First Dental Shadowing of the Year

With less than 50 days until I take my DAT and about 60 days until I get my application materials in, I finally got my first shadowing experience of the year with a general practioner. Admittedly, I was a little anxious on my ride over to his office. The "what if's" abounded: what if I don't find the work interesting, what if I don't have any questions, what if I trip and fall into a patient while he is getting his dentures realigned? I have shadowed in the past, but now that I am in the application process, it means a lot more to me.

But, my greatest concern was that I would be reduced to yawning and struggling to keep my eyes open during the five and half hours I would shadow. Even though I am mentally prepared to become a dentist, there is a huge difference to believing you want to be a dentist and seeing it firsthand. I have heard of people who, once going to shadow, have decided that the profession just is not for them. Sure it happens, but I think I have gone through the "I-need-time-to-think-about-my-life" phase enough.

You can imagine my relief when I finally looked at the clock and realized that the time literally flew by. During my time, I found the work fascinating, had hundreds of questions to ask, and did not embarrass myself by falling into a patient. All in all, it was a great experience. And, I am even more certain that I want to be a dentist. I guess I will not be as anxious the next time I am driving to shadow.