Added: 02/16/2006 |
A Dentist Career Requires Years of Study and Hard WorkA dentist career begins with studying at one of the dental schools for 4 academic years. Applicants are required to take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). Besides, it is necessary for the applicant to have at least 2 years of college-level education irrespective of the major chosen. However, most of applicants have a Bachelor's degree.
It is preferable that an applicant to dental school majors in some science such as biology, chemistry or physics, but other subjects? Majors are also allowed. Some of the applicants are accepted to dental school after 2 or 3 years of studying at college and complete their Bachelor's degree when attending dental school.
Everything is important for the applicant to be accepted to dental school: DAT scores, grade point averages, information from recommendations and interviews. The competition is extremely rough. It is connected with the high level of dentist's responsibility against his patient and with the high requirements to his special skills and qualification.
Dentist is highly responsible for his patient's health. Thus, the best, only the best should be engaged in this specialty. Dentist career is not only a high dentist salary but also a great responsibility.
Dental studying usually takes 4 academic years. For the first 2 years students study theory and have their practices in such basic sciences as anatomy, microbiology, biochemistry, psychology, etc. They are given lectures and perform a laboratory work, have beginning courses in clinical sciences and laboratory techniques.
The last two years are devoted to dental practice properly. Students try their best in treating patients in dental clinics under the supervision of experienced licensed dentists. Dental schools usually provide their graduates with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or the equivalent degree of Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).
After graduating from dental school a graduate has such opportunities as work for established dentist as associate for 1 or 2 years in order to get more practical experience and at the same time to save money for equipment for an office of his own. If an associate can afford it he can purchase an established practice or open his own immediately after his graduation.
Some graduates want to teach or conduct researches. They usually take an advanced 2-5 year dental training in programs managed by dental schools or hospitals. So, you can see that dentist career may develop in different directions after graduating from dental school. If one wants to become a dentist practitioner one must know about dentist working conditions.
Most dentists use such equipment as: dental chair and light, dental instruments and materials, an x-ray machine, sterilizing equipment, computers, other specialized dental instruments and equipment such as IV-sedation equipment, mixing machines for fillings, anesthetic equipment and materials.
And finally a few words about dentist salary. An average dentist salary makes up about $129,920 a year. Out of that salary they must pay for office space, and pay for the equipment they use. What's left over is still probably enough to get by. But they can earn more if they are the owners of private dental office or private practice.
As you see dentist career means not only a high salary or public respect but it is a very difficult career to achieve.
Statistic data were given from http://www.salary.com.
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