slightly different take on peds residency chances question

[dragonteeth]

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Greetings all,

I work on an Indian reservation at a facility wanting to sponsor me for training (they would pay my salary, insurance, etc.) so that I can replace our current pediatric dentist who will be retiring in a few years. I'd like to get some realistic feedback on my chances of getting in, and also on programs that have low drama. I'm 43, so my bull**** tolerance is not very high.

Date of graduation: 2000
2 year AGPR: 2012
Experience: 8 years private practice, 7 years public health, 75+ cases of pediatric and special needs adult cases in OR, 100+ OS cases in OR, currently spending 90% of clinic hours in mobile clinics seeing kids on the reservation. Probably do 20+ SSCs a week, full mouth ITRs on preschoolers, etc. Also the go-to person at the main clinic for difficult surgical and third molar extractions (not that it matters - had wanted to do OS in the past but I'm too damned old for that now)
GPA: 2.97 (late husband was in and out of hospital during d-school and my grades followed that like a sine wave), also took two courses towards MPH (biostats and enviro) with GPA of 3.75
NDBE: mid-80s
Clean license in two states, clean NPI

1) Do I have a snowball's chance in Hades, given the above and the fact that I would basically be a free resident for the program?
2) Any particular recommendations on programs? Minimal hazing preferred.
3) I won't be applying until 2017. Should I take additional MPH coursework to show I can keep grades up now that the strain of having a seriously ill husband is no longer a factor?

Thanks for any and all input!

 

[setdoc7]

I think a tuition based dental school program would probably take you, especially if you come with funding. There is no such thing as a free resident, as I am not sure how your salary would be reimbursed to a hospital based program for instance, as these salaries are GME based. Not saying it is impossible, but definitely tricky. I have seen far less qualified people get into Pedo programs, and with your wealth of experience, it might just be a slam dunk for you. Since you plan is to return to a low access population, you become even more attractive as a candidate. I think your scenario is a winner, and you will probably have several offers.

 

[PainlessSteel]

The only problem I see is that the facility you work at wants you to become a pediatric dentist. If you go into interviews without a true passion to become a pediatric dentist then you have zero chance regardless of how good your credentials may be.

You may truly want to become a pediatric dentist, but from the original post it sounds more like someone else's idea... maybe I'm wrong. If you really want to do it, then I think you have a great shot based on your experience. I would interview at as many places as you can afford to apply and travel to for interviews. This gives you a better chance of getting in, and it also lets you see more programs to decide a good fit. It also sounds good when at your interviews they ask you where else you are interviewing. I wouldn't worry about taking MPH courses again because your experience would probably be more valuable, especially when your situation with your late husband is explained. Some places may decide not to extend an interview based off your GPA being under 3.0 without knowledge of why it is like that... so rock your essay and get some good reference letters/PPI to help avoid that. Good luck!