Is it worth me getting Work Experience in a Dental Practice?

[magpie7]

Hello!

Title says it all really =)
Is it something that I should take up? (because I have been offered it.)

I just don't want Medical Admissions Staff to think that I'm also applying to Dentistry if I mention it on my Personal Statement.

I'm not really lacking Work Experience as such any more. Although, just last week I was panicing about not having any real work experience, today I got 2 letters and a phone call about it =D (Dentistry being one of them.) I guess they were building up over Easter/Bank Holiday ^^

Well, actually, when I say I'm not lacking Work Experience, I'll be applying with [3x1day] courses and [1x3day] consultant shadowing. Also I volunteer with a charity that works with children, and will be volunteering in an Elderly Peoples Home once a week for 3hours throughout the Summer. So I guess I'll only have 6days 'Medicine specific' Work Experience.

Thankyou!
(And sorry for asking so many questions with so few posts- I will get helping other people in anyway I can soon enough!)

Also sorry if I switch between 'Work Experience' and 'work experience'... Its a habbit -_-

[beatrix7]

I would say that it is not really the amount of experience that you have but what you got out of it (and what you can say about it at interview and on ps). I did a week shadowing different consultants in Gloucester and then three days in cardiothoracic surgery in Middlesborough. I got a job at an old people's home (but I didn't work there that many days, probably not more than 7!) and I worked a lot with disabled children, and every summer for two weeks with young children (healthy). Sorry to just list my experience but actually I definately wouldn't have done any more because it was really difficult talking about everything in my personal statement in a way that showed what a lot I had got out of it if that makes sense. I definately think that it is better to do a few things very well rather than loads in not much detail. I got offers from Durham, Peninsula and Glasgow.

Personally I think that you have got enough experience, I'm pretty sure that you are not going to have any problems in this area of you application; it seems that you have got quite a lot and its varied, but this is just my opinion.

I especially wouldn't risk it by doing dentistry. Although I think that actually it would be quite useful in terms of experience, it would be a different thing putting it on your application.

So yeh what im trying to say, not very well is that I don't think that you need any more experience, as long as you think that you have quite a good idea about medicine..... That sounds ridiculous, I never could really understand how you are meant to get that from scrounging shadowing days off health care people. as long as you think that you wouldn't gain much from more experience, it is better to put the time into you ps and stuff.

I hope that some of this is helpful............

[Hughman]

I did it, confirmed for me that Dentistry is -not- the career for me (the only interesting bits was when 'serious' surgery occured, and when people with oral infections and malignancies came in.)

I never mentioned it, not enough room on my statement. I mentioned it in my Nottingham interview i think (and I didn't get in, hmm...)