Externship in OMFS for Undergraduate Dental Candidates

Overview

Massachusetts General Hospital’s Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry (OMFS) offers externship/clerkship opportunities for exceptional third- and fourth-year dental students who would like additional exposure to the discipline and a chance to work in our department. We welcome applications from fourth year students wishing to gain broader exposure to OMFS and get an excellent hands-on experience in our busy outpatient unit. This externship is strongly recommended to students who are considering a career in oral and maxillofacial surgery, but would also be an excellent choice for those pursuing postdoctoral training in orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, oral pathology and medicine or hospital-based dental practice. In addition, medical students contemplating residency training in plastic and reconstructive surgery as well as otorhinolaryngology would find this month-long experience extremely valuable.

Located in downtown Boston, Mass General is a large, level-one trauma center. Our department offers exposure to the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery. The extern will have the opportunity to work in our outpatient unit, attend major day surgical operating room cases, and be involved in multiple didactic conferences in orthognathic surgery, pathology, pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgery, and head and neck oncology. Trauma management and emergency room coverage is also a component of the externship.

We are located in the Wang Ambulatory Care Building, Suite 230. Shuttle bus service is available between the hospital and the Longwood Medical Area.

Requirements

The qualified candidate must be a third- or fourth-year student in good standing attending a US or Canadian dental school. Candidates should have a serious interest in pursuing post-doctoral training and a career in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Externships may be scheduled throughout the calendar year. It is strongly recommended that prospective OMFS residency training candidates choose the earliest available dates to familiarize themselves with both our program and the broad spectrum of OMFS. We will try to the best of our ability to accommodate these requests.

Curriculum

The extern will have the opportunity to observe in the operating room setting the major procedures that are performed as part of our services. This will allow for very broad exposure to orthognathic surgery, pathology and reconstruction, craniofacial surgery, pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgery, as well as extensive trauma management.

Our department takes pride in its varied didactic and educational conferences that allow for interdisciplinary collaboration and continued learning. Weekly conferences will be attended by each extern, including orthognathic treatment planning, pathology, dental implants, a formal didactic lecture series on various medical and surgical topics, and bimonthly visiting lectures by internationally renowned speakers.

Clinical Experience

The extern will function as a sub-intern, becoming well integrated with the Department. Our very busy outpatient unit will afford the chance to learn many dentoalveolar techniques, including simple and surgical extractions, removal of third molars, placement of dental implants, biopsy techniques, temporomandibular joint evaluation and treatment modalities, and the management of dentoalveolar trauma. The extern will be closely supervised by our resident and attending staff in a tutorial-type setting designed to foster comfort and confidence. The extern will have the opportunity to do overnight call with the residents while assessing patients who present to our emergency ward.

How to Apply

Candidates should send a letter expressing interest to:

Zachary Peacock, MD, DMD
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street - Warren 1201
Boston, MA 02114

Email: zpeacock@partners.org 

Please include the following information to complete your application:

1. A statement of your interest in our program
2. A copy of your undergraduate transcript
3. A copy of your dental school transcript
4. Scores from Board examinations, if applicable
5. One letter of recommendation
6. CV or resume
7. Dates you are interested in participating as an extern