UNLV GPR Experience Blog

[simpsonj24]

Last year, when I was trying to decide on what AEGD/GPR programs to apply to, there just was not a lot of available information on the actual resident experiences. When you have good numbers but want to be a general dentist it can be really frustrating because you want certain things out of a program but there are so many programs out there, how are you supposed to know the average scope of a program?

The best way of course is to talk to the current and past residents but they are often hard to get a hold of (as I found out last year). So in order to do my part to help the current applicant navigate the multitude of programs I will be posting monthly my experiences with a running total and any other information that I think would help.

Initially, here is the run down of the program:

Staff -
General Dentists: Two full-time general dentists who are very knowledgeable ( willing to cover literally any procedure, so far they seem very competent).
Periodontist: Tues - Thurs every week, who also seems very knowledgable. Endo: every other friday
OMS: every monday.
Pros/ortho: none

I will post again at the end of August to post my numbers and any other relevant information

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[rarm1]

glad to see its here.. this maybe a better spot

 

[simpsonj24]

It seems about time for an update on the program as many DS4's will be making their application decisions in the near future. I will try to provide as much information as I can, please feel free to reply to the thread or PM me with any questions.

This week was an interesting week as I had my first two IV sedations. It was a good experience to start the lines, push the drugs, monitor the patients and work on a pt that was sedated. One of the sedations was full mouth scrp but it was worth it to get to do the sedation. The other patient was a FDBA graft to fill a 3 walled defect in two sites. Pretty benign but I still learned.

I also mentioned that we have an endodontist that comes in every other friday. I did #19 with him last week and have molars planned (with a microscope) with him the next three fridays. I think that should be really good if I can continue to do endo with him all year.

One of the positives of the program is the we have an association with the local VA. My patients are starting to come in and they have a number of external sinus augmentations/implants/sedations planned. They are paid for by the VA so that should provide a major benefit in my training.

One of the negatives is that it many ways it feels like a 5th year of dental school. The assistant director made an annoucement today that he wanted to see all of our preps (operative and fixed) before we fill or impress. That kind of rubbed me the wrong way but it is their program I guess. Another negative is the lack of patients, I literally did not have a patient today. Zero. We are lacking front office staff and assistants so it makes it hard to run a full schedule, they say they are working on it but only time will tell. I also think the depressed Las Vegas economy is having an impact on accepted treatment plans but with the new influx of VA patients hopefully I will stay busy.

Overall it is a weird dynamic, only time will tell if this year was worth it. I could function solidly in private practice and did well enough on my boards (90 on the new boards part 1) to consider specializing but I decided that I wanted to get this additional training in a concentrated time frame. I hope that in additional posts I can tell you that it was a great decision. Like I said, only time will tell.

 

[goodeye]

thanks for the update, keep them coming plz

 

[simpsonj24]

So I haven't posted in awhile because I was not sure what I wanted to say. There have been some things that have transpired in the last month that really have me questioning the "programs" integrity. The program seems to be here for the program and not the residents. Things have happened here that have been less than honest and genuine. I am not trying to be cryptic but there is no reason air specific issues. I am not a bitter or unhappy person, I was just promised some things that were very important to me and then when I asked I was told if I did not like it I could leave the program. Bummer!

That being said, for those of you still interested, I am getting some good experiences here. I will be a better dentist when I leave which is the general idea for participating in one of these programs.

One thing you should also know is the salary listed on the website is around 50K but the actual salary for the entire year is 25K. Please PM me with any questions and I will be happy to give you anymore information, or email a different resident for a different perspective.

 

[raj26]

hey there i am an internationally trained dentist and i have completed with NBDE part 1. i am interested in AEGD program. could u pls help me as to which programs give admission to foreign trained dentist and where my chances are increased for getting into the program. \
waiting for reply.

 

[Adversary]

Wow, were you required to sign a contract and did it not state the salary? Mine did along with a lot of details.

25K is crap. You should just bail and find a job in private practice!

 

[simpsonj24]

No, i knew the salary coming in. My wife works so it's not the end of the world.

 

[Adversary]

Quit, man! There are way better programs out there that treat you really well.

 

[barelysimple]

I was a resident there five years ago and if I remember right, my salary was 43K. So 50K sounds about right now... I heard the educational budget cut the last few years really effected them, which I assume is the reason of your lower salary. tough times.

I wonder how much does other GPR/AEGD around the country pay nowaday.

They have a lot of fancy equipments there, nice to play around with and figure out whether I'd like to spend the big $ to buy them when I am out or not. I am glad I learn what I did during my year there, but as we all know, time is different now.

 

[JOOG]

Any updates from current residents?