AAOMS Mentor Program
Looking for a mentor? Residents can be paired with a well-established OMS through the AAOMS Mentorship Program.
What does the program provide residents?
- An avenue to learn about the practices and issues facing the profession from experienced AAOMS members
- Information on obtaining counsel and guidance relative to life after residency
- Exploration of different practice models and career paths
What can a mentor do for you?
A mentor is a good resource for helping you:
- Explore career pathways, including academics, federal service, fellowships, private or group practice, foreign-trained, etc.
- Strengthen non-clinical skills, such as interviewing, marketing, networking, practice management and recruiting.
- Obtain financial planning guidance in early years of practice.
- Understand the board certification process.
- Learn more about special interests as defined on the application.
How do I sign up for the mentor program?
Fill out an application online. Application review and mentor assignments occur on a rolling basis. Each matched pair will receive the contact information of their match to initiate contact. Mentees should initiate communication with a short introduction and initial questions.
What if the relationship doesn’t work?
If you give it your best shot but the match does not seem to work effectively, contact AAOMS Membership staff who can offer suggestions for improving the situation. If you feel you and your assigned match are not well-paired, a new pairing may be made. New assignments may be made throughout the year. Additionally, AAOMS staff will conduct an annual check-in with mentors and mentees.
Are you an OMS looking to join the AAOMS Mentorship Program? Mentor applications are available here.
ROAAOMS Women in OMS Mentor Program
The Women in OMS Mentorship Program was inspired by female dental students expressing the desire to connect with female residents to gain a female perspective on the OMS specialty. With the AAOMS Special Interest Group on Women in OMS recently launching, now is the time to connect. Women make up 18 percent of OMS residents despite dental schools consistently enrolling approximately 50 percent women. The ROAAOMS Women in OMS Mentorship Program is targeting pre-dental/dental students with the desire to increase their knowledge of the OMS specialty and matching them with a mentor to guide them through becoming an OMS. The program hopes to:
- Provide a female perspective on the application process and residency to female dental students interested in the OMS specialty.
- Offer mentorship and create long-term networking opportunities.
- Increase the percentages of qualified women in the OMS specialty.
Become a mentor to pre-dental and dental students
The roles and responsibilities of a mentor include:
- Timely communication (within two weeks) expected.
- Give advice and answer questions related (but not limited) to:
- CBSE studying
- Externships
- Application process
- Personal statement, CV and letters of recommendation
- Advice on schools to apply to/perspective on schools
- Interview tips – how to portray and demonstrate yourself as a strong candidate
- What to do in case of a low CBSE, rejection, internship/alternative options, etc.
- Life as female resident
- Special interests, such as non-traditional applicant issues (e.g., post-dental school), foreign-trained, LBGTQ issues, racial minority, pregnancy during residency, childcare, strategy for applying with a lower CBSE, long-distance relationships, couples match
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed in December, April and August. Assignments will be announced within one month from the review date.
Are you a pre-dental or dental student looking to join the Women in OMS Mentorship Program? Mentee applications are available here.
ROAAOMS Underrepresented Minorities (URM) in OMS Mentor Program
The ROAAOMS Underrepresented Minority OMS Mentorship Program was inspired by the need to connect more with minority dental students who are looking to gain perspective on the OMS specialty. Approximately 10 percent of OMS residents are underrepresented minorities (URMs) despite comprising 32.6 percent of the U.S. population.
Per the Association of American Medical Colleges, URMs are defined as “racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population,” which in the OMS specialty includes Black/African American, Hispanic, American Indian and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander race/ethnicities.
This program seeks to work toward improving diversity through recruitment and mentorship of underrepresented minority pre-dental/dental students. The goal of this mentorship will be to increase mentees’ knowledge of the OMS specialty, dispel any concerns they may have about entering the field, empower them and guide them through the application process with the intent of increasing the percentages of qualified URMs in the specialty. The ROAAOMS Underrepresented Minority OMS Mentorship Program also hopes to:
- Provide a perspective on the application process and residency to URM dental and pre-dental students who are interested in the OMS specialty, given that many dental schools lack OMS residencies with URM residents or attendings.
- Provide mentorship and create long-term networking opportunities.
- Identify obstacles preventing URMs from entering the OMS specialty.
- Begin earlier recruitment of prospective OMS applicants because of a lack of diversity within dental schools that creates a pipeline issue, which the program aims to address.
- Provide a relationship that allows for discussion of concerns unique to URMs.
- Provide education and assistance with the interview process.
- Offer the potential to survey mentors and mentees to produce a publishable results about recruitment of URMs to the OMS specialty, then undertake interventions to increase recruitment of qualified URM applicants.
Become a mentor to pre-dental and dental students
The roles and responsibilities of a mentor include:
- Timely communication (within two weeks) expected.
- Give advice and answer questions related (but not limited) to:
- CBSE studying.
- Externships.
- Application process.
- Personal statement, CV and letters of recommendation.
- Advice on schools to apply to/perspective on schools.
- Interview tips – how to portray and demonstrate yourself as a strong candidate.
- What to do in case of a low CBSE, rejection, internship/alternative options, etc.
- Life as an URM resident and navigating conversations regarding race that may occur with patients or staff.
- Special interests, such as non-traditional applicant issues (i.e., post-dental school), foreign-trained, LBGTQ+ issues, strategy for applying with a lower CBSE and managing a work-life balance.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed in December, April and August. Assignments will be announced within one month from the review date.
Are you a pre-dental or dental student looking to join the Underrepresented Minority Mentorship Program? Mentee applications are available here.
