So I shadowed a dentist...

[johnnyt09]

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And then what? How do you get "proof" that you shadowed that dentist for X amount of hours. I plan on doing some serious shadowing this summer and I am wondering what I should after I shadow.

Thanks!

 

[dentalWorks]

And then what? How do you get "proof" that you shadowed that dentist for X amount of hours. I plan on doing some serious shadowing this summer and I am wondering what I should after I shadow.

Thanks!

Get a LOR from the dentist. If you really wanna show proof of how much you shadowed... ask your dentist kindly to include that piece of info in the letter.

 

[johnnyt09]

How come people recommend that you have 100 hours of shadowing when admission officers could never even know that you shadowed at all?

 

[dentalWorks]

How come people recommend that you have 100 hours of shadowing when admission officers could never even know that you shadowed at all?

there are indirect ways to hint off how much you actually know about the profession.

Heres a simple example: Say you only spend a few hours shadowing, but you put down 100. The interviewer can ask you questions (very simple / basic) about shadowing: "Whats your favorit procedure and why?" "Whats your favorite tool" "What was most interesting case you saw while shadowing"..... very easy and basic questions, but if you don't know a thing about dentistry, you won't know what to say.

Ofc not all interviews do that, some won't even ask about shadowing.

 

[jonishere5]

And then what? How do you get "proof" that you shadowed that dentist for X amount of hours. I plan on doing some serious shadowing this summer and I am wondering what I should after I shadow.

Thanks!

Loma Linda University asked me on a secondary application to fill out a piece of paper indicating how many hours I shadowed, and then have the dentists I shadowed sign that piece of paper.

However the other 11 dental schools I applied to did not ask for any such proof.

 

[dentalWorks]

Loma Linda University asked me on a secondary application to fill out a piece of paper indicating how many hours I shadowed, and then have the dentists I shadowed sign that piece of paper.

However the other 11 dental schools I applied to did not ask for any such proof.

and to add to this I think its tufts or temple that require you have to a LOR from a dentist and have him/her specify how many hours of shadowing you did in the letter (I think they want minimum of 30)

 

[bevoMBA90]

It's a waste of time to shadow a dentist -- he/she has already MADE IT! You haven't even started yet. SHADOW A DENTAL STUDENT! Share the pain, the late nights and the humiliation first hand. Then, decide whether you want to risk THE BIG BUCKS, your health and 4 years of your life. Have you considered medical school?

bevoMBA90

 

[CarpeDium]

It's a waste of time to shadow a dentist -- he/she has already MADE IT! You haven't even started yet. SHADOW A DENTAL STUDENT! Share the pain, the late nights and the humiliation first hand. Then, decide whether you want to risk THE BIG BUCKS, your health and 4 years of your life. Have you considered medical school?

bevoMBA90

While I totally agree with this b/c shadowing a dental student is not only completely different from shadowing a practicing dentist and because becoming a dental STUDENT is the first mountain you must climb to reach your goal, I also believe you MUST shadow a dentist. Sure, you may not learn as much about the procedures (at least in my experience, learning from dental students is a lot more straight forward than learning from a dentist who performs a procedure in ~8 minutes), but if you can get to know a dentist and genuinely ask him about his career, his complaints, his victories, I think you may be able to learn a lot more valuable information. Sure, you need to learn to be a good dental student so you can survive d school, but we need to not loose sight of the fact that our goal is NOT to become a great dental student. It is to become a great DENTIST!!! It may not seem like it, but there is a huge difference there. It takes an incredibly different type of effort to be a great dentist.

The bottom line is that you need a letter from a dentist. I don't believe you need to prove your hours unless the school requires. That being said, you better know the field your getting into.

 

[dentalWorks]

It's a waste of time to shadow a dentist -- he/she has already MADE IT! You haven't even started yet. SHADOW A DENTAL STUDENT! Share the pain, the late nights and the humiliation first hand. Then, decide whether you want to risk THE BIG BUCKS, your health and 4 years of your life. Have you considered medical school?

bevoMBA90

out of all the bad advice.... this one definitely takes the cake.

Right... because the "miserable" years of dental education last forever....Its not like we go to school for 4 years and enjoy a 30 year career afterwards.

and whats this with medical school? You seriously think med school is "easer" than dental school? The only way anyone can comeup with such conclusion is if you went to both programs and passed them both.

 

[UltimateHombre]

It's a waste of time to shadow a dentist -- he/she has already MADE IT! You haven't even started yet. SHADOW A DENTAL STUDENT! Share the pain, the late nights and the humiliation first hand. Then, decide whether you want to risk THE BIG BUCKS, your health and 4 years of your life. Have you considered medical school?

bevoMBA90

Dude.... Why are you back posting on this forum, nobody liked your anti dental school rants before. If you have nothing constructive to say, then please take your MBA and go to a business forum!

 

[321931]

It's a waste of time to shadow a dentist -- he/she has already MADE IT! You haven't even started yet. SHADOW A DENTAL STUDENT! Share the pain, the late nights and the humiliation first hand. Then, decide whether you want to risk THE BIG BUCKS, your health and 4 years of your life. Have you considered medical school?

bevoMBA90

LOL! Humiliation! Sure thing bud.

 

[doc toothache]

It's a waste of time to shadow a dentist -- he/she has already MADE IT! You haven't even started yet. SHADOW A DENTAL STUDENT! Share the pain, the late nights and the humiliation first hand. Then, decide whether you want to risk THE BIG BUCKS, your health and 4 years of your life. Have you considered medical school?bevoMBA90

You should shadow a dental student provided your intent is to become a professional dental student. Let's keep in mind that dental school is not dentistry.

 

[kat2dds]

Hey definitely get the dentist to write one of your recommendations! I'm applying this June, and shadowed a dentist b/c I went to tufts undergrad and for tufts dental they want you to have that min requirement! Have them include the hours you shadowed in your LOR and than like someone else said above, make sure you remember the things you watch ... in case you get questioned by interviewers! Be as honest as possible, ie I know a friend said he spoke spanish on his resume, and at his interview one of the officers (who also spoke spanish) asked him to have a convo in spanish w him!

 

[johnnyt09]

It's a waste of time to shadow a dentist -- he/she has already MADE IT! You haven't even started yet. SHADOW A DENTAL STUDENT! Share the pain, the late nights and the humiliation first hand. Then, decide whether you want to risk THE BIG BUCKS, your health and 4 years of your life. Have you considered medical school?

bevoMBA90

LOL, shadow a dental student? hahahahaha
Do they now require predents to shadow dental students in the admission process? how many hours?! 😛