Shadowing a dentist this week...what should I expect?

[BBSLM]

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I'm shadowing a dentist this week, and considering I have never shadowed anyone before, Im unsure of what to expect.

I plan on wearing a suit, and bringing a leather notepad and pen, and possibly some donuts/pastries as a treat for the dentist and other employees.

If anyone could share with me any tips/pointers from your shadowing experiences it would be much appreciated.

 

[peanutb123]

I'm shadowing a dentist this week, and considering I have never shadowed anyone before, Im unsure of what to expect.

I plan on wearing a suit, and bringing a leather notepad and pen, and possibly some donuts/pastries as a treat for the dentist and other employees.

If anyone could share with me any tips/pointers from your shadowing experiences it would be much appreciated.

suit = over kill
leather notepad will make the dentist and patient feel awkward...
just remember what you saw and write it down when you get home...

just nice shirt, pants, and shoes. tie is optional.

donuts/pastries are optional but are nice to have...

 

[dr1989]

make sure to call a day before to remind the office of your shadowing for the next day (some offices tend to forget and its a friendly reminder)

*show up 5 minutes early or plan to leave at least 15-20 min before in case you get lost with finding the place (this happened to me the first time and im GLAD i decided to wake up 10 min earlier to get a head start!)

and relax! be courteous with the staff and dentist-they are helping you out by allowing you to shadow them and be friendly and respectful with all.

-you will also have breaks in between appointments and i personally didnt follow the dentist around since i was around him during the patient visit so i used that time to give him his space and chatted up with the staff. the office managers know a great deal about management and what it takes to run the place so they will help you out there immensely. the office manager at my last place also referred me out to a few other offices (endo, omfs, and perio) so i could shadow them as well. shadowing is a great tool and when used well can be of great benefit!

good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[dr1989]

suit = over kill
leather notepad will make the dentist and patient feel awkward...
just remember what you saw and write it down when you get home...

just nice shirt, pants, and shoes. tie is optional.

donuts/pastries are optional but are nice to have...

yeah the leather notebook may be a bit much. i personally had a small little notebook that was prob 20 pages thick and was about the size of my hand. just something to scribble in some notes and all. patients were fine-the dentisit i shadowed just made a point to introduce me before he started his procedures etc

and for clothes:
well im a girl and i opted for simple black slacks and i nice top with a black cardigan. i wore heels but next time im just gonna wear flats-my feet were killin me at the end of the day!

 

[BBSLM]

Good stuff, guys. Thanks.

Since a suit would be overkill, Ill probably just wear dress pants, a dress shirt, and a loose tie with the top button unbuttoned to keep it more casual. It might still be a little muc, but I prefer to be overdressed rather than underdressed.

 

[jmt1984]

make sure to call a day before to remind the office of your shadowing for the next day (some offices tend to forget and its a friendly reminder)

*show up 5 minutes early or plan to leave at least 15-20 min before in case you get lost with finding the place (this happened to me the first time and im GLAD i decided to wake up 10 min earlier to get a head start!)

and relax! be courteous with the staff and dentist-they are helping you out by allowing you to shadow them and be friendly and respectful with all.

-you will also have breaks in between appointments and i personally didnt follow the dentist around since i was around him during the patient visit so i used that time to give him his space and chatted up with the staff. the office managers know a great deal about management and what it takes to run the place so they will help you out there immensely. the office manager at my last place also referred me out to a few other offices (endo, omfs, and perio) so i could shadow them as well. shadowing is a great tool and when used well can be of great benefit!

good luck and let us know how it goes!

Good advice!

 

[dentalWorks]

before I shadowed my dentist, I asked what he perfers I wear, he told me scrubs. Both dentists I shadowed (one of them my sister) I wore scrubs

 

[BBSLM]

^ Thanks for bringing that up, I didnt even consider that. I did ask the woman who scheduled the appointment if there was anything I should know/do beforehand and she didnt mention anything.

