Does dental school location affect future job prospects?

[bandymanny]

I hope to get a perspective from those who are currently in dental school and might be graduating soon.

I'm a CA resident, and I'm currently trying to decide between attending Western University and Marquette University. I intend to eventually practice in CA permanently. I'd like to ask some questions to get a better picture for the potential job prospects behind each choice. (I've written a more-detailed post on another thread)

- Does where you go to dental school influence your job opportunities after graduation? For example, there may be a greater number of openings in private practices/dental corporations for a more populous city vs a less populous one.
- Can you truly build meaningful connections/networks during dental school that help you secure a job after graduation?
- Do dental students typically graduate with a job lined up after graduation? How would I maximize chances of this during dental school?
- Do dental schools take steps (before graduation) to help students with securing jobs after graduation?
- How beneficial are GPRs/AEGDs in securing employment with private offices/dental corps when we do eventually start practicing?

A big thank you to everyone!

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[hellopeople]

No. Nobody cares.

 

[charlestweed]

Nobody cares where you attend school. When hiring, the employers will need 4 things from you:

1. DDS degree.

2. CA dental license.

3. Malpractice insurance. Some corp offices such as Western Dental pay for your malpractice insurance. I think you should buy one for yourself in case you switch job or want to get another P/T job somewhere else.

4. CPR certificate.

If you don't have any of these 4 items ready, they are not going to wait for you to get these 4 items since there are already plenty of dentists here in CA for them to hire. And some places don't even consider interviewing you when you say you are a new grad and have zero work experience.

 

[beannaithe]

I hope to get a perspective from those who are currently in dental school and might be graduating soon.

I'm a CA resident, and I'm currently trying to decide between attending Western University and Marquette University. I intend to eventually practice in CA permanently. I'd like to ask some questions to get a better picture for the potential job prospects behind each choice. (I've written a more-detailed post on another thread)

- Does where you go to dental school influence your job opportunities after graduation? For example, there may be a greater number of openings in private practices/dental corporations for a more populous city vs a less populous one.
- Can you truly build meaningful connections/networks during dental school that help you secure a job after graduation?
- Do dental students typically graduate with a job lined up after graduation? How would I maximize chances of this during dental school?
- Do dental schools take steps (before graduation) to help students with securing jobs after graduation?
- How beneficial are GPRs/AEGDs in securing employment with private offices/dental corps when we do eventually start practicing?

A big thank you to everyone!

I've had one patient care where I went to dental school, but only because they hated the school's football team. More people care where I did my residency vs. my dental school. Job opportunties will tend to be more plentiful in areas where there is more saturation/competition. I built my network as I've practiced, but I practice across the state from where I went to school. That being said, I network at CE courses, local events, and with sales reps (these are most helpful for knowing who needs an associate and who is a good person to work for). But I am a long-term associate in the same practice, so I haven't needed to use the network yet. My residency/previous jobs were more important. My dental school did not help people with finding jobs after graduation outside of a job board. My GPR was way more helpful for networking/securing a job after graduation. Most places I interviewed for my first job did not want someone without a GPR or experience.

 

[bandymanny]

I've had one patient care where I went to dental school, but only because they hated the school's football team. More people care where I did my residency vs. my dental school. Job opportunties will tend to be more plentiful in areas where there is more saturation/competition. I built my network as I've practiced, but I practice across the state from where I went to school. That being said, I network at CE courses, local events, and with sales reps (these are most helpful for knowing who needs an associate and who is a good person to work for). But I am a long-term associate in the same practice, so I haven't needed to use the network yet. My residency/previous jobs were more important. My dental school did not help people with finding jobs after graduation outside of a job board. My GPR was way more helpful for networking/securing a job after graduation. Most places I interviewed for my first job did not want someone without a GPR or experience.

Gotcha! That's precisely what I thought: that employers would look more meaningfully at experiences like GPRs/AEGDs/CE courses, since they show your desire to strengthen your skills as a dentist!

However, I'd like to ask how you went about networking, as I'd like to be prepared once I'm in dental school/residency/looking for jobs

 

[ysrebob]

Well it is undeniably easier to discover and interview for jobs that are local to you. I got my first job through local networking. A classmate knew about an unadvertised opening in an excellent FFS private practice in her hometown, and helped me get an interview with the owner. Also, unless the various state licensing laws have been rationalized since I graduated, it's a royal pain if your school doesn't offer a regional board exam that you need to license in your intended work location.

But these are surmountable obstacles. The standard advice -- i.e. to attend the cheapest school you can gain admission to regardless of location -- remains correct in almost every conceivable circumstance.

 

[beannaithe]

However, I'd like to ask how you went about networking, as I'd like to be prepared once I'm in dental school/residency/looking for jobs

It's pretty easy. You just introduce yourself to someone and talk to them during whatever event you go to (CE, lunch and learn, etc). I got a lot of connections in my GPR from the instructors and other dentists that would come in to lecture. You'll get to know a lot of people through that. The more local CE you go to, the more people you'll see over and over again. I try to talk to everyone I can at lunch or sitting around me. Sometimes, you'll put a face to a name of a local dentist and other times you'll meet someone totally new. I used to get phone numbers for sales reps/doctors I knew were looking and add some people I met on Facebook. Usually, the jobs that you'll find at these events will be word of mouth. Like "Dr. So-and-so is looking for an associate" or "I'm looking for an associate" or "I work for Dr. Somebody and I'm getting ready to buy a practice" or "I'm planning to sell my practice in the next few years" etc. It's pretty common and I've had several offers for interviews from CE courses and I also knew which specialist to avoid referring to and who would be looking for an associate/to sell from these conversations.

And don't forget to build your networking with support staff when you start working. You'll know the good people from the bad and over the years, they will likely be able to send you on job leads as well. Some of the assistants/hygienists I worked with in the past will text me occasionally about a job lead/temp work. And same thing, they can tell you who is good and who isn't. I don't use it as much anymore since I found a steady, long-term associate job but I use it now to help my boss find auxiliary staff.

Definitely make sure you do this wherever you go. It's a great way to help your future career.