Where is the line between shadowing and volunteering for dentist?

[TheSandlapper]

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[JLT223]

So as it stands almost all my shadowing had been done at a volunteer dental clinic. At first it was just your average shadowing situation, I stand there watching and asking questions. As time went on though I've gotten more and more hands on to the point now that I'm wearing a lab coat and serving as a dental assistant. Heck one day a surgeon even told me to pull the patients tooth. What should I consider this?

You got to pull a patient's tooth? Yikes.

 

[Maybe.a.dentist]

You got to pull a patient's tooth? Yikes.

Scary

 

[kuef1pet]

For one I wouldn't tell admissions you pulled a patients tooth. Besides that I would list it under either of those, I don't think it really matters. If you think you need more volunteering hours put it there if you don't have a ton of shadowing put it there.

 

[akog]

You're right that you have to choose whether to put this position under "dentistry/shadowing" or "extracurricular/volunteer" within the professional experience section of your application. However, the dentistry/shadowing section has some flexibility when it asks you the position type: you have the choice to check the activity as BOTH "job shadowing" and "volunteer."

That will let anyone reading your application understand. Now, even though you check it as volunteer, it will still tally the hours under dentistry/shadowing total on you cover sheet, not under volunteer/extracurricular hours. But this is reasonable to me. In my experience, most dental clinics have more than enough help at the unskilled pre-dental volunteer level, so your time there is really helping you more than its helping them.

Long story short, it's a shadowing experience which you may flag as volunteer-like.

And don't tell anyone you pulled a tooth. I'm sure it was fine, but it's an opportunity for someone to get down your throat, so to speak.

 

[doc toothache]

So as it stands almost all my shadowing had been done at a volunteer dental clinic. At first it was just your average shadowing situation, I stand there watching and asking questions. As time went on though I've gotten more and more hands on to the point now that I'm wearing a lab coat and serving as a dental assistant. Heck one day a surgeon even told me to pull the patients tooth. What should I consider this?

"Pulling" teeth should definitely go under dental experience, but it sounds like the good doc was more interested in volunteering others than him/herself. In his/her case, he/she and everyone else might have been better served had he/she attended and ethics/jurisprudence refresher course instead of volunteering.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/mission-trips-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly.945694/

 

[Typical Average Student]

Heck one day a surgeon even told me to pull the patients tooth.

Do NOT tell adcoms you did this. Since you are not a licensed and trained professional, you should not participate in permanent procedures on patients. Even if the doctor said it's okay, it ain't okay.

To answer you question, you can split your hourly experience into separate categories. Lets say you were there for a total of 100 hours, 30 of which for shadowing 70 for volunteering, you can put that into two individual categories.

 

[Jbrowndds]

So as it stands almost all my shadowing had been done at a volunteer dental clinic. At first it was just your average shadowing situation, I stand there watching and asking questions. As time went on though I've gotten more and more hands on to the point now that I'm wearing a lab coat and serving as a dental assistant. Heck one day a surgeon even told me to pull the patients tooth. What should I consider this?

Now I know...you did not...pull a patient's tooth. Please tell me you told him no thanks.

 

[okiedokeartichoke]

Heck one day a surgeon even told me to pull the patients tooth

Yikes, that's not okay ...

 

[DJI]

Heck one day a surgeon even told me to pull the patients tooth.

I know it's already been said but, holy ****!

What should I consider this?

Unethical. You should consider that unethical.