I have some friends that are in it. A lot here depends on you. If your looking to become a millionaire then this is not the program for you. There are pro and cons to the program and the biggest con is location getting a location in an area you want may not always be possible since the popular sites are filled and the people who have them arent going to give them up soon. My friends earn about 150 K a year and have managed to get student loan repayment deal which gives them 20k extra on top of that and they go it for a one to one deal. that 20K for every year that they stay on. So they are earning eally 170K. Also the workload is more tolerable, bc you are not dealing with production issues that comes with corporate dentistry. I worked for two of the biggest corporate dentistry and they do pay well but when you realize 70 percent of what you produce goes to them you soon realize your better off working as a solo practioner and becoming your own boss and not having to deal with corporate beuracacy. When I worked i did earn more than my friendsm but then my work load was a lot heavier. And it was not that much of a difference from what they were earning. But the corporation may a lot of money from my work. Ultimately i like many ended up in private practice and think its a lot better than corporate dentistry, but then there are a lot more resposibilities with the job too.
I guess to get to the point, NHSC is not a bad deal. My friends love it, and like the work load with out the corporate hassel. they get a ton of vacations, and have been in the program for over 10 years and I belief that if they hit 20 years they get a pension. which is not bad at all if you think about it. So ask youself what your goals are? Look at the length of time you sign on for, perhaps sign up for a year or two and see how you like it, at least you will gain experience before venturing out on your own. Plus there are staff there to help if you get into a sticky situation, this is not the case with corporate dentistry.
Thanks for the input,
Finances aren't my main goal right out of the gate after D-school. Debt management and learning to practice in the real world is. I'd love to get in touch with any friends you may have that are willing to talk about the process, it'd really help a youngster out.
I am really interested in learning more about NHSC too. I am starting the application process and I still don't know if it is worth it. I don't mind hearing more about the financials.