Practicing in Oregon

[Cyclin]

I am a dental student in New York and I am considering a practice in Oregon. My family relocated there, and I love my visits,although I have never lived there; what are the considerations for Oregon...what is different about it (dentistry)?

Also, I will be taking the NERB, but is there anyone who has taken both NERB and West Coast Boards? I know CA and FL are very tough, but how does west/east compare?

Finally, Is the Portland area saturated?

Many Thanks,

cyclin

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[Cyclin]

I am a dental student in New York and I am considering a practice in Oregon. My family relocated there, and I love my visits,although I have never lived there; what are the considerations for Oregon...what is different about it (dentistry)?

Also, I will be taking the NERB, but is there anyone who has taken both NERB and West Coast Boards? I know CA and FL are very tough, but how does west/east compare?

Finally, Is the Portland area saturated?

Many Thanks,

cyclin

Evidentally there are no dentist in Oregon...judging from the exorbant amount of replies. Maybe I will have to make flyers or ....

 

[RaiderNation]

Yeah, the problem with Oregon is the trees. They don't have teeth. And since all of Oregon's living population consists of trees, I would say you are pretty screwed.

 

[divertete]

Okay, I just started school and I'm really not qualified to answer your question intelligently. What I can tell you is that Oregon is a wonderful place to live, especially if you like the outdoors. Yes, there are plenty of people here to be your patients. And I do know that no one is panicking about any lack of jobs, or dentists looking to sell their practices, in the Portland area. Sorry I can't help you more.

 

[Cyclin]

Okay, I just started school and I'm really not qualified to answer your question intelligently. What I can tell you is that Oregon is a wonderful place to live, especially if you like the outdoors. Yes, there are plenty of people here to be your patients. And I do know that no one is panicking about any lack of jobs, or dentists looking to sell their practices, in the Portland area. Sorry I can't help you more.

Thanks for your concern and confirmation that there is life out there.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I live in Portland, have teeth, and go to the dentist. We also have lots of meth addicts here who need dentists, so you can always do that. 🙂

I'm not a dentist or a dental student, so I can't give you much details about dentistry here. I do know that we have some dental hmo's, the main one being Willamette Dental, so that might depress wages somewhat. There are lots of non-hmo dentists, too, though. Oregon as a whole is pretty rural and poor, but Portland is pretty cosmopolitan, so there are lots of different populations you could serve here. Housing is pretty expensive but not compared to New York, and it is absolutely beautiful. And, no, it doesn't rain every day nine months out of the year.

Oh yeah, Portland does not have fluoridated water, so maybe we need more dentists. 🙂

 

[Geezer99]

Evidentally there are no dentist in Oregon...judging from the exorbant amount of replies. Maybe I will have to make flyers or ....

I have a few friends who practice in Oregon. Portland itself is very difficult...some GP's do their own hygiene just to fill their day....while others seem to be thriving. Those that thrive are very aggressive with their marketing and Tx. planning...good business people. If you are just a laid back easy going dentist type, then you should probably stay away from the metro area....The more rural cities, like Salem, Corvallis, Eugene, Medford...all would be good choices...easy to start a successful practice. Bend is fairly rural, but somehow has become the dentist mecca of Oregon...don't even try to go there.

 

[drben]

Since nobody stepped up to the plate...

I'm an orthodontist in Eugene, Oregon. My wife is a GP that has practiced in Eugene, Harrisburg, and Florence. Oregon is a great place to live and raise a family. As far as a previous posters comment that "Oregon is mostly poor and rural" that simply is NOT true.

As far as eeking out a living...it can be done anywhere. Just like any other state there are areas that are more desirable to live in and hence, there is more competition (Eugene, Portland, Bend come to mind). That being said if you have some business sense, have the ability to coherently communicate, and have decent clinical skills you'll do allright wherever you are.

Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

Ben

 

[divertete]

I agree with drben, I would never describe Oregon as mostly poor and rural. I'm from a very small town, but it is far from poor and hardly what I would consider a true rural community. Additionally Salem, Corvallis, Eugene, and Medford are all fairly large and definitely not rural. Maybe people were thinking of Eastern Oregon? The population in that region of the state is not representative of the vast majority of the population, who live West of the Cascades.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I was the one who made that comment, and I live in Portland. Portland isn't poor and rural and neither are most of the small cities in Oregon. However, if you've ever gone for a drive in this area, you'd notice that the state is full of poor, rural towns in eastern, central and western Oregon. The majority of Oregon's population is located in Portland, but the second biggest group is spread out over small towns throughout the state. And, yes, Oregon statistically is a poor state with a huge poverty problem. What I was trying to say is that Oregon has a mix of poorer rural areas and more affluent urban areas like Portland. However, geographically, Portland is an anomally in Oregon -- most of the rest of the state is rural and not very affluent.