Dental Externships
We offer dental externships for dental students enrolled in an ADA. Accredited Dental School. The externship must also be approved in advance by the respective dental school.
An externship offers an opportunity for hands on clinical experience in a hospital outpatient dental setting. Externs will have an opportunity to treat medically compromised patients and may be asked to seek medical clearance prior to treatment in some cases. They will provide palliative and definitive treatment to our walk-in dental emergencies including toothaches and trauma. When the opportunity presents itself, they may be allowed to observe the delivery of dental care in the operating room setting of the hospital.
Dental externships vary in length but usually are a minimum of two weeks. There is no cost to the student. The purpose is to expose dental students to hospital-based dental residency training and what it has to offer. Dental externships are ideal for helping dental students determine if they would like to pursue training in a specific program, geographic location or in comparing General Practice Residencies to Advanced Education in General Dentistry Programs. They will have the opportunity to meet and discuss the program with recent dental school graduates who are currently enrolled in the program and our volunteer attendings.
For more information, please contact Dr. Evelyn Salgado at 1-877-884-2269.
Shadowing Opportunities
High school students and college students in pre-dental curriculums are welcome to shadow the current dental residents in our program.
College Students
Pre-dental college students from local schools including Utica College and Hamilton College as well as any student who doesn’t attend school locally but home on semester break or summer break are encouraged to observe dental residents in the clinical setting.
High School Students
New Visions Students
The New Visions: Health Careers program is designed for high school seniors interested in medical and health-related professions. Rotations are structured observations of professionals and procedures in a career field. New Visions: Health Careers students spend from one day to three weeks in 40 to 50 clinical and administrative areas of their hospital and at local health care facilities. Students completing New Visions have a clearer vision of their career and college goals along with firsthand knowledge of the day-to-day demands and rewards of various professions. New Visions programs are offered during the first part of the school day, from 8-11:30am.
School and Business Alliance (SABA) Students
The SABA students are juniors and seniors from a variety of high schools in Oneida County. This program gives students a valuable perspective of what types of careers are available within the health care industry.
Making the Necessary Arrangements
The following will help guide you through the process.
1. Arranging an externship with your dental school:
If you are arranging an externship as a requirement for dental school then you should notify your school’s externship coordinator of your decision because your school may require a collaborative agreement between the site and the school. If your school does not have such an agreement in place from previous years, then you will need to have these parties begin discussing the agreement immediately. This process can take considerable time. You should address this issue immediately upon your decision to avoid disappointment if your school and the site do not workout the prior agreement.
If you are not doing this as a requirement for dental school, then you are welcome to shadow the dental residents but you will not be allowed to provide direct patient care due to licensure and liability issues. Once cleared by the Volunteer Office at Mohawk Valley Health System, you will be allowed to perform the responsibilities of a chairside dental assistant on a voluntary basis.
2. Arranging an externship or shadowing:
See the following forms for instructions on submitting your application:
Dental Externship Health Requirements
