This episode is live from Quito, Ecuador. Sully is joined by Morgan, Anna, and Tessa who are three UTHSC D4 students. We discuss what the future holds for these three D4 students and what their plans are. Getting through dental school can be hectic, but once the goal of graduating is over. It is time to begin a new career as a dentist.

We talk about associateships, opening a new practice, taking over a practice, working for the government, and finding mentors. Faced with all of these decisions, it is probably a good time to think about what these students actually want, where they want to live, and what type of practice they want. We talk about finding options and exploring what is and isn’t a good fit.

Show Notes:

[01:03] Morgan is a D4 student at UTHSC College of Dentistry. She is from Indiana.

[01:10] Anna is also a D4 at UTHSC. She is from Connecticut.

[01:26] Tessa is also a D4 from Knoxville, TN.

[01:58] Dental school was different than they thought it would be. The time commitment is much bigger.

[02:39] The computer system and the school system took awhile to get the hang of.

[02:55] After graduating, you realize how much you don't know.

[03:09] What is next and how to deal with that.

[03:30] For Anna associateship is an option. Where depends on the licensing. Finding a good mentor is also an option.

[04:33] Find where you want to go and then find a job. Or find a job and go there.

[05:28] It's okay to find an opportunity and learn and then move on.

[06:02] Find a dentist you know and get them to introduce you to their network.

[06:38] Dental reps can be great resources for finding dental jobs.

[08:17] Cessa is not sure where she wants to go and is thinking about some type of government job.

[09:20] Start to write down what you think life will look like in a year and 5 years. Put together your vision and your goals. This can push you faster by setting yourself up to accomplish things.

[12:22] Traveling dentists in buses who go to schools. Morgan is applying for pediatric dentistry residencies.

[14:20] A lot of people are going to specialize or at least going through the application process.

[15:21] How sharing your goals can motivate you.

[16:59] Just because there are a lot of dentists, it does not necessarily mean that it is saturated. You can separate yourself from everyone else.

[18:45] Branding and social media and building your brand as a student. Start building a portfolio in dental school.

[22:36] Consider getting a nice DSLR camera.

[22:57] How to get to know a dentist you may want to work with. Go out to lunch with the team without the doctor. This can give you a real perspective. Also dig in to see what you have in common and what their long term goals are.

[25:15] Set up a contract with a trial period. You either know if it is worth working for or that it is not working.

[27:42] Have structure in place before starting an associateship or it could end badly. Also try looking at x-rays together to see if your treatment ideas are similar.

[29:12] Anna asks about programs looking for associateships like Practice on Fire and DDSMatch.

[30:05] The big thing to figure out is where you want to live.

[30:15] Sit down and decide what you want and what you want life to look like.

[31:34] You are never going to be ready for running your own practice. It is sink or swim. You can build good support with office managers etc.

As always thanks so much for listening! If you like the show we would love for you to review the show on iTunes as well as spread the word! If you have any questions or want to get in touch, shoot me an email at [email protected].  

Links and Resources:

[email protected]

The Millennial Dentist Website

@Millennialdentist on Facebook

@MillennialDDS on Twitter

On Instagram  Dr. Sully…@Millennialdentist on InstagramDr. Peyman…@drpeyray on Instagram

Dr. Sully’s website and blog

Practice on Fire

DDSMatch