When to start doing OMFS externships?

[Ride]

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I'm currently a first year dental student and I'll be taking NBDE I in Dec 2007. I'm wondering when I should start applying for, and going on externships - in order to be a competitive OMFS applicant in a few years. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[Doggie]

I'm currently a first year dental student and I'll be taking NBDE I in Dec 2007. I'm wondering when I should start applying for, and going on externships - in order to be a competitive OMFS applicant in a few years. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

I started shadowing an Oral Surgery private office in the summer time between my 1st and 2nd year of dental school. The following 2 summers, I did 1 externship each. However, I dont recommend going on externships anytime before 3rd year because of the lack of even the most basic of dental knowledge.

I was pretty useless during my very 1st externship in the summer between 2nd and 3rd year.........of course, many people will still argue that I am still useless now.

 

[CranioFacial]

1) What was the layout of the externships (1wk, 2wk, 3wk, 4wk)?
2) And how many? I was considering a 3/4wker coming Summer 2008 b/t 3rd and 4th yr. Then, I was going to try a week before that summer sometime in the school yr and one after that during my senior year.
3) Does this sound like a good idea Doggie or anyone else that has the experience?

 

[drhobie7]

I recommend doing 2 week externships. 1 week is too short. I like 2 weeks because you get to know the program and vice versa, and it lets you see more programs than if you did one 3 or 4 week externship. I recommend starting them after 2nd year. Some programs expect you to extract a ton of teeth. Those may be better saved for later. Other programs only let you observe. That might be the kind to do first. I did 4 and would advise doing as many as you can. You really get a great idea for a program when you extern there. You learn things you just can't find out during interview day. Not to mention it's great experience.

 

[toofache32]

.........of course, many people will still argue that I am still useless now.

Word.

 

[DiaperDandy]

Which externships get you involved the most? Also, which ones are "observation only"

 

[MrVagus]

Which externships get you involved the most? Also, which ones are "observation only"

An applicant this year told me that UPenn was one of those programs that only allowed you to observe. In fact he only SAW one extraction during the entire two weeks that he was externing there. He reported that the externship mostly consisted of following the residents around. However he also added that the relative lack of activity might have been largerly due to the timing of the externship. Not sure if this was/is the norm at Penn, but would anyone one of you care to share your experience/comments/concerns regarding externship there.

Thanks
MrVagus

 

[drhobie7]

You do a lot at Emory and Highland.

 

[dentH]

how about UF externship at Gainesville?

 

[MrVagus]

You do a lot at Emory and Highland.

OK Emory it is. Do they provide housing/accomodations, and if not where else have previous externs lived while they were there.

 

[Doggie]

Word.

I dunno.....seemed like someone was choking last night during the conference. 😱

 

[txdent2be2007]

I'd say that externships at San Antonio and Baylor are like those mentioned above...GREAT programs to train at, but not good for an externship. They won't let you do much.

Definitely give Parkland or LSU NO a try -- you'll get lots of good experience.👍 And breakfast every morning at Parkland...kinda felt like my home away from home (sniffle)!

 

[Doggie]

1) What was the layout of the externships (1wk, 2wk, 3wk, 4wk)?
2) And how many? I was considering a 3/4wker coming Summer 2008 b/t 3rd and 4th yr. Then, I was going to try a week before that summer sometime in the school yr and one after that during my senior year.
3) Does this sound like a good idea Doggie or anyone else that has the experience?

Here's what I did:
-one 2 weeker between 2nd and 3rd year (at UCSF.........dont go there)
-one pseudo 4 weeker during 3rd year (Mt. Sinai)
-one 4 weeker between 3rd and 4th year (Parkland)

I dont know the minimum number of externships you should attend, but do as many as you can. Try to schedule the program you want to impress as the last one, since by then you will know the proper "extern ettiquette."

 

[drhobie7]

OK Emory it is. Do they provide housing/accomodations, and if not where else have previous externs lived while they were there.

I house-sat for a friend during my externship. Atlanta is a tough place to be without a car. I used my friend's car. It'd be a tough place to extern without a car too since you travel among the 3 main hospitals/clinics. You could try checking www.craigslist.org to find a sublease/short term apt. Maybe you could stay in the call room at Grady? Maybe offer an intern shared rent for letting you stay on the couch?

 

[gryffindor]

Here's what I did:
-one 2 weeker between 2nd and 3rd year (at UCSF.........dont go there)
-one pseudo 4 weeker during 3rd year (Mt. Sinai)
-one 4 weeker between 3rd and 4th year (Parkland)

I dont know the minimum number of externships you should attend, but do as many as you can. Try to schedule the program you want to impress as the last one, since by then you will know the proper "extern ettiquette."

That was an externship?

 

[Motown]

Try to schedule the program you want to impress as the last one, since by then you will know the proper "extern ettiquette."

