Volunteering/Shadowing as a Pre-Dental Student

[hmohmand.24]

Hi everyone, up until the end of freshman year, I was certain I was going to continue on the Pre-med track. However this summer, I've been thinking more and more about the Pre-dental track, and even though I don't have much information on this, I've got sort of a gut feeling that this is really the path that I should go on instead of Pre-med.

I've done some digging about the Pre-dental process and it's quite similar to Pre-med. One thing that I'm unsure about however is volunteering. I've called nearby offices and when I asked them about volunteering opportunities, they presumed that I had Dental Assistant certification. Another office I called said that if I don't have certification, I can still volunteer, however I would just be "observing".

I'm kind of at crossroads and am unsure about how Pre-dental students volunteer: do most of you volunteer by observing or do you get certification and then volunteer? What do you recommend? Should I first shadow a dentist to see if I really want to be a part of this environment before going ahead and paying for a Dental Assistant training course?

I must say that this volunteering is different than Pre-med volunteering, as there was no certification or anything at all for a basic volunteer at a hospital. I'd appreciate your thoughts and advice, thanks!

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[Mr.Smile12]

How to Get Into Dental School - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

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You don't need a certification to work
at a dentist's office other than healthcare-related (HIPAA) or OSHA (radiation/pathogens) training as needed by the clinic if they offer it.

But I would start with any dentists that care for your family. I would shadow in multiple clinics (they are different businesses). If you are in a medium-sized city, often a medical building will have many dentists offices. Look up dentists at your local dental association or dental school. There also may be dentists in hospitals or refer from their ENTs.

 

[DS2027]

Hi everyone, up until the end of freshman year, I was certain I was going to continue on the Pre-med track. However this summer, I've been thinking more and more about the Pre-dental track, and even though I don't have much information on this, I've got sort of a gut feeling that this is really the path that I should go on instead of Pre-med.

I've done some digging about the Pre-dental process and it's quite similar to Pre-med. One thing that I'm unsure about however is volunteering. I've called nearby offices and when I asked them about volunteering opportunities, they presumed that I had Dental Assistant certification. Another office I called said that if I don't have certification, I can still volunteer, however I would just be "observing".

I'm kind of at crossroads and am unsure about how Pre-dental students volunteer: do most of you volunteer by observing or do you get certification and then volunteer? What do you recommend? Should I first shadow a dentist to see if I really want to be a part of this environment before going ahead and paying for a Dental Assistant training course?

I must say that this volunteering is different than Pre-med volunteering, as there was no certification or anything at all for a basic volunteer at a hospital. I'd appreciate your thoughts and advice, thanks!

I just got into dental school so I can help with some issues you might be having. So when dental schools ask for volunteer work they want you to volunteer in something out side of dentistry. They want to see that you care about other people and are interested in helping underserved communities. When you call offices you should be asking to shadow, which is just observing what they do and most schools recommend around 100 hours of shadowing and 100 hours of volunteer hours. Hope that helps distinguish the two!