What does you guys do during shadowing?

[mkhan27]

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While shadowing there have been times when there are no patients for 20-30 minutes and there is barely anything to see or do. Yes its a busy office, but there are busy days and slow days.

I've been shadowing at one office for 3 years now and all I can do is shadow. The dentist already has plenty of assistants to help out and I have asked to help out before too, but he said he's full on staff.

What do other people do during shadowing when they approach a time when there are barely any patients to shadow. All I do is sit down or just read some posters, pamphlets placed in the office, but I think I have read them several times now. I do socialize with the dentist once in awhile, but he's always on his computer doing his stuff in his office.

Any feedback????

 

[sbdento]

While shadowing there have been times when there are no patients for 20-30 minutes and there is barely anything to see or do. Yes its a busy office, but there are busy days and slow days.

I've been shadowing at one office for 3 years now and all I can do is shadow. The dentist already has plenty of assistants to help out and I have asked to help out before too, but he said he's full on staff.

What do other people do during shadowing when they approach a time when there are barely any patients to shadow. All I do is sit down or just read some posters, pamphlets placed in the office, but I think I have read them several times now. I do socialize with the dentist once in awhile, but he's always on his computer doing his stuff in his office.

Any feedback????

Maybe you could find some other dentists to shadow. Try the specialists so you can get a more complete view of the dentistry.

 

[leejunsoo]

While shadowing there have been times when there are no patients for 20-30 minutes and there is barely anything to see or do. Yes its a busy office, but there are busy days and slow days.

I've been shadowing at one office for 3 years now and all I can do is shadow. The dentist already has plenty of assistants to help out and I have asked to help out before too, but he said he's full on staff.

What do other people do during shadowing when they approach a time when there are barely any patients to shadow. All I do is sit down or just read some posters, pamphlets placed in the office, but I think I have read them several times now. I do socialize with the dentist once in awhile, but he's always on his computer doing his stuff in his office.

Any feedback????

yeah i know how that feels...
sometimes I felt like what am i doing here...? LOL

but i think that's why 100hr is really the max you should do
and I think it's better to do like 30 hrs of general and "observe" other specialities

 

[mkhan27]

Anyone know if I have chance of getting a job as an assistant. Are there some dental offices that let you work there without having any certifications. I have shadowed for 3 years and have seen so many procedures, but would like to at least work at a place now.

Anyone have some advice as to how/what they did to get a job at a dental office. Mostly I hear people get an assistant job are from family friends and personal dentists, but I never had any luck with my personal dentist since he's going to retire soon. Maybe I can just take his practice when I become a dentist LOL.

 

[Hev0406]

Anyone know if I have chance of getting a job as an assistant. Are there some dental offices that let you work there without having any certifications. I have shadowed for 3 years and have seen so many procedures, but would like to at least work at a place now.

Anyone have some advice as to how/what they did to get a job at a dental office. Mostly I hear people get an assistant job are from family friends and personal dentists, but I never had any luck with my personal dentist since he's going to retire soon. Maybe I can just take his practice when I become a dentist LOL.

It's not that easy anymore to be an assistant. You pretty much have to go to school for it.

 

[doc toothache]

You could always tune in to SDN.

 

[Ionz]

You could always tune in to SDN.

Damnit doc beat me to this one.😛

 

[kellyyo]

You shadowed for 3 years?....wow 1000+hours?

 

[Teeths]

It's not that easy anymore to be an assistant. You pretty much have to go to school for it.

Agreed. I was looking around on Craigslist for anything dental related since I will essentially have a "gap year," and I'd say 98% of them explicitly state they want such and such years of experience or such and such licensing/certification. I understand why, but there's nothing a DA does that I can't learn to do in a week or so, especially after shadowing for the amount of hours I have! 😛

 

[doc toothache]

Agreed. I was looking around on Craigslist for anything dental related since I will essentially have a "gap year," and I'd say 98% of them explicitly state they want such and such years of experience or such and such licensing/certification. I understand why, but there's nothing a DA does that I can't learn to do in a week or so, especially after shadowing for the amount of hours I have! 😛

And with a few months under your belt you can probably perform all of the procedures a dentist does.

 

[ToothbrushBuddy]

I chat with the dental assistants, shadow the hygienist until the dentist has a patient, I even talk with the receptionist. Mostly I ask the dental assistants questions, many of them have been working around dentistry for a very long time and are very knowledgeable and experienced. They are also pretty down to earth, and I have really learned a lot from them. It is important to not think that you are above learning anything, especially from the people who literally keep the office running! Sometimes I will even strike up a conversation with the patients about their lives etc.

 

[ToothbrushBuddy]

I have just started assisting during procedures at a free dental clinic that I have been volunteering at for a year. Maybe you could do the same at a free dental clinic too.

