PT job in Dental school??

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x0jessmariex3

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So I currently work as a DA but will be starting DS this August. My job keeps asking if I will stay once I start school. I've been telling them I'm not too sure and if anything it would have to be Saturdays only or every other Sat. The general consensus from the faculty and students seems to be "you don't want to spread yourself too thin." Good idea? Bad idea? Thoughts?

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Unless you're naturally gifted at learning large quantities of information very quickly, I would highly doubt you could pull this off with a regular enough schedule to keep a job.
 
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I'd suggest focusing only in school for the first few months at least to see how you're doing (grade and time-wise). If you feel like you have extra time then it doesn't hurt to work on weekends or after-school hours on weekdays. You'd have more time in 3rd and 4th year because there are not a lot to study unlike the first 2 years. But again, everybody is different. I didn't start working until the second half of 2nd year.
Also, there are work-study jobs available ranging from 10-20 hours a week (almost double national minimum wage). A lot of them are flexible too (in term of having free time to study for your classes at work). I found one right in the same clinic but for different program so I don't have to worry about driving to work.
 
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So I currently work as a DA but will be starting DS this August. My job keeps asking if I will stay once I start school. I've been telling them I'm not too sure and if anything it would have to be Saturdays only or every other Sat. The general consensus from the faculty and students seems to be "you don't want to spread yourself too thin." Good idea? Bad idea? Thoughts?
i work one saturday a month as a dental assistant when I started dental school. it is totally doable and it is nice to get out of the school mode and work. it is a nice reminder / good motivation why you are working so hard at school :p
 
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Unless you're naturally gifted at learning large quantities of information very quickly, I would highly doubt you could pull this off with a regular enough schedule to keep a job.
Well in UG I always took 16-17 credits a semester with 2 PT Jobs. So I am used to a lot on my plate but it seems like most people think its not a good idea lol.

i work one saturday a month as a dental assistant when I started dental school. it is totally doable and it is nice to get out of the school mode and work. it is a nice reminder / good motivation why you are working so hard at school :p

Hmm I think I will try one or two saturdays a month and see how it goes. First year may be unrealistic though lol.
 
Well in UG I always took 16-17 credits a semester with 2 PT Jobs. So I am used to a lot on my plate but it seems like most people think its not a good idea lol.



Hmm I think I will try one or two saturdays a month and see how it goes. First year may be unrealistic though lol.
i just finished my first yr. for me it was okay to do one sat a month :)
 
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Are you planning on doing general dentistry?

Working on the weekends can easily be done. I work 3-4 hours a night (yes every night and 2 Saturdays a month) as a dentist taking out wisdom teeth and full mouth extractions while going to med school and it's doable. Be efficient and don't let others discourage you from your abilities.

Do the hygiene thing, no question in my book.
 
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Are you planning on doing general dentistry?

Working on the weekends can easily be done. I work 3-4 hours a night (yes every night and 2 Saturdays a month) as a dentist taking out wisdom teeth and full mouth extractions while going to med school and it's doable. Be efficient and don't let others discourage you from your abilities.

Do the hygiene thing, no question in my book.

I would like to hear your story as that is an interesting career route.
 
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Are you planning on doing general dentistry?

Working on the weekends can easily be done. I work 3-4 hours a night (yes every night and 2 Saturdays a month) as a dentist taking out wisdom teeth and full mouth extractions while going to med school and it's doable. Be efficient and don't let others discourage you from your abilities.

Do the hygiene thing, no question in my book.
Wow, never heard of anyone in OMFS residency doing this. Was it mainly just for money? How did it affect your studying?
 
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So I currently work as a DA but will be starting DS this August. My job keeps asking if I will stay once I start school. I've been telling them I'm not too sure and if anything it would have to be Saturdays only or every other Sat. The general consensus from the faculty and students seems to be "you don't want to spread yourself too thin." Good idea? Bad idea? Thoughts?
Don't do it.

DS is very demanding, mentally and physically. The workload and learning curve is steep the first 2 didactic years, and you would risk lower GPA (even worse, failing a class) and more stress trying to balance PT work and FT DS.

I used to run a website during dental school, and made money from Google Ads. It wasn't much, but $300-400 a month paid for my grocery and utility bills. I use to run the website while I was in class, so it didnt take much time or commute to another place to make the income. Google Ads has changed since and it would be tougher to make similar income these days.

