Shadowing After Applying

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Hey Y'all. Question for you

I will be looking to send in my application at around July time to my schools. However, I have mostly shadowed an orthodontist to this point because that is the career that I would like to pursue and I wanted to make sure that I liked it.

However, I am aware that I need more exposure in the dental field, mainly the general dental field, and have to shadow a general dentist. So I am starting to shadow a general dentist, but the thing is I will only have around 30 hours by the time I send in my application. However, after I send in my application this summer, I will have a gap year, and around 90% of my shadowing hours will come during this gap year, and in total, before I enter dental school, I will have around 150-200 by the time my gap year is done.

So my question is, what should I put down on my application regarding general dentist shadowing hours?
Should I just say on my application that I shadowed a general dentist 150 hours even though by the time I send in my app I will have done no where near that amount?

 

[jLaws]

Hey Y'all. Question for you

I will be looking to send in my application at around July time to my schools. However, I have mostly shadowed an orthodontist to this point because that is the career that I would like to pursue and I wanted to make sure that I liked it.

However, I am aware that I need more exposure in the dental field, mainly the general dental field, and have to shadow a general dentist. So I am starting to shadow a general dentist, but the thing is I will only have around 30 hours by the time I send in my application. However, after I send in my application this summer, I will have a gap year, and around 90% of my shadowing hours will come during this gap year, and in total, before I enter dental school, I will have around 150-200 by the time my gap year is done.

So my question is, what should I put down on my application regarding general dentist shadowing hours?
Should I just say on my application that I shadowed a general dentist 150 hours even though by the time I send in my app I will have done no where near that amount?

I think most people round up their hours. After 30 hours you will have seen enough to be able write something meaningful on your application.

 

[dent_wannabe]

Shadowing hours is something that generally needs to be completed at the time of application. This is unlike prerequisite coursework, which typically needs to be completed before matriculation.

 

[dent_wannabe]

I think most people round up their hours. After 30 hours you will have seen enough to be able write something meaningful on your application.

But there are schools which require up to 100 shadowing hours at the time of application.

 

[jLaws]

🙂

But there are schools which require up to 100 shadowing hours at the time of application.

I am fortunate to live in a city with several dentists within walking distance that allowed me to shadow. Getting 100 hours was easy and I didn’t have to embellish. However, I built a strong rapport with all of them and when I mentioned hours they told me to put whatever I want. You should be able to build rapport with a dentist within 30 hours and their “blessing” to do this. Whether or not you choose to lie is your prerogative, but not meeting a cutoff for shadowing hours is a stupid reason to wait an entire extra year to become a dentist. I’m glad I wasn’t in your position!🙂

 

[dent_wannabe]

🙂
I am fortunate to live in a city with several dentists within walking distance that allowed me to shadow. Getting 100 hours was easy and I didn’t have to embellish. However, I built a strong rapport with all of them and when I mentioned hours they told me to put whatever I want. You should be able to build rapport with a dentist within 30 hours and their “blessing” to do this. Whether or not you choose to lie is your prerogative, but not meeting a cutoff for shadowing hours is a stupid reason to wait an entire extra year to become a dentist. I’m glad I wasn’t in your position!🙂

Of course if your dentist is willing to just say that you did X hours prior to applying if a school were to call for verification, then you could get by without anybody ever knowing. It's just a matter of being ethical. Sure I wouldn't say it is a huge deal if you say 100 hours when you really only did 98 or 99, but if you say you did 100 when you really only did 30, that is probably not the best move.

 

[jLaws]

Of course if your dentist is willing to just say that you did X hours prior to applying if a school were to call for verification, then you could get by without anybody ever knowing. It's just a matter of being ethical. Sure I wouldn't say it is a huge deal if you say 100 hours when you really only did 98 or 99, but if you say you did 100 when you really only did 30, that is probably not the best move.

That’s true. 30 is a stretch. I wouldn’t be comfortable with it either. Organizing your time and meeting requirements is an important part of d school and it says a lot of you can’t meet those requirements during undergrad

 

[DSchoolorBust202X]

You can always add hours after you submit. That’s what I’ve been doing when I shadow a new dentist.

 

[doc toothache]

By the time you reach the 100th hour, you might decide dentistry is not for you.
2017 Job Shadowing Requirements/Recommendations