 

[Koalafied]

Agreed. I was looking around on Craigslist for anything dental related since I will essentially have a "gap year," and I'd say 98% of them explicitly state they want such and such years of experience or such and such licensing/certification. I understand why, but there's nothing a DA does that I can't learn to do in a week or so, especially after shadowing for the amount of hours I have! 😛

Or you could be extremely attractive and happen to be at the right time and place. Worked for some at this specialty clinic I've shadowed at.

 

[Ferneezy]

And with a few months under your belt you can probably perform all of the procedures a dentist does.

not like i hang in dental offices all the time, but i've heard no fewer than a dozen assistants say something like this

 

[DRTigerJK]

I know how you feel. Sometimes things can get a bit repetitive.

Try to vary your time you shadow also. Especially for the orthodontist I shadowed, mornings were when all the longer, more interesting procedures happened and afternoons were mostly checkups.

What I realized is that you can pretty much learn a lot from everyone that works there - from the dentist to the assistants, hygienist, front desk secretary and even other people who shadow there. If you feel like you need something different, finding a different dentist or specialist to shadow would be a good change.

 

[Dster]

I does alot of standing

 

[Bis-GMA111]

I does alot of standing

👍

 

[jHoon]

I does alot of standing

One time we had a root canal patient come in right after we all just finished our lunch break (chipotle) and I was standing behind the dentist and started getting extremely sleepy and almost fell over top of his shoulder as he was performing the procedure. I literally caught myself with my nose an inch from his head. I could smell his shampoo...

 

[mkhan27]

One time we had a root canal patient come in right after we all just finished our lunch break (chipotle) and I was standing behind the dentist and started getting extremely sleepy and almost fell over top of his shoulder as he was performing the procedure. I literally caught myself with my nose an inch from his head. I could smell his shampoo...

 

[Hev0406]

I does alot of standing

Lmao!!!!!! Thank you. I laughed so hard over that 😀

 

[jeffity]

One guy messed around online. Chatty with me at least. Just not about dentistry. Another did mostly paperwork and stuff (IHS clinic director so it was often), so I wandered around and watched other doctors or actually helped with stuff around there and eventually volunteered instead if shadowed. My friend always talked about school, applying, getting into the workplace, etc. Took on the role of a mentor. He loaded me with magazines and CE material if I wanted. And the candy drawer. Another showed me stuff in the lab or pulled out cases and pictures on his iPad. Those are the good.

My worst place was a joke but I was required to put in 45 hours over the semester. Otherwise I wouldn't have waste my time. I walked slowly. And went to the bathroom a lot. I'd also stuff biostrips into hundreds of sterilization pouches in break room...also very slowly. One productive afternoon, I stocked gloves in 20 operatories AND tidied up the shelves of gloves in the storage closet. And ate several pieces of leftover birthday cake. Slowly.

 

[mkhan27]

I have just started assisting during procedures at a free dental clinic that I have been volunteering at for a year. Maybe you could do the same at a free dental clinic too.

I have actually shadowed 3 different dentists over the past 3 years (I don't think I mentioned that). But because of school I would rarely have time to shadow over the week because of commuting 3 hours a day, working, researching, and volunteering. I would shadow over breaks mostly. I have over 200 hours of shadowing in these 3 years and I would tend to spread my shadowing days out to get to see different and new things.

I think I might try a free dental clinic since this is my best hope. I would like to use my skills and knowledge that I learned from shadowing now (not that I will get to do any advanced procedures).

By the way I have noticed that it really is hard to get an assistant job probably because every office I have shadowed at I have realized the assistants have been all females. Maybe its something that seems more appealing to the dentists' that I have shadowed..I don't know...Nothing offensive/discriminant towards females/males.

 

[dentaldoctor]

One of my friends just sits down in an open room and plays angry birds or temple run til a patient comes in, which sounds kinda unprofessional if you will get a LOR from them later down the road.

My boss at my workplace was telling me the other day that dental and medical offices have become like fast food restaurants. They are becoming swarmed with more employees now because of the success in the field and the demand from the public which makes it hard for students like us to get something to volunteer in or even assist in.

 

[Teeths]

And with a few months under your belt you can probably perform all of the procedures a dentist does.

Definitely not. I'm not being rude, I'm just stating that there's a large gap between a dentist's and a dental assistant's duties/abilities/training. Hence the difference in amount of schooling, etc.

 

[mkhan27]

I does alot of standing

 

[Glimmer1991]

I does alot of standing

You win this thread. LOL!

 

[KobevsLebron]

Let's show some respect to the OP everyone. S/he made a grammatical mistake. Great. Let's move on.

 

[mkhan27]

Let's show some respect to the OP everyone. S/he made a grammatical mistake. Great. Let's move on.

Yea thanks. I originally titled the thread "What does everyone else do..." but changed it afterwards without reviewing it. Hahahahaa very funny! I'll let them have their laughs though.

 

[Glimmer1991]

Let's show some respect to the OP everyone. S/he made a grammatical mistake. Great. Let's move on.

We all know it's just a simple typo--we aren't meanly mocking the OP. The response is so funny not only because it pokes a bit of fun at the title, but also because it is totally true... Shadowing can be monotonous!

