Postdoctoral Observership
The Postdoctoral Periodontal Program at The Ohio
State University (OSU) College of Dentistry offers a formalized
short-term educational
experience for foreign trained dentists. This short-term
educational experience is an "internship” program, formally called
“Observership in Periodontology".
The Observership in Periodontology is a fixed duration (3, 6,
or 9 months) program for foreign trained dentists. Three months
is the absolute shortest period for which a dentist may apply and 9
months the longest. This program is considered a "Continuing
Education" (CE) course and a tuition fee is required to attend.
Regardless of the number of trimesters one attends, a certificate of
attendance with the specific attendance dates is provided upon
completion of the program.
The Observership follows the exact schedule of the residency, with the
exception that clinical activities are limited to assisting and
observing, while the residents provide direct care. Observers attend
all classes/seminars the residents attend. Therefore, the only
difference, besides not receiving graduate school credit, is the fact
that observers are not directly treating patients. In individual
cases, an Observership of at least 6 months may also be combined
with research activities, for qualified individuals who might be so
inclined.
The Observership program has accepted foreign trained dentists from
various countries, such as Brazil, China, Egypt, Germany, Greece,
India, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon,
Libya, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Korea,
Taiwan, and Turkey.
Foreign trained dentists who have participated in this CE program
have found it to be very useful, especially in terms of: periodontal
and implant surgery exposure; broader experience with US dentistry;
opportunity to practice and perfect their English language skills;
and helping them decide whether pursuing a formal
residency in the US is what they really want to do. Most past
participants decided to pursue and successfully completed a formal
periodontal residency (certificate) program in the US, while a few
past participants opted to pursue a US dental (DDS) program for
foreign trained dentists.
Completion of this CE
program will likely help the foreign trained dentist who
subsequently decides to apply to formal training programs, since
he/she will be able to a) demonstrate interest in the specialty, b)
assert exposure to advanced periodontal and implant surgery
procedures, c) show awareness of US clinical practices and d)
possibly receive reference letters from the program
faculty when applying to other programs.
Foreign trained dentists considering the Observership program should
keep in mind two unique aspects of this educational
experience: a) the OSU periodontal program is surgery intensive (including
implant surgery), and b) the cost of living in Columbus is very
reasonable (and far less than in cities such as Boston, Los
Angeles, or New York), despite the fact that Columbus, which is the
15th largest city in the US, is the center of a fast-growing
metropolitan area with a population close to 2 million people. More
information on the city of Columbus can be found
here.
If
this educational opportunity is of interest to you, please contact
via email the Program Director (tatakis.1@osu.edu).
