long road, however it does go quick. this you find out in hindsight. 4 v 6 year programs leaves you at 8-10 yrs away from your goal. Going on my 8th yr of practice, and throughout that time the landscape has changed significantly - a lot of clinicians are leaving their own practices for the corporate/multi specialty practice environment or taking on an itinerant role. this leaves worries regarding overhead, dealing with your own staff's issues, etc out of the equation. In exchange of course for less autonomy and more of a 'cog in the machinery' role. Who knows what changes are in store in the next decade? During the educational process, difficult to have a family however there are guys and gals who are successful at achieving that balance during such a rigorous course. I tried during residency, failed miserably as my hours as a resident left me little time outside the hospital to nurture a brand new marriage. Interested in more of a hospital or academic job? Kudos to you, there should be more like you if that is your ultimate goal. I took the path of least resistance (more money upfront) due to the burden of educational debt. Whatever path you ultimately go down, take FULL advantage of every clinical experience during residency. Try your hand at any surgery that comes your way, swallow pride and fear. Its the best CE you will ever have. Prior to that? During dental school expose yourself as much as possible to every facet of the profession. Shadow private practice and academic OSs. Do multiple externships at different programs (each has a different flavor in terms of scope, intern hours, faculty personality, etc). Use any breaks in D school to explore the field.
Best of luck, and if you have any questions about any of this or beyond, just ask
M