I externed at three very different programs to see what kind of program I was interested in. I externed at my home institution first - to get a handle on the "extern etiquette."
1. Loma Linda - on the west coast and want to "do stuff" as an extern? (+) scrub for surgeries, clinic, dentoalveolar, trauma call - busy, (-) driving between hospitals.
2. Alabama - (+) scrub for surgeries (all day, every day), trauma call -busy, (-) minimal dentoalveolar for externs.
3. North Carolina - (+) very organized (you get your own computer code) formal externship, you get to see plenty of cases, tons of dentoalveolar experience as an extern, (-) not much trauma call in Chapel Hill.

I wanted to pack as much into 2 weeks as possible - so the work all night/all day programs were my personal favorites as an extern:
Alabama, Loma Linda.

I recommend two weeks - get the hang of things, get to know people...and get out of there leaving a good impression. (Hopefully )

 

[CranioFacial]

How much time did you have Dog during your Dental School year? I am attending an institution that will only give about 3wk during Jr/Sr summer. I was planning on a 1wker right after school at my home institution. Then split a 2wker and 2wker b/t two places next yr during my Jr/Sr year summer. Whatcha think 'bout that?

 

[CranioFacial]

Dental School years (as in plural)?

 

[CranioFacial]

Thanks for the RE-sponses so far..................

 

[Doggie]

That was an externship?

"pseudo externship," with much emphasis on "pseudo externship." I put that down on my cv and I am sticking to it!

 

[crackah]

I dunno.....seemed like someone was choking last night during the conference. 😱

Choking? Seemed more like oral diarrhea.

 

[crackah]

I'm currently a first year dental student and I'll be taking NBDE I in Dec 2007. I'm wondering when I should start applying for, and going on externships - in order to be a competitive OMFS applicant in a few years. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

The earlier the better as far as externships go.
But, if you knock out Part I (95 or higher), and you aren't a complete screw-up, you'll get a ton of interviews which means higher chances of matching. You should definitely hang around your school's OMFS pgm in order to let the faculty get to know you so you can get REAL rec letters. I would venture to say that a "good" rec letter from your home program from someone who knows you carries more weight than a "great-generic" rec letter from some program that you spent one or two weeks at.

In order of importance (only my humble opinion here),
1. Part I score (THIS will get you interviews)
2. GPA/rank
3. Rec Letters
4. Externships

But I could be way off.

 

[Ride]

Thanks everyone for your advice! 🙂

 

[Doggie]

How much time did you have Dog during your Dental School year? I am attending an institution that will only give about 3wk during Jr/Sr summer. I was planning on a 1wker right after school at my home institution. Then split a 2wker and 2wker b/t two places next yr during my Jr/Sr year summer. Whatcha think 'bout that?

I had 2 months, 1 month, and 1 month off for each of the summers during dental school. Some of my classmates took extra time off.

 

[MrVagus]

Hey Guys and Gals,
I received some information from Emory about their elective externship and their requesting a $50 application fee, and $100 matriculation fee 😱. Have any of you that externed there or anywhere else in the past encountered these fees? Also lets say I somehow manage to miraculously come up with the cash do I at least get my $100 matriculation fee back if they dont grant me an externship. I'm sure they offer a great learning experience but I personally feel that $150 is a bit steep to be asking from financially strapped dental students. An housing isnt even provided. Any suggestions/comments on how I should proceed.

Thanks

 

[doncorleone]

that's crazy that they want $150, of all the programs that i have contacted this year about externships, none of them have ever asked for a "application and matriculation fee". especially if they don't even give you housing.

 

[drhobie7]

It was definitely more than I paid for my other externships (don't remember paying anything), but it was also my favorite one by far.

 

[oms fan]

I've never heard of that either. If it really is a great externship, I guess it would be worth it.

 

[DiaperDandy]

It was definitely more than I paid for my other externships (don't remember paying anything), but it was also my favorite one by far.

So you did pay the fee...

Why was it your favorite? What made it so different from your other externships?

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

Hey Guys and Gals,
I received some information from Emory about their elective externship and their requesting a $50 application fee, and $100 matriculation fee 😱. Have any of you that externed there or anywhere else in the past encountered these fees? Also lets say I somehow manage to miraculously come up with the cash do I at least get my $100 matriculation fee back if they dont grant me an externship. I'm sure they offer a great learning experience but I personally feel that $150 is a bit steep to be asking from financially strapped dental students. An housing isnt even provided. Any suggestions/comments on how I should proceed.

Thanks

FTS, man. It'll cost you enough flying/driving there, eating, etc. There are plenty of others.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

So you did pay the fee...

Why was it your favorite? What made it so different from your other externships?

For that kind of money, I'd expect a happy ending...

 

[MrVagus]

FTS, man. It'll cost you enough flying/driving there, eating, etc. There are plenty of others.

The cost is one thing but the health information form reads more like a pre-opt H&P for cardiothoracic surgery . Check it out yourselves

http://emorymed.emory.edu/Public/CurriculumPublicPages/Usercontrols/EntranceMedicalRecord.PDF

Where other site can I go to that will offer a comparable externship experience without costing me a rib. Not trying to sound like a miser but the budget is already pared really thin🙁 .

