Hey DDS04,
Well, my sister got her trial associateships via a number of sources... From the attendings in her GPR program and instructors from her school, she was able to get some referrals to practices looking to take on associates, plus the usual ad hunts.
Her trial associateships ran the gamut.. One was with one of the midtown Manhattan practices which offered high-tech stuff like CEREC-3, hard and soft-tissue lasers, etc. I won't name names, but it didn't work out because the owner treated the new associates like peons-- He expects you to work 6 days a week, arrive 8AM every day and leave after 7PM.
Others she looked at included one of those single-dentist practices that are tucked away in quiet apartment buildings which seemed very prevalent in NYC. That didn't work out either-- Not busy enough. The owner dentist was at the stage where he is looking to take on a partner and eventually transfer ownership through a buy-out so he can retire, and his patient pool was pretty "grey" (lots of folks who have been seeing him for decades).
My sister finally settled on an associateship in a group practice in Westchester which provided comprehensive care with specialists in-house (endo, pedo, perio, oral surgery, ortho, etc.), which also spreads out the legal risks (NYC is one of the most litigious places in the country!). While it's not as high-tech as the one in Midtown, there is plenty she could learn from the specialists, which was why she took it on. Westchester (Scarsdale specifically) is also an affluent community and she could do lots of high-value procedures like implant surgery and restoration. And most importantly, the owner and staff are pleasant to work with (most of the time) and the location is in a commercial district surrounded by upscale shops so it is highly visible.
My sister is not going to buy into that group practice though, because her goal is to establish her own (with some help from me, of course.) 😀
Hopefully in a few years after we both have paid off most of our loans, we can pool our resources and build a practice somewhere in the Tri-State area, probably following the group practice model. She likes Westchester, I like Long Island. But I'm sure we'll reach a compromise..