If you were my DA, I would probably let you go and so you could focus on DS for your own good.

Good luck with DS.
 
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I took Fridays nights and all day Saturday off my whole 1st year. I'd think you could work every Saturday but question is it worth it? I'd rather have a decompress day than have an extra $350/month. Burn out is real if you never have relax time.
 
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I would like to hear your story as that is an interesting career route.
Wow, never heard of anyone in OMFS residency doing this. Was it mainly just for money? How did it affect your studying?

As an OMFS resident that has a dental license, you can moonlight during the med school years if your residency permits it. I do med school 5 hours away from my residency and spend 2 years out here in West Texas. I do Year 2 & Year 3 of med school out here, and Year 2 is merely a slow review of what i already know from taking CBSE.

So I decided to rather work full time at a clinic as a dentist all throughout Year 2 med school and get paid well while gaining good dentoalveolar experience by doing all the surgical cases for them, from every type of 3rd you can think of to full mouths, biopsies, benign path. I did some fillings (300-400) last year too just because they showed up on my schedule every now and then and those are easy. The clinic has day clinic (8-5) for EXTS, exams, fillings, and anything else you feel comfortable with and wish to do. No pressure. There is also a night clinic (5-8ish) that is strictly for surgical cases where I also worked often. I worked from 45-55 hours a week, and then took my exams every 2-3 weeks considering my med school did not have attendance requirements. Id take the day off before exams, go thru all the material and take the tests. Easily doable.

As a 3rd Year med student, you are required to waste your time doing rotations during the day. I do not get done until around 4-5, so I work at the night clinic and do all surgical cases from 5-8ish, 5 nights nights a week, 2 Saturdays a month.

I do all this for the money and the experience. I have learned and done well over what what many other residents have done in regards to dentoalveolar and oral path have at this point into a 6 year OMFS residency. I have made a lot of money these last 2 years, which has permitted me to go on awesome vacations, save some money, and buy a bunch of stuff I need/want.

So when I hear that someone considers working 1-2 Saturdays a week doing hygiene, I automatically think its easily doable. Everyone works at different paces, and is efficient or inefficient in their own way. Yes we all have the same 24 hours in a day, but in my opinion dental school can easily be done well while still spending only 8-16 hours (if even that) a month doing something else like working. That much time lost should not be putting a dent in your school time or life to cause increased stress thats worth complaining or worrying about if you're doing it right. After all, how much time would anyone say they spend doing dumb stuff like checking Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, Twatter, etc that ends up likely eating up more time a month than what one may use to work instead..........
 
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As an OMFS resident that has a dental license, you can moonlight during the med school years if your residency permits it. I do med school 5 hours away from my residency and spend 2 years out here in West Texas. I do Year 2 & Year 3 of med school out here, and Year 2 is merely a slow review of what i already know from taking CBSE.

So I decided to rather work full time at a clinic as a dentist all throughout Year 2 med school and get paid well while gaining good dentoalveolar experience by doing all the surgical cases for them, from every type of 3rd you can think of to full mouths, biopsies, benign path. I did some fillings (300-400) last year too just because they showed up on my schedule every now and then and those are easy. The clinic has day clinic (8-5) for EXTS, exams, fillings, and anything else you feel comfortable with and wish to do. No pressure. There is also a night clinic (5-8ish) that is strictly for surgical cases where I also worked often. I worked from 45-55 hours a week, and then took my exams every 2-3 weeks considering my med school did not have attendance requirements. Id take the day off before exams, go thru all the material and take the tests. Easily doable.

As a 3rd Year med student, you are required to waste your time doing rotations during the day. I do not get done until around 4-5, so I work at the night clinic and do all surgical cases from 5-8ish, 5 nights nights a week, 2 Saturdays a month.

I do all this for the money and the experience. I have learned and done well over what what many other residents have done in regards to dentoalveolar and oral path have at this point into a 6 year OMFS residency. I have made a lot of money these last 2 years, which has permitted me to go on awesome vacations, save some money, and buy a bunch of stuff I need/want.

