Dental anesthesiology

[ariredso823]

Hi all,
I’m in 1st year and I just found out about dental anesthesiology residency. I’m not to fond of working with teeth so far but I love the medical/bio side of things. Could someone shed light on the competitiveness of this residency and the best way to get in. Also if you don’t get in, does doing a GPR and reapplying increase your chances of getting in?

Also is it a very competitive field once you have the job or are dental Anesthesiologists preferred over medical Anesthesiologists ?

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[sobertiger]

This doesn't answer all of your questions but it was the best post I read regarding DA.

I researched on DA extensively while I was in dental school, even had lunch with practicing DA's and program faculties.

In short, pros are:

1. Very lucrative if you are in high demand, with minimum effort in comparison to what oral surgeons have to go through to make a good living.
2. 2 yrs residency with relatively low competition.
3. Great hours if you schedule your cases together on certain days.
4. Very small overhead in terms of business (just need to buy the meds, and pay for 1 assistant who travels with DA).
5. It's a cheaper route for Pediatric dentists than sending patients to the hospital for GA, they can do GA in-house with the DA.

Cons:
1. Long and odd trips between practices. Some DA's go to one city for few cases, the next day they could be on the other side of the state (if not on neighboring states). All those driving can ultimately turn the DA to a truck driver.
2. Malpractice Insurance is uber high.
3. Tricky to sell DA service to dentists who need the services, you have to win their confidence with time and patience.
4. Competing with Medical anesthesiologist and OS guys in some markets, and there was even talks about DA's should not exist by the AAOMFS.
5. Adult cases usually go to an oral surgeon, child cases are mostly special needs.

Overall, good gig if you REALLY love the field. Bad if you are doing it for the money.

 

[shendo]

This doesn't answer all of your questions but it was the best post I read regarding DA.

FYI, dental anesthesiology programs are no longer 2 years, but now CODA has required to the programs to be 3 years of training.

 

[sobertiger]

This was another good one by a practicing DA.

As a practicing DA for 8 years, I would strongly consider medical school if you have the will to be a "student" again. There is quite a bit of false information out there regarding a DA's average salary, level of skill and even demand/need depending on where one chooses to practice.

First off, do not be misled into believing a DA is "leading the dental profession" in income because they do not. Jobs offering exceedingly high incomes are found in less than desirable places to live since that is where a dental surgery center can survive due to the high volume of low income children. In that instance, a new grad can find work in the 300K range right out of residency if they are willing to put in 12 hour days seeing kids in an assembly line fashion. However, if a new grad intends on settling in a desirable densely populated and relatively urban area, they will discover their "need" does not exist. Income expectations should be cut to roughly 25% of above mentioned numbers and the urge to pick up a hand piece will return out of necessity ... if you do not believe me ... well ... all I can say is I have personal experience in both atmospheres ... there is a reason some DAs only provide anesthesia and others practice as an operator/anesthetist and the REASON is need/demand specific to their region ... quality of life, family location etc have to factor into your decision to seek the $ or settle into a different kind of practice model as a DA ...

As far as specialty status, DAs need this to assure future rights to practice anesthesia, sustainability of residency programs and credibility in areas of the country where it is currently low ... it is a double edged sword in the fact that new graduates will tend to decrease the need if they gravitate toward areas with sufficient current DA coverage. It is difficult for DAs to practice in a number of states due to regulation ... of course that is another thread entirely about the politics between DAs and OS

The last factor that should make any dentist think twice about a career as a DA is the impending health care changes that will flood the office based market with MDs and in states that allow independent practice CRNAs ... this will bring the cost of office based anesthesia down tremendously ... I have 3 separate groups in my state that are all competing for limited offices ... it is going to come down to patient cost and provider availability and the end result is likely a loss of income I have grown accustomed to ... adding more DA graduates is only going to further dilute available work ... THIS is the sole reason you see many DAs set up shop as a GP with the niche ability to provide sedation/anesthesia ... to shield themselves from the coming onslaught of providers competing for the office based market ... In one sense DAs had better hope the specialty passes so future DAs/OS have the ability to provide sedation/anesthesia and in one respect growing our field will hinder future DA practice unless new grads move to areas of need and not set up shop in the "golden state"

Also remember nothing in life worthwhile comes easy ... so when comparing "new grad salary" remember a DA has a low glass ceiling since they can only see one patient at a time and bill per hour ... an established dentist (GP or otherwise) typically makes far more $ than a DA assuming you work at building a practice ... do not short yourself by comparing initial income while ignoring the equity and value of dental practice growth ...

 

[ariredso823]

Thank you for the posts very helpful.