Specialties getting more Competitive?

[Waitlisted2009]

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[dentwannabe]

OF COURSE its getting more competitive.

Remember all those smarty pants that started applying a few years ago, drastically raising the pre-dent stats??? Well now all those kids are applying for residency spots... and they will keep applying. So yes, it will be competitive.

And remember, the pre-dent stats kept going higher and higher, they just recently plateaued. So expect the competition to get more and more intense. It should plateau in about 2-3 years. Of course, I'm not close to applying to residency yet, but I'm telling you this based on the theoretics.

 

[NyCzPeter]

OK this will take some assumptions.

-Dental school is getting more competitive every year.
-This might be due to students shifting from medical school to dental school applications
-This might mean they are less interested in General Dentistry
-This might mean that they are more interested in certain Specialty programs
-So more students entering Dental students are interested in Specializing making it more competitive as they know what the obstacles are.
-New Specialty programs might not be opening while many more students are seeking admissions due to the above assumptions.

Thoughts?

The fact that your line of reasoning have so many "might" in it means its probably not a very valid one.

 

[KOM]

The fact that your line of reasoning have so many "might" in it means its probably not a very valid one.

Ha, Yeah, I just figured his/her line of reasoning is just plain stupid, but, he/she can feel free to attempt to explain other self-evident ideas from the get-go.

Yes, specialties are going to become more and more competitive...f'ing brilliant

 

[DrNush]

i find it interesting how rather than answering questions, some people just act like jerks. not cool 👎

 

[Waitlisted2009]

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[Jimmy Choo]

How is this self-evident? Its just obvious that more % of dental students will dislike general dentistry? Same number of dental students but more will choose to specialize. Thats just ****ing obvious? Yeah right. I have not heard one person talk about how specializing will become more competitive due to these circumstances, and that is not due to how obvious they are. And what part of this reasoning is stupid?

NyCzPeter says this is probably not a valid argument
KOM says this ****ing obvious to everyone

You clearly do not both agree

I think you raise an interesting point, yes no one can say one way or the other with certainty. But I'm about 95% sure that YOU won't be getting into any specialties Mr. Waistlisted. 👍 So shoo and go study for the DAT.

 

[dentstd]

Don't you guys realize yet that it's the school you go to that determines your chances of specializing. Do you not learn from a school's track record?

 

[Black Surgeon]

Don't you guys realize yet that it's the school you go to that determines your chances of specializing. Do you not learn from a school's track record?

The NBDE becoming Pass/Fail will probably lend more validity to this statement in the near future.

 

[armorshell]

Don't you guys realize yet that it's the school you go to that determines your chances of specializing. Do you not learn from a school's track record?

Yet somehow, the majority of the countries dental specialists still come from schools that don't have "track records." Weird.

 

[achilles2]

If it wasn't for competition we would all still be single cell organisms.

 

[doc toothache]

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

 

[gryffindor]

How is this self-evident? Its just obvious that more % of dental students will dislike general dentistry? Same number of dental students but more will choose to specialize. Thats just ****ing obvious? Yeah right. I have not heard one person talk about how specializing will become more competitive due to these circumstances, and that is not due to how obvious they are. And what part of this reasoning is stupid?

NyCzPeter says this is probably not a valid argument
KOM says this ****ing obvious to everyone

You clearly do not both agree

Your reasoning is stupid because you don't have to be a specialist to perform specialty procedures. And you don't have to be a specialist to limit your practice to certain procedures. You only have to pursue years of post-grad training to be a specialist just for the privilege of calling yourself a "specialist" and advertising as one.

 

[Dentgirl09]

Weird thread.

I think everything related to dentistry is becoming more competitive as time goes by..........

 

[VCUDDS]

I dont know about what has been said.....dont make a whole lotta sense....unlike medicine....we dont have to specialize! and can still be doing tons of different porcedures and be compensated well for it!. the majority of dentists are happy to be gp's because they can pick and choose what they want to do and refer the rest out!. to be a specialist is a personal decision and it should be based on the interest in the specialty as opposed to a dislike for general dentistry.

 

[Dentgirl09]

I dont know about what has been said.....dont make a whole lotta sense....unlike medicine....we dont have to specialize! and can still be doing tons of different porcedures and be compensated well for it!. the majority of dentists are happy to be gp's because they can pick and choose what they want to do and refer the rest out!. to be a specialist is a personal decision and it should be based on the interest in the specialty as opposed to a dislike for general dentistry.

This is an actual question--not trying to be a smarta**

What do you mean pick and choose what to do?

 

[lhtran07]

As a gp, if you don't want to do root canals, extractions, ect. you can refer them out to specialists and stick to what you like doing.