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

Where other site can I go to that will offer a comparable externship experience without costing me a rib. Not trying to sound like a miser but the budget is already pared really thin🙁 .

Nice form. That would have saved me the $40 that I sent to pass to apply there a couple years ago. Wish I would have seen it earlier.

If you head down here, Shreve, we'll put you up in the call room, where the happy ending depends on who's on call that night. You can usually count on a few free meals from the residents -- you used to be able to get all free meals, but they gave us a monthly cap. For the most part, while you're here, you can do whatever you want. Want to see OR cases? Go to the OR. Want to shuck teeth by the gallon? Go to the clinic. Want to do some needlework? We'll give you the call pager (we'll at least teach you first). We're all pretty down-to-earth -- even took a tree-hugging hippie for an intern last year. I'll PM you the contact person if you'd like it.

I had a great time at UAB for an externship a few years back. They've gotten some more good kids since I was there, so I would imagine that the experience would be similar.

 

[drhobie7]

Budget is important. I had a free place to stay and a free car to use while I was in Atlanta. The $150 application and matriculation fee was more than at other places, but I ended up spending less total for my externship at Emory because I had free rent. So for me going there was a great deal.

It was my favorite externship because the people (residents and attendings) were awesome, it was a good mix of OR and dentoalveolar experience, and I got to do a ton and learned a lot.

There are plenty of great places to extern. CardsFan has some good advice. I have heard LSU is an outstanding experience. Heard people dig Parkland and UAB as well.

 

[flat4]

Payed $21 a night for a decent hotel room near the hospital (hospital rate/roomed with a fellow extern). Would have stayed in the call room if I had to but it was nice that I didn't have to sleep on that ****ty deformed bed covered in bugger/semen every night.

Great hands on experience (sounds pretty much like how the above poster described Shrev) and the residents are a "unique" bunch They paid for a lot of my hospital meals but I ended up spending a buttload during the daily Starbucks rounds. I didn't and would not recommend taking call EVERY night. When I was there, there were 2 other externs so we took Q3. Take some nights off and explore the town a little bit. I had a great time on my externships and I hated having to go back to dental school.

 

[GGYY]

guys! is doing an externship during the winter break after you've applied going to make an impact on your application?? take me for example, i'm applying in summer 09. so, ONE)if at the time i apply i list a winter 2009 externship on my cv, will anybody care? and TWO)if that winter 2009 ext is done at a program which just interviewed me, will that influence their ranking of me? thanx!

 

[Doggie]

I had a great time on my externships and I hated having to go back to dental school.

Great time huh? There's a reason I am know as "doggie." 👍

 

[toofache32]

Great time huh? There's a reason I am know as "doggie." 👍

Because that's how you take it?😱

 

[north2southOMFS]

Emory charges 150 bucks for an externship? That is shady city. They certainly don't need to bleed the students any more than students already are. Especially since they will be soon getting seriously raped by the match process.

Just my thoughts.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

I didn't and would not recommend taking call EVERY night. When I was there, there were 2 other externs so we took Q3.

Weak...

 

[JawDoctor]

Hey Guys and Gals,
I received some information from Emory about their elective externship and their requesting a $50 application fee, and $100 matriculation fee 😱. Have any of you that externed there or anywhere else in the past encountered these fees? Also lets say I somehow manage to miraculously come up with the cash do I at least get my $100 matriculation fee back if they dont grant me an externship. I'm sure they offer a great learning experience but I personally feel that $150 is a bit steep to be asking from financially strapped dental students. An housing isnt even provided. Any suggestions/comments on how I should proceed.

Thanks

The cost is one thing but the health information form reads more like a pre-opt H&P for cardiothoracic surgery . Check it out yourselves

http://emorymed.emory.edu/Public/CurriculumPublicPages/Usercontrols/EntranceMedicalRecord.PDF

Where other site can I go to that will offer a comparable externship experience without costing me a rib. Not trying to sound like a miser but the budget is already pared really thin🙁 .

I was aware of the University's $50 application fee, but unaware of the University's $100 matriculation fee. The health services paperwork is just a necessary fact of life and will not change. Any student enrolled in an accredited dental school, who is interested, will be granted an externship as long as the necessary paperwork (mostly pertaining to liability, because this is a hands-on externship) is completed and exchanged with your home school.

For housing there are the following options: You can do something on your own. You can stay in the call room at Grady Memorial Hospital with the on-call resident (There is space for 1 extern at any given time in the call room). Or you can rent a room at the dormitories across the street from Grady. The Dorm, I believe, is about $80 per week.

There is university shuttle bus service between all of the hospitals that is available for free. In addition, our residents often take our externs back and forth as needed. Personally I feel a car would be a liability, unless you already know the town. The shuttles and residents can get you around.

I am in the process of trying to have the University’s $100 matriculation fee waived. If I am unable to have the fee waived, the OMFS Division will pay the fee, to the University, for interested applicants.

I think we have an excellent externship experience, which is hands-on and driven by the extern’s interest. We welcome externs to our program at any time.