Private Practice Physician vs. Private Practice Dentist

[dentalman09]

Hi, my name is Jason. I am currently a college senior who has been accepted to UCLA School of Dentistry. I entered college as a biology major with the default path of medicine. Until my junior year, after spending a summer with my mentor and family friend, I realized I wanted to become a dentist. I have a true interest in working within the oral cavity, especially implants, cometics, cleft palates (oral surgery), endo, etc. Also, I place the lifestyle that many of you cherish on top of my priority list---the ability to have hobbies, spend time with family/friends, own practice, autonomy, and less managed healthcare.

However, once I was accepted to dental school, these thoughts of medicine came back. I did not choose dentistry as a back-up, as I have a 3.85 GPA and MCAT score of 34 during my junior year (I still took it while I was shadowing my mentor during the summer).

As I read on various forums on SDN and talking to physicians, I do not want to live their typical lifestyle of 55-65 hours/week, on call, loss of autonomy, managed health care (Kaiser), decreasing reimbursements, etc. It seems that most M.D. graduates go this path of working at an academic hospital and becoming an attending....doing rounds, filling out paper, ditations, meetings, etc. I do not want that. I am not chasing the MD degree or prestige. I have an honest interesting in both fields, since they provide services to patients. I have shadowed both professions and can find myself doing both.

I guess my question or concern regards the possibility of practicing medicine in a private practice similar to dentistry? I want to open a private practice, work with a staff, 40 hours a week, nice living, nice lifestyle, positively affect other lives, provide for my family modestly, and not deal with someone watching over me like insurance companies(possibily drop insurance and take fee-per-procedure) or an MBA. I realize that dermatologist, optomalogist, family practicians, and internist may follow this route, but it doesn't seem as common to dentist. It seems like everytime I talk to a resident or physician, the hospital setting seems like the norm. I just don't want to limit my options to dentistry (even though I can see myself doing it for 30-40 years) only because I want its lifestyle and financial perks.

Are there options out there similar to dentistry in medicine? Or is that not realistic since insurance rules? Fyi, I don't want to be a plastic surgeon and do cash payments for boob jobs, lipo, or facelifts.

Thank you!

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[Audio]

I think you answered your own question when you talked about dentistry. Think about it, you'll be a doctor of dental surgery. You can do an OMFS specialty and you can have the best of both worlds. I think that dentistry is wonderful because it is so diverse. Even a general dentist has to perform so many varied tasks in the course of a day. From extractions to root cannals to just sitting and shooting the $hit with patients, there is so much variation.

I honestly don't think that I'd need to worry about dentistry becoming boring because every single day will be different. And like I said, if you want that mix of dentistry and medicine, go for an OMFS residency. You have good grades, you're going to a great school in UCLA that will give you a nice shot at specializing..so go for it.

 

[drhobie7]

You're asking dental students (and pre-dents) about the lifestyle of physicians. This is better answered by physicians. If you are uncertain dentistry is the path for you, defer your acceptance for a year or drop it and reapply when you figure things out. There is someone on the wait list who would love to have your spot.

 

[adamlc18]

You're asking dental students (and pre-dents) about the lifestyle of physicians. This is better answered by physicians. If you are uncertain dentistry is the path for you, defer your acceptance for a year or drop it and reapply when you figure things out. There is someone on the wait list who would love to have your spot.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[grant555]

Hi, my name is Jason. I am currently a college senior who has been accepted to UCLA School of Dentistry. I entered college as a biology major with the default path of medicine. Until my junior year, after spending a summer with my mentor and family friend, I realized I wanted to become a dentist. I have a true interest in working within the oral cavity, especially implants, cometics, cleft palates (oral surgery), endo, etc. Also, I place the lifestyle that many of you cherish on top of my priority list---the ability to have hobbies, spend time with family/friends, own practice, autonomy, and less managed healthcare.

However, once I was accepted to dental school, these thoughts of medicine came back. I did not choose dentistry as a back-up, as I have a 3.85 GPA and MCAT score of 34 during my junior year (I still took it while I was shadowing my mentor during the summer).

As I read on various forums on SDN and talking to physicians, I do not want to live their typical lifestyle of 55-65 hours/week, on call, loss of autonomy, managed health care (Kaiser), decreasing reimbursements, etc. It seems that most M.D. graduates go this path of working at an academic hospital and becoming an attending....doing rounds, filling out paper, ditations, meetings, etc. I do not want that. I am not chasing the MD degree or prestige. I have an honest interesting in both fields, since they provide services to patients. I have shadowed both professions and can find myself doing both.

I guess my question or concern regards the possibility of practicing medicine in a private practice similar to dentistry? I want to open a private practice, work with a staff, 40 hours a week, nice living, nice lifestyle, positively affect other lives, provide for my family modestly, and not deal with someone watching over me like insurance companies(possibily drop insurance and take fee-per-procedure) or an MBA. I realize that dermatologist, optomalogist, family practicians, and internist may follow this route, but it doesn't seem as common to dentist. It seems like everytime I talk to a resident or physician, the hospital setting seems like the norm. I just don't want to limit my options to dentistry (even though I can see myself doing it for 30-40 years) only because I want its lifestyle and financial perks.

Are there options out there similar to dentistry in medicine? Or is that not realistic since insurance rules? Fyi, I don't want to be a plastic surgeon and do cash payments for boob jobs, lipo, or facelifts.

Thank you!

Congrats on the acceptance, but I wouldn't waste anytime worrying about what physicians are doing since I doubt seriously they are worrying about what practicing dentists are doing. It almost seems if you are unsure about dentistry as a career, but I could be misinterpreting here. At any rate, I can't remember the last time I gave any thought as to what physicians were doing and/or comparisons to dentistry; not even when I am bewildered by Nip Tuck. Best of luck to you.