Shadowing

[Ninja9]

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Hey guys!

Just wanted to share my excitement, that after a few weeks of searching, I've finally found an amazing dentist who is letting me shadow! She said I can come in whenever I like, can stay as long as I would like, and she will try and train me on basic assisting skills.

She reallllly tried to get me a job, but the owner of the practice said there were no available positions. Hopefully while I am shadowing one opens up and I can get paid to do this!

Now a few questions:

What should I expect out of shadowing? Do I just sit in the corner of the room and kind of watch what's going on, or will she explain what she's doing, etc? My first day is Friday, and she said she has a few fillings in the morning, some extractions, and one root canal (woohoo! 😀)


Wish me luck everyone!

 

[Defective]

They will most likely have you watch what they are doing, tell you about what they are doing and show you anything and everything they can think of. It sounds like you have one that really wants to teach you some stuff which is awesome! Sounds like you have found a good place to get some quality hours in. Have fun.

 

[supraman]

Depends, ask your dent if she will let you get a close look, if she could explain procedures, etc. It get's a little tiresome after a while but it's a good experience

 

[Ninja9]

Ok guys, so I wanted to update you on my wonderful first day of shadowing...well, sort of wonderful.

I arrive in the morning, and the dentist basically just tells me to follow her from room to room, and that I can stand wherever I need to in order to get a good look. She explains things as well, and I asked questions like "What's this for?" etc, about things I wasn't familiar with (which was pretty much everything!).

Anyways, the first patient was having a composite fixed/adjusted and also getting invisalign. Her frenum was apparently "too low" so the doc snipped it and began to stitch it up. I have never been around any type of surgery or medical procedures, so I started to get light-headed. I always get light-headed when I stand in one position for too long, but this happened quicker than normal. I started to have cold sweats, and felt very dizzy. It eventually got so bad that I had to sit down in the back room and everything went fuzzy. I started feeling better, and watched a few more procedures (mainly fillings). She even let me assist one patient, which I absolutely loved!

However, at the end of my time shadowing, there was an older individual who was having multiple extractions done (5 or 6) many on badly infected teeth. This one made my stomach lurch, and the lightheadedness came back.

My question is, do you ever get used to seeing and performing this stuff? I found the procedures fascinating, but then I pictured myself doing them, and really thought in depth about it, and a quesiness came over me. Is this normal for the first day? I plan on shadowing again this week.

Thanks guys!



PS-I didn't get much sleep the night before, didn't have much to eat for breakfast, and was very nervous in general about the day ahead. I know this could have played a role in my episodes, but it still seems to be caused somewhat by the procedures.

 

[eldirty]

This experience is exactly why schools like to see shadowing hours. Can you imagine feeling that way after you started school and thinking it might not be for you. I never had an experience like the one you described but then again I come from a medical family and have been around the block since I was born. If this procedure made you feel the way it did can you imagine how you will feel watching a full mouth extraction or seeing meth mouth, etc.

 

[Ninja9]

So are you saying give up on becoming a dentist?

 

[supraman]

Don't worry, it was just your first run at shadowing. Shadow a few more times and def get some rest before hand. I felt this "dizziness" as well because I was exhausted and thought I would collapse- I was so incredibly tired. Just keep shadowing and see how you like it. Honestly if you are at unease after a few more runs based on the procedures, you may want to reevaulate if you truley can stand the roles of a dentist. Remember there will be a ton of bleeding, I don't know if you are the type that has thoughts of fainting at the site of blood ha

 

[aguacero]

I plan on shadowing again this week.

Go a few more times and see how it goes. I have a buddy, who while shadowing for the first time, saw a bloody procedure and actually passed out and hit the turf. After a while he got used to things and is now loving dental school.

Good luck Ninja.

 

[Ninja9]

Thanks everyone. It was such a weird day. I absolutely loved assisting and being able to sit and see first-hand what was being done. However, the whole standing and being in an awkward position (always feeling in the way, etc) felt a bit odd to me. I will definitely give it a few more tries. I don't want to give up that easily! 🙁

 

[supraman]

Thanks everyone. It was such a weird day. I absolutely loved assisting and being able to sit and see first-hand what was being done. However, the whole standing and being in an awkward position (always feeling in the way, etc) felt a bit odd to me. I will definitely give it a few more tries. I don't want to give up that easily! 🙁

As the saying goes, "you'll be ight" haha

 

[eldirty]

oh no way ... dont give up ... use your shadowing experiences to make your own decision as thats the point.