So when I hear that someone considers working 1-2 Saturdays a week doing hygiene, I automatically think its easily doable. Everyone works at different paces, and is efficient or inefficient in their own way. Yes we all have the same 24 hours in a day, but in my opinion dental school can easily be done well while still spending only 8-16 hours (if even that) a month doing something else like working. That much time lost should not be putting a dent in your school time or life to cause increased stress thats worth complaining or worrying about if you're doing it right. After all, how much time would anyone say they spend doing dumb stuff like checking Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, Twatter, etc that ends up likely eating up more time a month than what one may use to work instead..........

Do you do the most complex wisdom teeth extractions too? How do you feel confident and competent without having finished OMFS training yet? Aren't you basically saying that one can do the most complex dentoalveolar without the residency?

Thanks.
 
Do you do the most complex wisdom teeth extractions too? How do you feel confident and competent without having finished OMFS training yet? Aren't you basically saying that one can do the most complex dentoalveolar without the residency?

Thanks.
I'd imagine extractions are one of the simpler things learned in residency. That's why general dentists do them too (albeit not the most difficult cases). OMFS residency is involves much more than this: OMS Procedures | AAOMS
 
Do you do the most complex wisdom teeth extractions too? How do you feel confident and competent without having finished OMFS training yet? Aren't you basically saying that one can do the most complex dentoalveolar without the residency?

Thanks.


Absolutely. I have referred out only 3 cases in 2 years, only because they involved large cysts that involved IAN and were already numb or having some level of paresthesia. I don't have OR privileges out here to plate the mandibular fracture or deal with traumatic nerve repairs that I would likely cause in these cases. I did many externships but I also have a coresident with me out here that did 2 years OMFS internship and helped guide me when needed in the beginning. I am also aggressive in regards to doing procedures, and strongly believe that you can only get better by doing more so we pushed each other to do it all and it's paid off. So I do believe that with the right conditions and strive to be better and willing to take risks, push yourself out of your comfort zone over and over again without being negligent or oblivious to what you're doing, yes I do believe one could master dentoalveolar as good as any OMFS without a residency.

Simply put: If there is a tooth, and there is a mouth, theres a way to get it out.

As far as saying extractions as being a simpler part of a residency, I don't know if thats not necessarily the case. You hear things like, "I can take out this tumor, so I'm sure I can get out an impacted wisdom tooth." This is sadly not the case and faulty thinking at best. Different surgeries, different complications and difficulties with each. We had an attending that used to say that he thought wisdom teeth were the hardest and most unpredictable part of OMFS and I can't help but understand to an extent where he was coming from at this point, although I haven't been primary surgeon in any OR cases yet so I can't fully say I agree completely or not. Getting good at 3rds involves building speed and efficiency, and considering I do all cases out here under only local anesthesia, it requires you to only develop ways to get better without hurting people. Sure, some general dentists may feel comfortable taking out some thirds and good for them. But I also know many general dentists that say they do 3rds in their office and you only find out they do fully erupted cases and/or they take 1-2 hours to take out these teeth that would take us 10-15 min; to me, thats not being able to take out teeth. With enough time, any monkey can eventually get a tooth out if given enough time to butcher it out but that does not equate to saying one can take them out, at least in my lowly opinion.
 
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Absolutely. I have referred out only 3 cases in 2 years, only because they involved large cysts that involved IAN and were already numb or having some level of paresthesia. I don't have OR privileges out here to plate the mandibular fracture or deal with traumatic nerve repairs that I would likely cause in these cases. I did many externships but I also have a coresident with me out here that did 2 years OMFS internship and helped guide me when needed in the beginning. I am also aggressive in regards to doing procedures, and strongly believe that you can only get better by doing more so we pushed each other to do it all and it's paid off. So I do believe that with the right conditions and strive to be better and willing to take risks, push yourself out of your comfort zone over and over again without being negligent or oblivious to what you're doing, yes I do believe one could master dentoalveolar as good as any OMFS without a residency.

Simply put: If there is a tooth, and there is a mouth, theres a way to get it out.

