Dentist Shadowing

[RxTech]

I have heard that having some sort of shadowing experience is important to have on your dental resume before you apply to schools. If that's true, how do you actually find a dentist to shadow? My dentist is out of my proximity so I can't really find a dentist I know unless I just sit down and list through the white pages. I know I definitely want dentistry, so how will shadowing benefit me? Lets just pretend I did get a position, what's the point of watching the same procedure over and over again? What if you don't shadow, will your chances of getting in decrease?

Thank you,

Dmitry

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[45540]

unless I just sit down and list through the white pages

that'll work, or call your dentist and ask him if he knows anyone. or find a family member/friend who has a dentist they know somewhat.

 

[toothcaries]

open up a phone book...


..and call every single dentist until someone says "sure".

...it may be best to maybe call on a saturday....or call the dental school and ask for alumni in your area.

 

[sidewalkman]

Opening up a phone book... I would never have the guts to do that. Kudos to you if you succeeded.

Have you considered a dental clinic for the uninsured? I'm volunteering at one right now. Much better than shadowing, IMHO. You may get a chance to do simple things during a procedure like suctioning, instead of just watching. To boot, the dentists there aren't worried about $$$, so they can really take the time to explain procedures, answer all your questions, etc. This also means you'll be shadowing dentists who are passionate about their work, since they're there for free!. Finally, not one case I've seen yet could be described as run-of-the-mill.

Here's a link for some clinics in NJ: http://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/njdental.htm

 

[RxTech]

sidewalkman, thanks for the clinic idea. I'll call them on monday to see if they need any help. The phone book idea is somewhat a little too shady for me because I might end up shadowing some criminal. Thanks for all the replies.

Dmitry