Attending the University of Utah for my General Practice Residency was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. From day one at the U of U GPR, you’ll be exposed to many advanced cases, allowing you to enhance your clinical and professional skills tremendously. There is a great advantage in training at our GPR, because we do not have any dental specialty departments, as other programs do. As a result, all of the complex treatment (wisdom tooth extractions, implants, molar root canals, trauma) is absorbed by our clinic and we’re able to do these procedures routinely, which would otherwise be referred out. In addition to seeing patients for routine dental care, we are responsible for providing dental clearance for patients prior to major/transplant surgeries and inpatients to rule out any source of dental infection. This allows you to develop effective communication skills with physicians, nurses, and other staff in the hospital. My on-call and OR experiences were extremely valuable as well. Sometimes being on-call will involve you going into the clinic on the weekend or after hours late into the night. I remember one time the pager was going off just before we were leaving the University Hospital Clinic for the day. It was determined that the patient needed full mouth extractions urgently prior to their heart transplant which would happen in just a couple of days. We were in the OR until 2:30 am that night doing full mouth extractions and alveoloplasty! At both clinics, Greenwood and University Hospital, you’ll get a good mix of restorative, crown & bridge, oral surgery, implants, endodontics (a lot of molar endo), removable, pediatrics, and even advanced periodontal surgeries (connective tissue grafts, crown lengthening). By performing such a wide variety of procedures, this residency will help you decide which procedures you like doing and what you’ll incorporate into private practice. Our attendings are very caring, intelligent, and they’ll always share their wisdom with you to guide you in the right direction. Our Program Directors, Dr. Proctor and Dr. Collman are very committed to each resident and want you to excel clinically, professionally, and personally. Dr. Proctor has built such a great program over the years and provides you with some of the best resources that dentistry has to offer. It’s all right in front of you! The cherry on top is that you’ll develop lifelong friendships with your co-residents and may find yourself investing in a ski pass for the winter! Salt Lake City has plentiful outdoor activities and scenic views that are really unmatched. The U of U GPR will grow on you a lot and it’ll just feel like one big family! If you’re ready to work hard, enhance your clinical skills, and love the outdoors, then the University of Utah GPR is the program for you. Go Utes!
How can I follow such excellent and true testimonials from our senior residents? The most important thing to know is that I would 100% choose this residency again, every time, here at the University of Utah. My time as a University of Utah Ute was brief, but its impact will be lasting. As residents, our scope of practice was both broad AND deep across many specialties, a privilege infrequently experienced in dental school and other GPRs. I spent my undergraduate and dental school careers at a school where all 11 dental specialties are represented with residencies. I can testify that at the University of Utah, a great advantage for the level of training the GPR provides is the absence of other advanced residencies - there is no competition with advanced specialty residents for complex, educational, and challenging cases. Within the University of Utah School of Dentistry and University Hospital, GPR residents take on cases that in other organizations would be passed to resident endodontists, oral surgeons, periodontists, prosthodontists, you name it. In general, if a dentist can do it, we do it, and more! Additionally, the culture at the U is founded on respect and support. From day one, Dr. Proctor reminded me I was “Dr. Means,” not “Dr. Kate,” the name I thought I’d call myself before I realized I had truly earned these credentials. Dr. Proctor and Dr. Collman are tirelessly available, prioritizing our education and experience above many, many other aspects of their personal and professional lives. Support from our clinical attendings is also noteworthy: our specialist attendings are fantastic and eager to share pearls and be hands-on with procedures. Our many general dentist attendings are extremely skilled, and each of them has something unique to offer the program and its residents. Just like anything else, you get out what you put in. This program is not for the faint of heart and taking call at a Level 1 Trauma Center serving a 5-state area is demanding. Some days we were in the OR – LATE – performing surgical procedures alongside our physician colleagues that I may never have the privilege of seeing again. Showing up for your patients, your attendings, yourself, and importantly your co-residents as the best, hardest-working, and most eager-to-learn version of yourself every day is a baseline expectation. Beyond gaining clinical skills, my goal in completing a post graduate program was to define my comfort zone and know my limits as a general dentist. With guidance, I hoped to perform procedures more advanced than I anticipated continuing in my practice. As they say, practice harder than you play! I wanted hands-on experience with the teeth, cases, and patients I am suited to take on in my general practice, but more importantly learn to identify those which would have better outcomes at the hands of a specialist. Though we are all life-long learners while practicing dentistry, this GPR helped me push my limits of acceptable cases and overall made me a better dentist. I may be biased, but I am not sure that any other program would have so quickly improved my diagnostic, critical thinking, and procedural skills. Hats off to our fabulous attendings! When I was considering programs, I had high expectations for this GPR. I knew this program would bring me a load of experience and knowledge. I don’t know how it is possible, but I feel that my experience in the program has surpassed that of what I expected. As a resident, your own willingness to be prepared for cases and patients is truly your only limit. If you are ready to give 110% and are excited about maximizing your dental education, providing excellent dental care to patients who really need it, and hope to spend an extra year learning the tips, tricks, and real-world dentistry they don’t teach in dental school – this program is for you. Go Utes!