 

[dentstd]

Yet somehow, the majority of the countries dental specialists still come from schools that don't have "track records." Weird.

Well then the US ain't one of them countries, ain't it? 😀😱

 

[armorshell]

Well then the US ain't one of them countries, ain't it? 😀😱

 

[ToldYouSo]

ROFL! What is Jupiter doing behind him?? XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

 

[dentstd]

Boy, don't you be disrespectin' the great MC Hammer!😡

 

[KobeInnocent]

What I notice about my school which is very speciality geared, is that every year there's a distinct pattern. There is more and more orthos.... this year we had 1/3 of the class apply to ortho. Only 4 didn't get in.

 

[Waitlisted2009]

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[chund]

What I notice about my school which is very speciality geared, is that every year there's a distinct pattern. There is more and more orthos.... this year we had 1/3 of the class apply to ortho. Only 4 didn't get in.

So if you go to harvard, then about 12 applied and 8 got in??

 

[OG1]

So if you go to harvard, then about 12 applied and 8 got in??

UCLA. That means almost 30 applicants from the school. Amazing that only 4 didn't get in - I wonder if this could have happened at a school on the A/B/C GPA system?

 

[Guy Smiley]

UCLA. That means almost 30 applicants from the school. Amazing that only 4 didn't get in - I wonder if this could have happened at a school on the A/B/C GPA system?

Of course it couldn't have.

 

[chund]

Does anyone know how many Ortho residents are accepted per year nationally??

 

[Istr8nthem]

Does anyone know how many Ortho residents are accepted per year nationally??

There are 255 positions that are gained through the match. There are also positions available at programs that do not use the match (not sure how many fall into this category- my guess is anywhere from 25-40, someone correct me if I am wrong).

 

[sajjy]

What I notice about my school which is very speciality geared, is that every year there's a distinct pattern. There is more and more orthos.... this year we had 1/3 of the class apply to ortho. Only 4 didn't get in.

Where is this?

At UCLA

So if you go to harvard, then about 12 applied and 8 got in??

I have posted a post which shows where c/0 of 2008 of HSDM is going. And including applicants from c/0 2007 (4 of them who chose to take a year off) 16 applied for ortho and all of them were matched.

 

[OG1]

Of course it couldn't have.

Okay, okay, call it a rhetorical question. 🙂

So is the 1/3 of UCLA applying to ortho a result of lots of people wanting to do ortho picking UCLA because it's a "feeder" school, or because people take heart that they can get in because of the P/F system? I've talked to so many people who say, "I wanted to do ortho when I came to dental school, but I changed my mind after the first few tests/semesters." UCLA must encourage specializing and nailing the boards as well. Both Harvard and UCLA have about 1/3 applying to ortho, so I'm wondering what the ratio is for other P/F schools.

 

[charlestweed]

There are 255 positions that are gained through the match. There are also positions available at programs that do not use the match (not sure how many fall into this category- my guess is anywhere from 25-40, someone correct me if I am wrong).

That sounds about right. Not all 300 positions are available for dental students from US dental schools. Many programs accept practicing dentists, dentists with GPR/AEGD training, and foreign trained dentists.

 

[yojimbo53]

agreed. once you hit the 20% class rank, you have no chance of even getting interviews, unless you have political connections. at 15%, i'd still be nervous. at a class size of ~90(?), half these guys would probably have little chance, had they been in a ranking system.

Of course it couldn't have.

Originally Posted by OG1
UCLA. That means almost 30 applicants from the school. Amazing that only 4 didn't get in - I wonder if this could have happened at a school on the A/B/C GPA system?

 

[Guy Smiley]

agreed. once you hit the 20% class rank, you have no chance of even getting interviews, unless you have political connections. at 15%, i'd still be nervous. at a class size of ~90(?), half these guys would probably have little chance, had they been in a ranking system.




Originally Posted by OG1
UCLA. That means almost 30 applicants from the school. Amazing that only 4 didn't get in - I wonder if this could have happened at a school on the A/B/C GPA system?

I had a class rank in the top 20% and I still got 7 interviews and matched. There is still a chance for interviews in the top 20%.

 

[DrNush]

That sounds about right. Not all 300 positions are available for dental students from US dental schools. Many programs accept practicing dentists, dentists with GPR/AEGD training, and foreign trained dentists.

Foreign trained dentists can get into specializations without getting a DDS/DMD degree first??? I'm sure they can't practice in the US.. they must have to go back to their home countries after training, right?

 

[Cold Front]

Foreign trained dentists can get into specializations without getting a DDS/DMD degree first??? I'm sure they can't practice in the US.. they must have to go back to their home countries after training, right?

