Struggling in my GPR

[dentiresi]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi all,

I just wanted to get some input/advice. I’m in a rigorous GPR program. I feel like my DS under-prepared me. Compared to my co-residents I feel significantly behind the curve. I am slow, and I am running behind schedule almost daily. I’m trying to get better but instead of feeling like I’m getting advanced training above that of a new dental grad— I’m have to play catch up on things I should have mastered in DS. I honestly feel like **** everyday. I don’t know if this is burnout or what.
Anyone have any similar experiences? Advice?

 

[Saddleshoes]

A GPR might just be the right place for you right now. Your GPR program should be a support system for you to pick up your speed and get basic procedures down pat. Playing catch-up is a common part of the game in most GPR's, this year, following the COVID disruption.

If you were in a corporate practice right now you might not get any support or sympathy. In "real world" dentistry its all about production!

 

[PerioDont]

Hi all,

I just wanted to get some input/advice. I’m in a rigorous GPR program. I feel like my DS under-prepared me. Compared to my co-residents I feel significantly behind the curve. I am slow, and I am running behind schedule almost daily. I’m trying to get better but instead of feeling like I’m getting advanced training above that of a new dental grad— I’m have to play catch up on things I should have mastered in DS. I honestly feel like **** everyday. I don’t know if this is burnout or what.
Anyone have any similar experiences? Advice?

Who cares about your co-residents. Keep treading the water, you've literally only got a few months left.

Whatever your DS did or didn't do is irrelevant now. The learning is about you. Having this experience in residency is much better than going out and getting fired from your first job(s)

You'll make it through! talk with your other residents and instructors and you'll be there very soon.

 

[Boat on the Chesapeake]

Don’t panic or get disheartened. You are MUCH better off having these struggles in a GPR than figuring them out in a busy practice. It’s also early in the program, by the end there won’t be as big a gap between residents.

 

[yappy]

If this is how you feel then you're in a good place. You'll be much better after your program. If it were very easy for you then that would mean the year spent in residency was a waste.

 

[Rambunctious]

Hi all,

I just wanted to get some input/advice. I’m in a rigorous GPR program. I feel like my DS under-prepared me. Compared to my co-residents I feel significantly behind the curve. I am slow, and I am running behind schedule almost daily. I’m trying to get better but instead of feeling like I’m getting advanced training above that of a new dental grad— I’m have to play catch up on things I should have mastered in DS. I honestly feel like **** everyday. I don’t know if this is burnout or what.
Anyone have any similar experiences? Advice?

I remember seeing a lot of people posting "get into the cheapest dental school they're all the same"

 

[T00thDr]

I remember seeing a lot of people posting "get into the cheapest dental school they're all the same"

Are you just trying to say that not all dental schools are the same? Or are you saying that cheaper dental schools are less likely to give you a quality education? I agree with the former but can absolutely confirm that a higher price tag does not equal better dental education.

Also, I still think that you can be fully prepared to enter the workforce straight out of dental school but it largely is based on individuals and not so much the school. My assumptions with OP's speed issues is that COVID-19 prevented a lot of clinic time that most 4th year students would get prior to graduation - something that was universal for all 4th years in 2020/2021.

 

[Boat on the Chesapeake]

Yeah…there’s no correlation between how much you spend on dental school and how good a dentist you’ll be. Spending $400k instead of $200k won’t matter. It has more to do with:
1) You get out what you put into it (effort). If you’re not gonna study, practice, or care it doesn’t matter what curriculum you’re in.
2) Some people have more natural aptitude than others. Hand skills, book smarts, personality…everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Hand skills take years to master if you’re not natural.
3) As mentioned, COVID is making it even worse for recent graduating classes, most schools barely gave enough experience pre-pandemic.

 

[Mauricio45]

How do you know which schools give excellent requirements though? Not all schools are the same. It's ridiculous that some schools the students graduate with only 5 crowns, yet another school the students graduate with +20 crowns. Or some schools, the students don't even do a molar endo! It shouldn't be so inconsistent between schools.

 

[PerioDont]

How do you know which schools give excellent requirements though? Not all schools are the same. It's ridiculous that some schools the students graduate with only 5 crowns, yet another school the students graduate with +20 crowns. Or some schools, the students don't even do a molar endo! It shouldn't be so inconsistent between schools.

Agreed. It is super variable. I have heard some schools do not even have students complete endo on real humans at all and still graduate.

One of the causes is the location of the school and the coverage of the state insurance plans.

If the school is not in the right location there will not be good patient flow.

 

[2TH MVR]

I remember seeing a lot of people posting "get into the cheapest dental school they're all the same"

Gotta love it. Always stirring the pot.

 

[Mauricio45]

Agreed. It is super variable. I have heard some schools do not even have students complete endo on real humans at all and still graduate.

One of the causes is the location of the school and the coverage of the state insurance plans.

If the school is not in the right location there will not be good patient flow.

Also, if they have grad departments that cherry picks all the cases away from the dental students. I think going to a school that doesn't have grad departments will give the best education. I.e. Creighton University in Nebraska is a good example.

 

[145bluz]

dentiresi...Everyone learns at different rates. I am a 61 y.o. GP. I had a similar experience in GPR. In D-school I was didactic top 10 %. Clinically, I struggled and was in bottom 1/3. You have a long career ahead of you. Continue to strive for your best treatment and at some point (maybe 3-7 years) you will one day realize you are a pretty darn good dentist!​

 

[Rambunctious]

Are you just trying to say that not all dental schools are the same? Or are you saying that cheaper dental schools are less likely to give you a quality education? I agree with the former but can absolutely confirm that a higher price tag does not equal better dental education.

