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[hellopeople]

So if I understand the situation correctly, after serving the 4 year HPSP commitment, most dentists do not feel comfortable immediately running their own office.

I've now heard this several times, and read it on these forums. Anyone care to speculate? Is there a reasonable way around this problem? Civilian moonlighting? CE? Maybe the AEGD?

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[teeth63a]

So if I understand the situation correctly, after serving the 4 year HPSP commitment, most dentists do not feel comfortable immediately running their own office.

I've now heard this several times, and read it on these forums. Anyone care to speculate? Is there a reasonable way around this problem? Civilian moonlighting? CE? Maybe the AEGD?

Dental school really doesn't not teach you how to run a practice. There's no class on employee management, no course on payroll, no course on insurance filing or insurance benefits, no course on human resources. Being in the military prolongs that ignorance, since there is no commercial business aspect to the socialized care model in the military.

Civilian moonlighting can help, but I don't think most dentists would have enough time to actually do that. CE courses can help as well, though as long as you're not doing it on a daily basis, it would be of minimal help as well. The focus of AEGD is clinical dentistry, and there's no education on business there as well.

I went into a group practice immediately after leaving the Army in order to learn the business side of dentistry. After three years, I knew enough about it, and purcahsed a practice.

I think in this economy, it's highly risky to start a practice from scratch right out of school or right out of coming out of the military.

 

[hellopeople]

Dental school really doesn't not teach you how to run a practice. There's no class on employee management, no course on payroll, no course on insurance filing or insurance benefits, no course on human resources. Being in the military prolongs that ignorance, since there is no commercial business aspect to the socialized care model in the military.

Civilian moonlighting can help, but I don't think most dentists would have enough time to actually do that. CE courses can help as well, though as long as you're not doing it on a daily basis, it would be of minimal help as well. The focus of AEGD is clinical dentistry, and there's no education on business there as well.

I went into a group practice immediately after leaving the Army in order to learn the business side of dentistry. After three years, I knew enough about it, and purcahsed a practice.

I think in this economy, it's highly risky to start a practice from scratch right out of school or right out of coming out of the military.

Thanks for the input. I have gotten similar advice from a few others including a dentist who was formally a military dentist.

In fact, everyone seems to feel this way except my recruiter.

 

[AFDDS]

Dental school really doesn't not teach you how to run a practice. There's no class on employee management, no course on payroll, no course on insurance filing or insurance benefits, no course on human resources. Being in the military prolongs that ignorance, since there is no commercial business aspect to the socialized care model in the military.

Civilian moonlighting can help, but I don't think most dentists would have enough time to actually do that. CE courses can help as well, though as long as you're not doing it on a daily basis, it would be of minimal help as well. The focus of AEGD is clinical dentistry, and there's no education on business there as well.

I went into a group practice immediately after leaving the Army in order to learn the business side of dentistry. After three years, I knew enough about it, and purcahsed a practice.

I think in this economy, it's highly risky to start a practice from scratch right out of school or right out of coming out of the military.

I spent 2 years as an associate in private practice before joining the military and I think this advice is about as sound as I've ever heard on this. It never hurts to get some experience as an associate before you decide to go out on your own. Not only will you learn what to do, you will learn what not to do.