Following MD/DO/DDS on Snapchat

Snapchat is an ever so popular picture/messaging app that many of us use several times throughout any given day. But, what if I told you that as a preprofessional student, you can gain even more benefits from it? It's true! I am in my junior year of undergrad so I'll be applying to dental school this upcoming cycle. At one point I was having thoughts about becoming a dermatologist or PA instead of pursuing dentistry. Sometimes it isn't always easy to find people or time to shadow, and even then sometimes only after shadowing once you can't get a good feel for what their day to day patients are like.....

One GREAT tool I have been using to my advantage is Snapchat; they don't call it a social networking app for nothing. How have I been using it? I have been following predental student associations like ASDAnet and Future Dentists, and I am even following doctors too, like Dr. Sandra Lee. This is such a great way to see what their practice is like, cases they see, and can give you a good taste of what their daily operations look like through viewing their Snapchat stories!

For instance, FutureDentists is an account in which a different dental student takes over daily, each from a different dental school. Recently I have been trying to decide on which schools to apply to, and this has certainly helped me! Many of the dental students will show their school's simulation lab, classrooms, fellow students, what they're working on, and will even answer questions during their Snapchat takeover. Over the past few weeks, schools that I am particularly interested in like UDM Dental School and U of M have taken over, so I have been able to see their institutions without even having to leave my bed. The student will take you through their entire day, usually from the time they wake up until they're studying at 11pm. I can't say how cool it is to get a glimpse into these schools before applying!!!

With professional doctors and their snapchat, this has been a great way for me to factor out other professions that I possibly had an interest in. For instance, Dr. Sandra Lee is a dermatologist in California who snaps different dermatology cases daily. This is not only fun to watch, but has helped me rule out dermatology (I also did do some shadowing in person to help me make that choice, FYI). If you are interested in a particular area of medicine that you'd like to specialize in, I'm sure there is at least one doctor that will have a Snapchat you can follow.

Here are some other Snapchat accounts:

Plastic Surgery:

• dr-smiley (Dr. Tarick Smiley)
• mydrsej (Dr. Sejal Patel)
• realdrdallas (Dr. Robert Najera)
• bodysculptor (Dr. Otto Placik)
• therealdrmiami (Dr. Michael Salzhauer)

Radiology:

• skyhawk4480r (Dr. John Skinner)

By: Samantha