Also, I still think that you can be fully prepared to enter the workforce straight out of dental school but it largely is based on individuals and not so much the school. My assumptions with OP's speed issues is that COVID-19 prevented a lot of clinic time that most 4th year students would get prior to graduation - something that was universal for all 4th years in 2020/2021.

I'm saying not all dental schools are built the same, like others have mentioned. A lot of people think the only requirement that is needed is to go to the cheapest school as possible and nothing else matters, which in OPs case it does matter because they did not prepare them well. Of course there's covid to consider, but even before it students had the same issues when they only prepped 5 crowns in dent school.

 

[Rambunctious]

Gotta love it. Always stirring the pot.

Only when I want to see your comments. Man you are on here a lot though 🤣

 

[T00thDr]

I'm saying not all dental schools are built the same, like others have mentioned. A lot of people think the only requirement that is needed is to go to the cheapest school as possible and nothing else matters, which in OPs case it does matter because they did not prepare them well. Of course there's covid to consider, but even before it students had the same issues when they only prepped 5 crowns in dent school.

Honestly though, I would take paying $180,000 in a dental school that may underprepare you, leading to stress during a GPR or AEGD over paying $480,000 and getting more experience.

Luckily I went to the cheapest school I got into and got a ton of experience... But, an extra $300,000 would not be worth any amount of extra experience.

All dental schools are required to prepare you to some extent and I would absolutely argue that even the graduates from the most underpreparing dental school still have the knowledge needed to work or they can attend a residency.

Cheapest may still be the best option. Some students get into two schools only, one is super expensive and the other is much cheaper - these students should always choose the cheaper.

Now, when you are looking at $180,000 vs $195,000, that's a whole different story.

 

[2TH MVR]

Only when I want to see your comments. Man you are on here a lot though 🤣

You post your opinions without suger coating it. Readers need to see both sides of an argument regardless how popular one side is. I personally enjoy reading your stuff. Well .... most of it anyway. 🙂

 

[PerioDont]

Also, if they have grad departments that cherry picks all the cases away from the dental students. I think going to a school that doesn't have grad departments will give the best education. I.e. Creighton University in Nebraska is a good example.

Are those extra experiences worth 105k/year though? that is the real question

 

[Mauricio45]

Are those extra experiences worth 105k/year though? that is the real question

View attachment 342261

Yikes! I graduated 2016. And I remember it was "only" 65-70K per year back when I started in 2012. And I thought at that time, it was outrageous. It's crazy how much some schools charge these days for very little clinical experience.

I guess if you go to a cheaper school, you can "make up" from the limited training by taking CE courses the summer after graduation (I.e. molar endos, extractions, etc). I wish I would've done that.

 

[dentiresi]

I remember seeing a lot of people posting "get into the cheapest dental school they're all the same"

Without giving away too much personal info, my DS is usually recognized as top teir. It’s probably one of the only reasons I was accepted (maybe un-deserved) into such a rigorous GPR program.
You never know what kind of experience you get when you enter DS.

 

[dentiresi]

dentiresi...Everyone learns at different rates. I am a 61 y.o. GP. I had a similar experience in GPR. In D-school I was didactic top 10 %. Clinically, I struggled and was in bottom 1/3. You have a long career ahead of you. Continue to strive for your best treatment and at some point (maybe 3-7 years) you will one day realize you are a pretty darn good dentist!​

Thank you. I’m really hoping this will be the case for me.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Admittedly, there is inter-school variability in training. There is probably just as much intra-school variability in training. My friend had finished his graduation requirements partway through 3rd year, because he had an awesome patient pool. Meanwhile, I was pushing it close to graduation - certainly not for lack of trying on my part. I just had the luck of having some of the crappiest patients. I had a denture patient that no showed over a dozen appointments. Why did I put up with it? I needed the friggin' denture credit and there wasn't anyone else.

You very well could go to a school with above average clinical requirements, and yet feel less confident than someone with much less clinical exposure simply because of your personality.

So...go to the cheapest school you get into. It is a universally accepted truth that paying back student loans sucks.

Big Hoss

 

[JackyTreehorn]

Hi all,

I just wanted to get some input/advice. I’m in a rigorous GPR program. I feel like my DS under-prepared me. Compared to my co-residents I feel significantly behind the curve. I am slow, and I am running behind schedule almost daily. I’m trying to get better but instead of feeling like I’m getting advanced training above that of a new dental grad— I’m have to play catch up on things I should have mastered in DS. I honestly feel like **** everyday. I don’t know if this is burnout or what.
Anyone have any similar experiences? Advice?

My advice is to continue grinding it out.

How many patients do you see daily and what kind of procedures are you falling behind on?

 

[bill1]

Hi! I hope all is well and your GPR experience is much better now. Everyone performs differently; some people are slower because they put a lot of effort into making their work as perfect as possible, or maybe they are a little bit anxious until they get used to the program, culture of the program, treating patients.
Don't compare yourself with your colleagues. Everyone is unique and also everyone has moments in their professional career when they feel insecure. Some people just hide it better than others. Try to surround yourself with positive people.