Externships

[superchris147]

Hey guys, I'm pretty ignorant about this topic and I did a search but couldn't find a ton of stuff so if anyone could just give a quick reply to some of my questions or the mods just lock this is its in the wrong place:

When is the best time in dental school to do externships? (ie: right after third year?)
Do all the specialties have externships or is it just OMFS? (I know, I'm ignorant)
Did you guys actually see them as a good experience or just an experience to kiss up to faculty of that program?

Any help would be appreciated

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[OMFSdoc]

Hey guys, I'm pretty ignorant about this topic and I did a search but couldn't find a ton of stuff so if anyone could just give a quick reply to some of my questions or the mods just lock this is its in the wrong place:

When is the best time in dental school to do externships? (ie: right after third year?)
*Between 3-4th year so you have a clinical year under your belt. You will be able to understand and do more.

Do all the specialties have externships or is it just OMFS? (I know, I'm ignorant)
*OMFS definately, some peds and ortho(from what I hear), I don't know about the rest

Did you guys actually see them as a good experience or just an experience to kiss up to faculty of that program?
*Great experience. It allows you to do a few things:
-Learn more about the specialty
-See what resident life is like
-The program will be able to see that your hard working and committed to the specialty
-You get to see if you would actually be happy at that program aside from the song and dance that all programs put on during the interview day.

Good luck

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

Did you guys actually see them as a good experience or just an experience to kiss up to faculty of that program?

Please don't try to kiss up to anyone when you extern. Everyone sees right through it, and you only end up making yourself look stupid. Now, tossing salad is a different story...

 

[Doggie]

Please don't try to kiss up to anyone when you extern. Everyone sees right through it, and you only end up making yourself look stupid. Now, tossing salad is a different story...

Worse than kissing @ss is that the extern thinks they know a lot about oral surgery and all its intricacies.

 

[drhobie7]

Hi,
I'm half-way through my 2 week externship at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. I'm having a great time. People are super cool, I've been in the OR 5 days total and got to scrub in for some cases. Here's a partial list of what I saw in and out of the OR:

Pt with hemifacial microsomia who got a mandibular ramus distractor and maxillary distractor. That was sweet.
A bunch of sinus lifts and implants. The head of the clinic Dr. Kraut does between 1,200-1,500 implants a year.
Some 3rd molar extractions.
About 5 Le Forte 1s with various combinations of segments.
About 4 iliac crest harvests, one of which was for mandible reconstruction after glioblastoma resection.
2 alveolar cleft repairs with bone harvested from anterior iliac crest.
One case that was a Le Forte 1, IVRO, and genioplasty. That was cool.

I'm there from 12-14 hours a day, not doing call. Great experience so far.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Hobie, thanks for the post. Sounds like a great experience.