Ill call today and ask about scrubs. Any idea if these can be purchased locally since I dont have time to order them?

 

[KenKim]

Oh no dont wear a suit. I suggest wearing scrubs because it is important that you blend in with the office some what. you dont want to make the patients uncomfortable. just do everything to blend in with the office and dont get in the way of ur dentist and assistants. If you see that the assistants are short of hand offer them to help clean up and sterilization. Most likely they would love have u help. Also, they'll probably train u here and there if they like u. Good luck. If they REALLY like you they will even train u to make models, night guards, and even sometimes let u polish patient's teeth

 

[aelian]

^ Thanks for bringing that up, I didnt even consider that. I did ask the woman who scheduled the appointment if there was anything I should know/do beforehand and she didnt mention anything.

Ill call today and ask about scrubs. Any idea if these can be purchased locally since I dont have time to order them?

Scrubs can be purchased locally. Wal-mart has them...kinda geared toward women. But I'm assuming you will only be shadowing once a week so you'll be fine with a nice set. But yeah, scrubs are the way to go. If you come dressed up, you'll definitely look out of place. You want to be part of the team, not an outsider. As far as taking notes, take a small sticky pad or notepad. Something you can fit into your pocket.
As far as what to expect. Ummm...I know I was really scared at first but it really isn't. I'm assuming all the assistants will be helpful. Those guys are your friends. The dentist might be busy but the assistants will always be willing to help you with basic general dentistry questions (e.g. numbering of teeth, what's used in a restorative, sterilization, etc.). And don't hesitate to ask question. You can ask pre-formulated questions but sometimes it is just as good to ask questions as they come to you viewing the procedure. And this is important...don't just watch. Try to understand what is happening. You want to know the means to get to the end if you understand. Don't be afraid to ask questions like what does that do, why are you doing that. But yeah, your first week will be scary and after that it should be much more relaxed. Good luck.

Also, although not necessary, if you want a higher end scrub, check out a medical supply store or a uniform store.

 

[100watt]

 

[PhoebeAZ]

You should probably have a local uniform store that carries scrubs, just google it. The dentist I primarily shadowed was very good at explaining everything she was doing and really involved me in the process. If you don't get the feeling that the dentist you're shadowing is a good teacher, find another dentist to shadow, I think that's really important. Also, many dentists will let you assist after a while. You could ask your own dentist if you can assist on your family members (if they're brave enough ).

 

[americanpierg]

It's not as formal as you think, though it may differ from practice to practice. When I shadowed, I was just business casual. Slacks, nice shirt or polo shirt. No tie even needed. My first experience was awkward because I was thinking about it too much and was probably acting like a weirdo, but then the next few were fine. Remember they are people and the dentists are actually pretty cool people. The last few dentists I shadowed we were just like friends, talking about news, business, golf, and occasionally dental stuff.

From the many dentists ive been talking too, you do NOT want to come off as awkward. Be sincere... its really easy to spot a fake. You don't want to be carrying around a notepad scribbling stuff during your 100th hour of shadowing... your dentists knows theres not that much stuff 100 hours in for you to be frantically writing down. You want to become friends with the dentist so he/she just doesnt see you as a waste of space in his office.

 

[dwayne3427]

Well i also think that the scrubs are best option to wear while shadowing any dentist as the suit will become a little over.

 

[flyingforever]

My shadowing dentist is awesome. He told me to come in any time and hours. He requested me to wear white lab coat so I can associate with him. Dr. Park is the best

 

[minoh87]

my dentist made me wear a scrub top with khaki and sneakers.

 

[BBSLM]

Thanks for the tips, guys.

The office manager told me to skip the scrubs and just wear business casual.

The experience was great. I shadowed at a group practice and both dentists were pretty young guys and very cool. They both shadowed before going to dental school so were very accomodating, told me I could come back any time, recommended local specialists to shadow, and gave me a lot of good info.