 

[mkhan27]

..... Shadowing can be monotonous!

👍

 

[Hev0406]

We all know it's just a simple typo--we aren't meanly mocking the OP. The response is so funny not only because it pokes a bit of fun at the title, but also because it is totally true... Shadowing can be monotonous!

Perfectly put. 😉

 

[KobevsLebron]

Perfectly put. 😉

What a band wagon hopper.

 

[Hev0406]

What a band wagon hopper.

Yep that's me!.... Seriously dude have you shadowed? All you do is stand there.

 

[syap]

I shadowed a dentist about 3 mondays in a row for 2 or 3 hours. After that he offered me a job as an assistant for $10/hr (really low) but I have gotten over 120 hrs over 3 months, that was with no previous training. I knew him and went to the same church growing up that was probably the largest factor. But when I was there, I was very observant and asked lots of questions.

 

[Koalafied]

I does alot of standing

🙂

 

[mkhan27]

I shadowed a dentist about 3 mondays in a row for 2 or 3 hours. After that he offered me a job as an assistant for $10/hr (really low) but I have gotten over 120 hrs over 3 months, that was with no previous training. I knew him and went to the same church growing up that was probably the largest factor. But when I was there, I was very observant and asked lots of questions.

Which state is this dental office in? I'm assuming its not Illinois right?

 

[andrewhntran]

I does alot of standing

lmao Good one

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Hi,

When you shadow, your role is to observe and ask questions at appropriate time. Any question about application to dental school, what are my chances, what courses to take should be asked at the end of the day. Dental procedure based questions are OK since it is likely that doctor wants to share what he does with you as well as with the patient. But again, keep these to minimum because you do not want to distract his concentration. One time, I allowed a person to shadow me and throughout the procedure that required my utmost attention, he kept asking me about his chances, how to study for DAT, what if this and what if that... This was very annoying and the patient did not appreciate that either. So when you shadow, be passive and don't use it as a counseling session. DP

 

[gn4]

Hi,

When you shadow, your role is to observe and ask questions at appropriate time. Any question about application to dental school, what are my chances, what courses to take should be asked at the end of the day. Dental procedure based questions are OK since it is likely that doctor wants to share what he does with you as well as with the patient. But again, keep these to minimum because you do not want to distract his concentration. One time, I allowed a person to shadow me and throughout the procedure that required my utmost attention, he kept asking me about his chances, how to study for DAT, what if this and what if that... This was very annoying and the patient did not appreciate that either. So when you shadow, be passive and don't use it as a counseling session. DP

One dentist I shadowed told me the same thing. He told me to keep my questions to a minimum. Or I could ask plenty of questions duringa break when He doesn't have patients.

 

[syap]

Which state is this dental office in? I'm assuming its not Illinois right?

AZ. why?

 

[syap]

One dentist I shadowed told me the same thing. He told me to keep my questions to a minimum. Or I could ask plenty of questions duringa break when He doesn't have patients.

I never ask about getting into dental school. Only like procedural/science questions pertaining to the cases that day. And normally not when he is drilling/busy.

 

[babowc]

I actually assist and shadow.
I'm like, the secondary assistant.. especially when the *real* assistant has her hands full.

It can get monotonous if you're watching composites all day, but it gets exciting when the doc does a root canal or places an implant. I've been shadowing my dentist for over a year now, and to my last calculation, it was around 225 hours.

 

[elemental951]

I actually assist and shadow.
I'm like, the secondary assistant.. especially when the *real* assistant has her hands full.

It can get monotonous if you're watching composites all day, but it gets exciting when the doc does a root canal or places an implant. I've been shadowing my dentist for over a year now, and to my last calculation, it was around 225 hours.

Yeah I do this as well. I'm currently shadowing a pretty big office and it gets pretty hectic and exciting. When all the assistants are busy taking x rays/prepping for crowns or whatever, I'll assist and do suction for regular cleaning. But what i can say is that shadowing is really a different experience in every office. You just have to hope you can find one that will give you a great experience.

 

[Ionz]

I actually assist and shadow.
I'm like, the secondary assistant.. especially when the *real* assistant has her hands full.

It can get monotonous if you're watching composites all day, but it gets exciting when the doc does a root canal or places an implant. I've been shadowing my dentist for over a year now, and to my last calculation, it was around 225 hours.

Basically this. 😛 Sterilizing almost completely became my job at one point lol

 

[ToothbrushBuddy]

I shadowed a dentist about 3 mondays in a row for 2 or 3 hours. After that he offered me a job as an assistant for $10/hr (really low) but I have gotten over 120 hrs over 3 months, that was with no previous training. I knew him and went to the same church growing up that was probably the largest factor. But when I was there, I was very observant and asked lots of questions.

You are so lucky! That's how much I make with my bachelor's degree with high honors working overnight with pay differential as a medication assistant at an assisted living facility. Needless to say, I can't wait to become a dentist and get out of Idaho where the job market totally sucks, especially for those of us without good connections.