As far as saying extractions as being a simpler part of a residency, I don't know if thats not necessarily the case. You hear things like, "I can take out this tumor, so I'm sure I can get out an impacted wisdom tooth." This is sadly not the case and faulty thinking at best. Different surgeries, different complications and difficulties with each. We had an attending that used to say that he thought wisdom teeth were the hardest and most unpredictable part of OMFS and I can't help but understand to an extent where he was coming from at this point, although I haven't been primary surgeon in any OR cases yet so I can't fully say I agree completely or not. Getting good at 3rds involves building speed and efficiency, and considering I do all cases out here under only local anesthesia, it requires you to only develop ways to get better without hurting people. Sure, some general dentists may feel comfortable taking out some thirds and good for them. But I also know many general dentists that say they do 3rds in their office and you only find out they do fully erupted cases and/or they take 1-2 hours to take out these teeth that would take us 10-15 min; to me, thats not being able to take out teeth. With enough time, any monkey can eventually get a tooth out if given enough time to butcher it out but that does not equate to saying one can take them out, at least in my lowly opinion.
your info's blowing my mind.

if any general dentist can do dentoalveolar as good as an omfs, is doing a 4-6 brutal residency not worth it for the 90% of surgeons who only do dentoalveolar in private practice?
since you dont have OR privileges, how do you deal with a potential fracture or nerve repair?
 
your info's blowing my mind.

if any general dentist can do dentoalveolar as good as an omfs, is doing a 4-6 brutal residency not worth it for the 90% of surgeons who only do dentoalveolar in private practice?
since you dont have OR privileges, how do you deal with a potential fracture or nerve repair?

That first question is quite loaded. I just think that if one wished to be as good as an OMFS in regards to dentoalveolar specifically, it could happen but that person must be willing to take big risks and learn quite a bit about medical management of these patients on their own or in practice. The big issue is what if a complication happens that an OMFS could have possibly prevented that you the general dentist couldn't manage to do or did not refer when appropriate; you the general dentist will be held to the same standards as an OMFS but you won't have the credentialing to back it up. Doesn't't look good in the case one tries to sue you. There is a lot more than physically taking the teeth out in these patients that make a case a successful one. SO what I'm saying that if one were quite ambitious and had the right tools around them then its possible to say that it may not be worth it to some but Im not doing residency just take out teeth only.

In potential fractures or other more severe potential complications, you gotta assess how likely it may be based off experience and knowledge (tough to assess at times) but a discussion about what the plan is if these things come up before you touch the patient is always wise. If I really feel like Im going to break their jaw, I'm referring out but if Im thinking I can get away with it I still have the convo and let them make that decision to have me take it out really cheap with this already-discussed potential complication and see OMFS after or send them to in town OMFS from the beginning. Document, obtain consent, and move forward accordingly.
 
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It's not worth it.
You will get tired. People want to have some time off if they can, watching the people I know struggle, I know this is very hard. So why hurt yourself even more.
You need time to breathe, instead of working, go hike or watch a movie or something nice that assuming you can have extra time! haha
Sleep will be the most valuable thing in the first years of dental schools.
 
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As an OMFS resident that has a dental license, you can moonlight during the med school years if your residency permits it. I do med school 5 hours away from my residency and spend 2 years out here in West Texas. I do Year 2 & Year 3 of med school out here, and Year 2 is merely a slow review of what i already know from taking CBSE.

So I decided to rather work full time at a clinic as a dentist all throughout Year 2 med school and get paid well while gaining good dentoalveolar experience by doing all the surgical cases for them, from every type of 3rd you can think of to full mouths, biopsies, benign path. I did some fillings (300-400) last year too just because they showed up on my schedule every now and then and those are easy. The clinic has day clinic (8-5) for EXTS, exams, fillings, and anything else you feel comfortable with and wish to do. No pressure. There is also a night clinic (5-8ish) that is strictly for surgical cases where I also worked often. I worked from 45-55 hours a week, and then took my exams every 2-3 weeks considering my med school did not have attendance requirements. Id take the day off before exams, go thru all the material and take the tests. Easily doable.

As a 3rd Year med student, you are required to waste your time doing rotations during the day. I do not get done until around 4-5, so I work at the night clinic and do all surgical cases from 5-8ish, 5 nights nights a week, 2 Saturdays a month.

I do all this for the money and the experience. I have learned and done well over what what many other residents have done in regards to dentoalveolar and oral path have at this point into a 6 year OMFS residency. I have made a lot of money these last 2 years, which has permitted me to go on awesome vacations, save some money, and buy a bunch of stuff I need/want.

