in your schedule that would be good!

Good luck

Thanks for the reply. I want to get my BSN for the same reason you said, my back up. Plus, i might as well finish up too. When i went back to school in 2007, i was a changed man. My focus was only school and getting good grades. I still got all those chemistry required, so i hope i can do well in them. Then DAT also....i wonder if having a nursing, will dental school consider it really good cause i have medical exoerience with patients?

 

[wired202808]

Thanks for the reply. I want to get my BSN for the same reason you said, my back up. Plus, i might as well finish up too. When i went back to school in 2007, i was a changed man. My focus was only school and getting good grades. I still got all those chemistry required, so i hope i can do well in them. Then DAT also....i wonder if having a nursing, will dental school consider it really good cause i have medical exoerience with patients?

its nice but dont expect nursing to be the reason why you'd get admitted. the only factors that truly matter are high sGPA and high DAT scores. Everything else is icing on the cake. My friend is a hygientist but she didn't get any preference over applicants with higher grades. Finish the BSN if you want to have the backup and then murder the DAT. Everything else is simply icing.