What's the Purpose of the PAT?

[Tzips]

I'm just curious - AFAIK, most dental schools don't weigh it that heavily (i.e., if you have a good gpa and AA, but a 16-17 on the PAT, it's ok) so what's the purpose? does performance on the PAT really have any correllation with perfomance in clinical practice? just wondering...

I'm assuming the same questions apply to the soap/chalk carving section of the CDAT.

 

[VancouverDoc2b]

If you have good GPA and AA, then a PAT of 16-17 isnt gonna hurt you. But if you get something like an 8 or 10 on the PAT, they might just think twice. Dentistry is a very perceptual science, in that it depends on how you see things, and thus, interpret them. If you dont understand now, trust me, you will when you get to Dental Anatomy/occlusion/restos etc

 

[Tzips]

If you have good GPA and AA, then a PAT of 16-17 isnt gonna hurt you. But if you get something like an 8 or 10 on the PAT, they might just think twice. Dentistry is a very perceptual science, in that it depends on how you see things, and thus, interpret them. If you dont understand now, trust me, you will when you get to Dental Anatomy/occlusion/restos etc

but how many people really get an 8 on the PAT? i've never seen a score like that (maybe because they took it over, though). but in my experience, one needs some ability in spacial orientation in order to pass orgo I (assuming one doesn't have one's molecular models chained to one's pocket, of course ) so assuming one needs to do fairly ok in orgo to get into dental school, what extra stuff is added by the PAT? and does one really need to be able to angle-rank without any equiptment for clinical practice?

 

[luder98]

IMO, in general, to really know how much some know or are capable of handling, tests are made harder than they need to be. They want to separate top-notch candidates from the rest. Same thing done by most professors.

 

[fruity_trident]

please don't undermine the PAT...that's my only acceptable mark! lol

 

[DrTacoElf]

The PAT is used to make sure you have at least some rough ability to deal with spatial orientation of objects. As a dentist this skill is critical because the patient is generally fixed in one location its up to you to deal with it. Clearly this can be learned but some is natural as well.

 

[luder98]

IMO, I believe that PAT reflects how good a dentist you will become. When you become a dentist, you'll depend so much on your handy skills and ability of seeing things from different angles. It's not math, so there is no obvious correlation between PAT and dentistry. That's why I don't argue. I only give opinion based on my experience and what I've heard from dentists. Here is another thread that discussed about the PAT:http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=162074

 

[hockeydentist]

Is there any data to substatiate that claim that PAT determines hand skill. I don't think there is.

Responding to the luder coment about pat determines how good of dentist you are, I think that is a little far fetched if you ask me.

I think handskill determines how fast and efficient you're going to be when working on patients. I am not equating fast=$hitty work, but that you're not having the patient sit there for hours on a simple procedure.

PAT I do have to agree is just another test to seperate the good from the best.
Hd

 

[delicious]

angle ranking: I don't know how this is relevant to dentistry

cube counting: again, stupid IMO

Front, side, end, top view: now this one is the only one I feel that is relevant to dentistry. I don't know how to explain it, but my kaplan instructor gave a perfect example of how this is relevant.

by and large, I think you can probably gain perceptual ability through practice in dental school/first few years out. Manual dexterity is another issue. I think mostly, the PAT is just another loop to jump through (as stated above).

 

[fruity_trident]

When you become a dentist, you'll depend so much on your handy skills and ability of seeing things from different angles.

come join us canEHdians, with the soap carving...ayyyyyyyyyyyyy

 

[Bullfan16]

Hey people...

I asked my dad about this one (general dentist) and he feels that the PAT offers no correlation to how good or bad of a dentist you will become in the future. He mentioned that it is beneficial to have a high score as those who do will have an easier time with dental anatomy and down the road when doing crown preps, fillings, etc. That said, however, he says dentistry is a learned skill. Everyone pretty much starts out at the same level and with practice they get better. Then, when you start practicing on your own and as you gain speed and quality it becomes something that is second nature.

Point being that if you got what you think is low on the PAT, its not that big of a deal because with practice you will learn how to use your hands. Schools just want to see that you can get at or above a certain score in order to make sure you have some innate ability.

UOP, however, requires high PAT because its a 3 year program. So while the rest of the schools allow you 4 years to improve your "perceptual" skills (seeing that you have an extra year to finish off a certain amount of work in the clinic), if you do not have a good grasp on this and are going through the advanced sciences and having to do many, many projects, as well as trying to get everything done in 3 years, you will most likely struggle (occurs if you have a low PAT and attend UOP...something that is most likely an oxymoron). Again the point is at UOP the PAT is an extremely important score whereas at other schools it varies but it usually needs to meet a minimum in order to get an acceptance. From what I have heard (could just be a rumor), if you get a 16+ at most schools you are ok (PAT only).

 

[Tzips]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone! i was just wondering if this particular hoop had a purpose, or if it's just another random thing. so i guess it's a helpful thing if you want to go to UOP, but not so much otherwise. ok. i guess i can live with that