shadowing a dentist... volunteering...

[HSO]

hello everyone. i have some questions concerning shadowing a dentist. i'm a 2nd year undergrad, and i thought that it was about time for me to start shadowing (now that i'm pretty sure about pursuing a career in dentistry). the problem is, that i visited various dentists in my area, and none of them allowed me to shadow them! i mean, according to various sources online and in books, etc. dentists are "supposed to" be excited to help out pre-dental student! right? has anyone else experienced this rejection? another thing is, at home i know several dentists as friends that would probably allow me to shadow, etc., but back at my college town, i dont' know any dentists personally... and it's really hard for me to go back home to shadow... also, i kno for pre-med students it's pretty easy for them to volunteer in that they can just go to a hospital and apply for a volunteer position... but for predental students how the heck are we supposed to volunteer (esp. in a private practice setting?)?? one of the excuses a dentist i wanted to shadow gave me was that the patients might be concerned about their privacy and so they wouldnt' want me observing/shadowing. so if they are concerned about me even observing, how can i actually do anything to volunteer? are there dental volunteer opportunities in hospitals? help please.. thanks a lot!

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[EyeCandy]

HSO,
You are not in a grave situation at all down there in San Diego. A good place to start on finding a clinic to volunteer at would be to check with your bio counselors, they usually will have a local directory of places that accept undergrad volunteers. A great place to volunteer at is a local free dental clinic, they usually are very welcoming to students who want to help out and learn at the same time. I bet that there are a couple of free dental clinics in SD which provide care to underserved communities. Good Luck!

 

[3aliyah]

Wow that answered my question also! Thanks a bunch!! I once asked my dentist about it and he blew me off - so he isn't my dentist anymore (he was a flake anyway). :wink: I never asked again because I just didn't feel like getting the runaround, but now I have a new dentist and I'm going to ask him regardless. I'm also going to go down to "Southtown" and see what I can do at the free clinics there - thanks to ur suggestion! Being in San Antonio, I know of several free clinics on the southside (southtown we north-siders call it) and i'm anxious to call them and find out more! The pre-dent/med dude at school is a ***** and so i'm better off fending for myself anyway...

Thanks again for your helpful advice!