 

[Ateeb T Khan]

I would definitely say that DONT decide your whole prospective career (dentistry) based on ur 1st day (even week)....

When i first started shadowing ... the dentist started me on the very basics... like filing dental records ... YES filing dental records.. the next day I watched the procedures and asked many questions (names of instruments, pretty much why whywhy).. thats normal ..... then after a couple of days I started assisting with procedures (highspeed suctioning, setting up the room w/ needed materials, sterlilzing, getting instruments etc).

It takes weeks to get the hang of it.. but plz dont give up ...

I remember i felt a lil weird too after seeing my first surgical extraction or APCO ectomy (sp?) but it takes time.

 

[DSpagnoli]

I started to have cold sweats, and felt very dizzy. It eventually got so bad that I had to sit down in the back room and everything went fuzzy. I started feeling better, and watched a few more procedures (mainly fillings).

Is this normal for the first day? I plan on shadowing again this week.

Thanks guys!

This is pretty much a classic reaction that a lot of kids have their first time observing a surgical procedure. To be honest, you may have just overhyped yourself and standing there in a room like that all rigid is a recipe for fainting. Some people are more immune to others, but no worries you will eventually become immune to it. I watched one kid shadow in my father's office that actually fainted, but after a while they got use to it.

Don't use this as a reason to give up dental school - it will go away as you get further into dental school. Believe it or not the hype and nervousness of entering the pre-clinic for the first time (and putting a handpeice in someone's hands) is enough to make kids light headed even without a patient. It's funny because the first day of Gross Anatomy, people get so nervous and some faint. After 2 weeks, you are so desensitized to using a scalpel on your cadaver that you don't even think about it.

Iif you think you are going to faint, cross your legs and flex your thighs to push blood back up into your brain. Eat a good meal in the morning, and don't over think this stuff - it will go away.

 

[chund]

If you wanna get it out of your system, go see some dental implants.. Those are pretty intense IMO.. Then the rest should be downhill. (but i haven't seen everything done either)

 

[Contach]

One of my days shadowing, a teenager came in with his family under an 'emergency appointment'. Apparently he had been involved in a bicycle accident and went to the hospital the night before where they gave him several stitches on his face, put a wire to hold many of his teeth together, among other things. They told him to see a dentist soon, so he comes in the next day. The poor guy's face was so beaten and bruised it was crazy. He couldn't move his mouth and his parents spoke for him and his sister translated.... Unfortunately, it hurt for him to even open his mouth, so the dentist I was shadowing couldn't even take a look inside his mouth.....

It was about a 20 minute talk, and I had to leave the room twice because I felt light-headed... It happens.....

 

[eldirty]

If you wanna get it out of your system, go see some dental implants.. Those are pretty intense IMO.. Then the rest should be downhill. (but i haven't seen everything done either)

agreed ...

 

[yuppers]

You'll be fine like people said; it just takes some time to get used to.
BTW, nice picture 😉 😉... the cars of course.

 

[Ninja9]

Thanks to everyone who responded. You really helped calm my fears, and I am still looking forward to shadowing later this week. I also find leaning on the counter helped every few minutes. I made sure they didn't mind this, obviously.

I guess nothing can be worse than what happened to me tonight at work. Some guy came in and bought something, and as I was giving him his change, he un-buttoned his shirt, exposing his bra and panties (his pants were pulled down slightly). Oh, and I work alone. 🙁

^And thanks! lol 🙂

 

[supraman]

His bra and panties? wtf

 

[Ninja9]

Yea, that's what I said. 🙁

 

[supraman]

where do you work!

 

[Ninja9]

A beauty shop...kind of like Sally's.

 

[yuppers]

where do you work!

Don't rush there buddy.

 

[supraman]

Don't rush there buddy.

lol, I wrote it wrong huh

 

[DentGuy]

so hilarious at 12:32 am, lol.