Nasty owners

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dentalsurgeon2b

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My boyfriend's situation makes me kind of nervous about ever becoming an associate. I think I will purchase my solo practice as soon as I graduate from dental school.

My boyfriend has been working as an associate for about a little over a year and has found out that the owner has been taking away a lot of his new patients. He found out through a former co-worker that the owner had told the front desk to schedule some of my boyfriend's patients with him. The SOB never discussed this with my boyfriend. Over time, my boyfriend noticed a smaller patient load which made him suspicious. I think the owner also charged higher service fees because of his experience while my boyfriend, of course, couldn't charge the same.

What should my boyfriend do? Anyone else hear of nightmarish stories like this?

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dentalsurgeon2b said:
My boyfriend's situation makes me kind of nervous about ever becoming an associate. I think I will purchase my solo practice as soon as I graduate from dental school.

My boyfriend has been working as an associate for about a little over a year and has found out that the owner has been taking away a lot of his new patients. He found out through a former co-worker that the owner had told the front desk to schedule some of my boyfriend's patients with him. The SOB never discussed this with my boyfriend. Over time, my boyfriend noticed a smaller patient load which made him suspicious. I think the owner also charged higher service fees because of his experience while my boyfriend, of course, couldn't charge the same.

What should my boyfriend do? Anyone else hear of nightmarish stories like this?

Get him out of that practice ASAP!!!!!!! I'd guess that he's probably being paid on collections not production and/or salary to add insult to injury. Basically one of the toughest things for many owners/senior docs to get the concept of is that when you take on an associate, what your really looking for is the associate to develop a "practice within the practice" where the associate dentist has basically their own patient pool, the senior docs have their own patient pool, and everyone has coverage.

The problem is that many senior docs when looking to get an associate aren't busy enough to really need one. If your looking to join a practice and they can't offer you a full time spot that can be filled EASILY they aren't busy enough. Plus, if you as an associate are busy, you're bringin in more new patients to the practice, creating more demand for hygiene, and that's where the senior doc(s) wll make some $$ of you're being there. If the senior docs are taking selective patients from you, get out, because they're looking at you not as a colleague, but a meal ticket.

It's pretty simple if your busy, you're supporting your "practice within a practice", you're making $$, the practice is making $$ and everyone is happy.

If the senior doc is selectively taking patients from you, basically call an a$$ an a$$ and get out of that practice! Just remember there are more dentists nearing retirement age than are graduating each year, the numbers are in your favor!
 
i don't know what the terms of his contract is, but if he can get out ASAP then he should. there are a lot od A$$es out there tryig to make a quick buck, but there are also a lot of owner/employers who truly care about the profession and taking care of their employees. He learned a valuable lesson first hand.

I hope he remembers this when he hires an associate.
 
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DrJeff said:
Get him out of that practice ASAP!!!!!!! I'd guess that he's probably being paid on collections not production and/or salary to add insult to injury. Basically one of the toughest things for many owners/senior docs to get the concept of is that when you take on an associate, what your really looking for is the associate to develop a "practice within the practice" where the associate dentist has basically their own patient pool, the senior docs have their own patient pool, and everyone has coverage.

The problem is that many senior docs when looking to get an associate aren't busy enough to really need one. If your looking to join a practice and they can't offer you a full time spot that can be filled EASILY they aren't busy enough. Plus, if you as an associate are busy, you're bringin in more new patients to the practice, creating more demand for hygiene, and that's where the senior doc(s) wll make some $$ of you're being there. If the senior docs are taking selective patients from you, get out, because they're looking at you not as a colleague, but a meal ticket.

It's pretty simple if your busy, you're supporting your "practice within a practice", you're making $$, the practice is making $$ and everyone is happy.

If the senior doc is selectively taking patients from you, basically call an a$$ an a$$ and get out of that practice! Just remember there are more dentists nearing retirement age than are graduating each year, the numbers are in your favor!

Thanks for the insight. That's what I thought as well. I told my boyfriend to get out of there ASAP. He is starting to get interviews elsewhere and hopefully he won't find himself in another "nest of scorpions".

My boyfriend also found out that the secretary has been having an ongoing affair with the owner over these years and possibly with the associate who my boyfriend replaced. In plain words, this secretary is a slut and has some sort of power in that office. :eek: From what my boyfriend has told me, she is not even competent at her job and spends excessive amounts of time chatting with her new fling on the phone. Another gal was supposed to replace her. The office manager told this to the secretary. Guess what happened next? Both the office manager and the new gal got fired!

In any case, this office has had a lot of staff turnover and is starting to get a really bad reputation in the dental community from what I have heard. No one is really happy there. From what we understand, the office hasn't been doing well financially ever since this owner lost his partners a few years back.

In the long run, my boyfriend is definitely looking into owning his own practice. We have even discussed co-owning a clinic. Wouldn't that be fun? ;) :rolleyes: :laugh:
 
I just left a husband/wife team. Will never work for one again.
 
2thclnr said:
I just left a husband/wife team. Will never work for one again.

Why? Too much hanky-panky or too many arguments? :laugh: Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't go into practice with my boyfriend... :rolleyes:
 
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