The best part about the University of Utah General Practice Residency program is that you gain hands-on experience in almost all facets of dentistry. After graduating dental school, I wanted to learn how to do more complex procedures such as implants, wisdom teeth extractions, molar root canals, full mouth rehabilitations, crown lengthening, overdentures, sinus lifts, and more. Not only did I get to do all of the above multiple times, but I got to work with some of the nicest, most knowledgeable faculty in all specialties and be exposed to aspects of general medicine and hospital dentistry that I had never planned on being involved in. While my career pursuits remain in private practice, I am so happy I got to experience what it’s like to work with doctors in the hospital setting, complete dentistry in the operating room, and take calls that allowed me to treat both simple and complex trauma cases; all while giving me a lot of repetition in the variety of dental procedures offered in the private practice setting. The amount of knowledge and confidence I gained from this year far surpassed my expectations, and it’s easy to say there are no regrets when it came to choosing this program. When it comes to life outside the residency, it’s nice to have several co-residents to bond and share the experience with. The staff are so friendly and will often host events or get togethers outside the clinic. There are plenty of national parks, hikes, mountains, and places to explore and activities to do, so it makes for a fun time to spend a year that goes by fast! If you have any questions regarding the program from a resident’s perspective, or just want to learn more, feel free to ask Wendi Rood for my contact information. I’d be happy to recommend this program to anyone looking to expand their knowledge and clinical skills as a dentist.
To say that this general practice residency program exceeded my expectations would be a colossal understatement. This post-doctoral program provides an opportunity to practice and expand upon all aspects of dentistry. While practicing general dentistry daily, we also have the opportunity to perform procedures that would often be done by specialists. As the only dental residency at the hospital, we are endodontists, oral surgeons, periodontists, prosthodontics, and hospital dentists. Taking call taught me how to calmly and properly deal with emergencies and improve my skills in communicating with my medical colleagues. Caring for patients with special healthcare needs in the operating room taught me speed and efficiency, as well as how to best care for patients with a variety of medical conditions safely, and with compassion. And with guidance from our amazing attendings, the programs offers the opportunity to perform procedures and execute treatment plans that I could not have even dreamed of. It would be remiss to talk about the U of U School of Dentistry GPR program without raving about all that the surrounding nature that Salt Lake has to offer. All around the city, nature abounds - from "the greatest snow on earth" to an endless variety of hikes, each with its own unique and spectacular view. Add to that, five national parks (plus Lake Powell), and I have difficulty understanding why anyone would not be drawn to this amazing state. Dr. Proctor, along with Dr. Marc Collman, work everyday to advocate for their residents to make sure we have the best clinical and personal experience possible. The attendings create an environment that encourages independence, while still facilitating collective learning and encouraging questions and discussions. Last, but far from least, are the lifelong friendships I developed with my co-residents. From day hikes and camping trips, to daily conversation in the residents room, I could not have been more blessed with a better group of people. Nine people who teach me, challenge me, support me, and inspire me to be a better dentists on a daily basis. If you are lucky enough to be selected for this program, savor every second.
Contact Us
General Practice Residency
Wendi Rood
Program Manager
Email: wendi.rood@hsc.utah.edu
