Dentistry : Health Sciences Program : Hanover College

Dentistry

image of a dentist working on a patient Are you interested in working in a medically-related field and good at working with your hands? Would you enjoy running your own business? Does having reasonable, generally predictable hours sound appealing? Consider dentistry. You will be performing important work that makes a difference to peoples' lives in the health-care industry, but will get to start practicing after four years of dental school, which has no residency requirement afterward. You'll face little to no life-and-death pressure, and will need less malpractice insurance than medicine requires. You can set your own schedule and run your own office.

Like medicine, dentistry requires excellent academic skills, strong aptitude for sciences, and good communication skills. Manual dexterity is a must, as you will be performing meticulous work with your hands.

If a career in dentistry is appealing, your first step is to contact a dentist to job shadow. Be sure to ask for time to ask questions that will help you decide if this is the right fit for you. To learn more about the field, download the free booklet, ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools.

Students interested in dentistry can gain valuable clinical shadowing through the Dental track of the Medical Scholars Externship. Application details available here.