So when I hear that someone considers working 1-2 Saturdays a week doing hygiene, I automatically think its easily doable. Everyone works at different paces, and is efficient or inefficient in their own way. Yes we all have the same 24 hours in a day, but in my opinion dental school can easily be done well while still spending only 8-16 hours (if even that) a month doing something else like working. That much time lost should not be putting a dent in your school time or life to cause increased stress thats worth complaining or worrying about if you're doing it right. After all, how much time would anyone say they spend doing dumb stuff like checking Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, Twatter, etc that ends up likely eating up more time a month than what one may use to work instead..........
you are amazing!!! thanks for sharing!
 
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As an OMFS resident that has a dental license, you can moonlight during the med school years if your residency permits it. I do med school 5 hours away from my residency and spend 2 years out here in West Texas. I do Year 2 & Year 3 of med school out here, and Year 2 is merely a slow review of what i already know from taking CBSE.

So I decided to rather work full time at a clinic as a dentist all throughout Year 2 med school and get paid well while gaining good dentoalveolar experience by doing all the surgical cases for them, from every type of 3rd you can think of to full mouths, biopsies, benign path. I did some fillings (300-400) last year too just because they showed up on my schedule every now and then and those are easy. The clinic has day clinic (8-5) for EXTS, exams, fillings, and anything else you feel comfortable with and wish to do. No pressure. There is also a night clinic (5-8ish) that is strictly for surgical cases where I also worked often. I worked from 45-55 hours a week, and then took my exams every 2-3 weeks considering my med school did not have attendance requirements. Id take the day off before exams, go thru all the material and take the tests. Easily doable.

As a 3rd Year med student, you are required to waste your time doing rotations during the day. I do not get done until around 4-5, so I work at the night clinic and do all surgical cases from 5-8ish, 5 nights nights a week, 2 Saturdays a month.

I do all this for the money and the experience. I have learned and done well over what what many other residents have done in regards to dentoalveolar and oral path have at this point into a 6 year OMFS residency. I have made a lot of money these last 2 years, which has permitted me to go on awesome vacations, save some money, and buy a bunch of stuff I need/want.

So when I hear that someone considers working 1-2 Saturdays a week doing hygiene, I automatically think its easily doable. Everyone works at different paces, and is efficient or inefficient in their own way. Yes we all have the same 24 hours in a day, but in my opinion dental school can easily be done well while still spending only 8-16 hours (if even that) a month doing something else like working. That much time lost should not be putting a dent in your school time or life to cause increased stress thats worth complaining or worrying about if you're doing it right. After all, how much time would anyone say they spend doing dumb stuff like checking Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, Twatter, etc that ends up likely eating up more time a month than what one may use to work instead..........
Have you been able to work during the OMS residency as well? Or is that practically impossible or not worth the money/experience?
How much were you earning approximately per day worked during 2nd and 3rd year of medical school? Enough to pay for medical school tuition and fees, dental/undergrad. debt, mortgage?

Thanks.
 
So I currently work as a DA but will be starting DS this August. My job keeps asking if I will stay once I start school. I've been telling them I'm not too sure and if anything it would have to be Saturdays only or every other Sat. The general consensus from the faculty and students seems to be "you don't want to spread yourself too thin." Good idea? Bad idea? Thoughts?

Back to OP, I personally think it's doable to work 1-2 Saturdays a month. Everyone is different, for some it'd be too much, for others, easy. From what you said a/b your undergrad schedule, I think you'd be fine. I plan to continue working 1-2 Saturdays/month as well as a hygienist while in DS. That way I keep up my clinical skills while in didactic courses for the first 2yrs, have some income, and stay connected in the field for potential opportunities once I graduate. Academia and real world are SOOOO different! Staying involved in the real world is invaluable, IMO.
 
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Drive for Lyft, make money when you have free time
 
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do you really want to work instead of having free time and hanging out with classmates that will be your life long friends??
 
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Lol I actually do this on the side now. If anyone was curious I already put my two weeks for the DA job last week :D
Smart decision. I plan on doing Lyft in dental school. I do it now every once in a while when I need extra cash for going out. It's perfect cuz you don't have to worry about getting shifts covered before your exam. Just make sure you don't let anyone enter your car with open bottles. Also you'll get some sketchy af people on weekday nights
 
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