I have had the pleasure of meeting many current
dental students and recent graduates. You are definitely
in a different position than we were in my day
- I graduated dental school 18 years ago! First and
foremost is the debt burden that today's graduates
must repay. I know my student loan tally was intimidating
when I graduated, but the debt balances new
graduates carry today are absolutely frightening.
These burdens can cloud your judgment and I'm here
to be the little voice inside your head that says,
"Think first about your professional life and the
money will find you." Let me explain.
You did not graduate dental school with all the
knowledge you need to be successful. Embrace the fact
that the profession of dentistry requires continuous
learning, beyond what may be required by your dental
board to maintain your license. My personal bias leans
towards Dentaltown.com as a premier source for your
continuous learning as it is accessible 24/7/365. You
can ask questions and get answers, or simply learn
from reading the conversations of thousands of dentists
around the world sharing cases and issues from
their practice. As examples, I have selected a couple of
message boards from our website to include in this
special edition of Dentaltown Magazine (page 8). In
addition to the very popular message board section of
our site, we also have a massive library of accredited
CE courses available to you.
One new grad explained to me that the
hospital-based residency was a humbling
experience for her, and she left knowing that
there is still a lot to learn. I think this is one
of the great benefits to a hospital-based residency
or AEGD program. In fact, if you do
not have a family member or relative waiting
for you to join their practice, I would strongly suggest
you consider this option. In most cases the experience
you will get in a hospital-based program will exceed
the run-of-the-mill life in private practice and you
will gain a valuable perspective on what you still need
to learn.
Similar to the business of running a practice,
many dental schools do not have much time to devote
to ethics in dentistry. The schools have many rules
that require ethical behavior during your time in the
program, but this is a topic that is very critical to a new
dentist. After graduation you will discover there are a
variety of practice opportunities available in the marketplace.
Some may be experienced dentists looking to
bring someone in and provide valuable mentorship as
they develop their skills, while others may simply be
looking for a warm body to continue their fleecing of
the general public. If you are entering the marketplace
for an associateship, you will find a wide spectrum of
opportunities. In spite of the fact that we do not take
a "Hippocratic Oath” in dentistry, you should always
operate on the principle of ‘doing the right thing' for
your patients. The golden rule is often the best mantra
for your treatment planning: treat others as you would
like to be treated. Perfecting and maintaining professionalism
in these ways will find your career more
successful, and your practice more profitable.
If on the other hand, you would feel comfortable
in a profession that already has dwindling respect and
a lack of trust from the general public, do us all a
favor and go to law school!
If you have a question, please e-mail me at
tom@dentaltown.com. I welcome your comments
and discussion on the digital version of this article
online or within the digital version of our magazine.
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