Yes, foreign trained dentists can go directly into post-grad programs. Once they complete it, they either have to go back to their home countries or get into an advanced standing program (US dental school) if they wish to stay and practice in the U.S.

 

[gryffindor]

Yes, foreign trained dentists can go directly into post-grad programs. Once they complete it, they either have to go back to their home countries or get into an advanced standing program (US dental school) if they wish to stay and practice in the U.S.

There are some states that allow them to practice with just their specialty certificate and with no US dental degree. After the post-grad program, they look for opportunities in those states if they want to stay in the US.

 

[Count Orlok]

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[Waitlisted2009]

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[visbimmer79]

Can we apply to several specialty programs differently at each school at the same time?

 

[ChubbyBaby]

Wow. Lots of talk about ortho in this thread about specialties. My experience from my humble state school is that almost everybody who applies to ortho gets accepted, including people definitely NOT in the top half of the class, similar to UCLA and Harvard. Why is this? Because ortho is no longer as competetive as it once was.

If you want to have a discussion about competetiveness, you need to include endodontics and OMFS into the discussion. Also throw some pedo programs into the mix as well. You think orthodontists make a lot of money?!

 

[DIRTIE]

Interesting that you say that because...
my classes top two students are going to ortho residencies! #1 and 2 that is right.

Wow. Lots of talk about ortho in this thread about specialties. My experience from my humble state school is that almost everybody who applies to ortho gets accepted, including people definitely NOT in the top half of the class, similar to UCLA and Harvard. Why is this? Because ortho is no longer as competetive as it once was.

If you want to have a discussion about competetiveness, you need to include endodontics and OMFS into the discussion. Also throw some pedo programs into the mix as well. You think orthodontists make a lot of money?!

 

[cwebb4]

Wow. Lots of talk about ortho in this thread about specialties. My experience from my humble state school is that almost everybody who applies to ortho gets accepted, including people definitely NOT in the top half of the class, similar to UCLA and Harvard. Why is this? Because ortho is no longer as competetive as it once was.

If you want to have a discussion about competetiveness, you need to include endodontics and OMFS into the discussion. Also throw some pedo programs into the mix as well. You think orthodontists make a lot of money?!

I think it depends on class. Some class can go more into OS and other class can go more into ortho or pedo. You never know.

 

[DCRedskinsRule]

UCLA. That means almost 30 applicants from the school. Amazing that only 4 didn't get in - I wonder if this could have happened at a school on the A/B/C GPA system?

Now try being at a school that grades on a 100 point GPA scale where a 92 is different from a 93 and the gpa is calculated to 0.001 even though your course's grade is rounded to an integer. You wanna talk about ridiculous grading system....

And in response to the ortho not being competitive....i'm not 100% sure about this but I'm PRETTY sure that several of our ortho residents got a 100 on the boards and I THINK that both the valedictorian from Baylor and Houston this past year are currently 1st year ortho residents at Houston...so I'm sure it's not exactly "easy"...

 

[armorshell]

And in response to the ortho not being competitive....i'm not 100% sure about this but I'm PRETTY sure that several of our ortho residents got a 100 on the boards and I THINK that both the valedictorian from Baylor and Houston this past year are currently 1st year ortho residents at Houston...so I'm sure it's not exactly "easy"...

Now that's what I call impressive

 

[DCRedskinsRule]

Now that's what I call impressive

Or borderline outrageous, but I suppose impressive works too! 👍🙂

 

[armorshell]

Or borderline outrageous, but I suppose impressive works too! 👍🙂

Note that the highest possible score on the NBDE 1 is a 99

 

[DCRedskinsRule]

Note that the highest possible score on the NBDE 1 is a 99

Oh...well then its a 99...i just heard "perfect score" and so I assumed it was a 100...I don't know enough about the NBDE

 

[ChubbyBaby]

Note that the highest possible score on the NBDE 1 is a 99

exactly

 

[blueBonnet]

I'm wondering how the NBDE score will be for this year's ortho applicants with the new format of part I. Anybody would like to contribute some info?

 

[Lopyswine]

Now try being at a school that grades on a 100 point GPA scale where a 92 is different from a 93 and the gpa is calculated to 0.001 even though your course's grade is rounded to an integer. You wanna talk about ridiculous grading system....

And in response to the ortho not being competitive....i'm not 100% sure about this but I'm PRETTY sure that several of our ortho residents got a 100 on the boards and I THINK that both the valedictorian from Baylor and Houston this past year are currently 1st year ortho residents at Houston...so I'm sure it's not exactly "easy"...

I have heard that there are like 4-6 99s per year. You're telling us that "several" are at your school?