Specializing in the Military- Advice

[Enamelexpert96]

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Hello everyone!

Maybe not your typical “using the military to specialize post” but wanted some advice. Currently about one year into my payback time. I have a great assignment location but the clinic is a sinking ship. New OIC has me on the “amalgam line” (just doing composite restorations all day). I didnt do the AEGD-1 and the skill atrophy is real. I did more complex procedures in dental school. I am feeling discouraged. I knew this was a possibility from people I spoke to and I don’t want people to feel sorry for me because we all signed up for this.

My concerns are when I get out. When I leave military dentistry I will be worse off than colleagues and will need years to build up skills and confidence just to get to the production level of the income I want. Does anyone have any experience with this? How has your transition been from military to private practice? I just really have no mentors with private practice experience as everyone I work with has only done military dentistry; my OIC has been in 14 years and moonlighted one year and thinks “private practice sucks” lol.

Also my experience so far as made me rethink general dentistry. I have not had a lot of experience with speciality procedures but we do have specialist at the clinic (even though I can’t block time off my schedule to shadow/assist them). How should I go about researching and thinking of specializing? Is it even worth specializing in the military? Should I just stay in as a 63A and get out or payback more time with a residency and do 20 years? Since everyone around me speaks negatively of private practice should I stay in for more?

Any advice on these topics would be appreciated. Feel free to DM me as well, would love to chat with people who were in a similar situation.

 

[D1Bound]

Hello everyone!

Maybe not your typical “using the military to specialize post” but wanted some advice. Currently about one year into my payback time. I have a great assignment location but the clinic is a sinking ship. New OIC has me on the “amalgam line” (just doing composite restorations all day). I didnt do the AEGD-1 and the skill atrophy is real. I did more complex procedures in dental school. I am feeling discouraged. I knew this was a possibility from people I spoke to and I don’t want people to feel sorry for me because we all signed up for this.

My concerns are when I get out. When I leave military dentistry I will be worse off than colleagues and will need years to build up skills and confidence just to get to the production level of the income I want. Does anyone have any experience with this? How has your transition been from military to private practice? I just really have no mentors with private practice experience as everyone I work with has only done military dentistry; my OIC has been in 14 years and moonlighted one year and thinks “private practice sucks” lol.

Also my experience so far as made me rethink general dentistry. I have not had a lot of experience with speciality procedures but we do have specialist at the clinic (even though I can’t block time off my schedule to shadow/assist them). How should I go about researching and thinking of specializing? Is it even worth specializing in the military? Should I just stay in as a 63A and get out or payback more time with a residency and do 20 years? Since everyone around me speaks negatively of private practice should I stay in for more?

Any advice on these topics would be appreciated. Feel free to DM me as well, would love to chat with people who were in a similar situation.

It's easy to become "institutionalized" in the military. Yes, that's a word used for prisoners, but it is true. People become so reliant on the steady paycheck and benefits of the military that they can't possibly think beyond it. They bad talk private practice because the truth is they wouldn't be able to survive outside of their little cushy clinic walls seeing 2 patients a day. Should you specialize? Well, several GPs told me to, so I am. However, I think dentistry will correct itself with the new big beautiful bill and less people being able to eventually attend school. I think at the minimum you need to be moonlighting to see "real" dentistry outside of the military and to get your speed up. Plus, you'll obviously make more money. Take the moonlighting money and dump it into stocks. You cannot get complacent no matter what path you choose.

 

[yappy]

I do not know about military dentistry, but I suspect that most people are there beyond their commitments because they genuinely want to be. Civilian dentistry isn’t great for everyone - there are winners and losers. I looked up how much you make, and I probably make three times as much as you as an associate working four days per week. I don’t love being an associate, but I like dentistry. I think that if you actually enjoy doing dentistry you will have more rewards and control outside the military... even more so if you're a specialist.

 

[ArmyToothDoc]

Hello everyone!

Maybe not your typical “using the military to specialize post” but wanted some advice. Currently about one year into my payback time. I have a great assignment location but the clinic is a sinking ship. New OIC has me on the “amalgam line” (just doing composite restorations all day). I didnt do the AEGD-1 and the skill atrophy is real. I did more complex procedures in dental school. I am feeling discouraged. I knew this was a possibility from people I spoke to and I don’t want people to feel sorry for me because we all signed up for this.

My concerns are when I get out. When I leave military dentistry I will be worse off than colleagues and will need years to build up skills and confidence just to get to the production level of the income I want. Does anyone have any experience with this? How has your transition been from military to private practice? I just really have no mentors with private practice experience as everyone I work with has only done military dentistry; my OIC has been in 14 years and moonlighted one year and thinks “private practice sucks” lol.

Also my experience so far as made me rethink general dentistry. I have not had a lot of experience with speciality procedures but we do have specialist at the clinic (even though I can’t block time off my schedule to shadow/assist them). How should I go about researching and thinking of specializing? Is it even worth specializing in the military? Should I just stay in as a 63A and get out or payback more time with a residency and do 20 years? Since everyone around me speaks negatively of private practice should I stay in for more?

Any advice on these topics would be appreciated. Feel free to DM me as well, would love to chat with people who were in a similar situation.

1. Have you brought up your concerns to your OIC?
2. I would highly encourage you to do a residency while you are still in the military. If you apply now, then you can still serve some of your payback concurrently with the residency obligation. If you want to learn more about a specialty(ies) or the LTHET process - PM me and I can point you in the right direction. Even a Comprehensive Dentistry / 2-Year AEGD would drastically increase your skill set and knowledge base.

 

[customx]

Hello everyone!

Maybe not your typical “using the military to specialize post” but wanted some advice. Currently about one year into my payback time. I have a great assignment location but the clinic is a sinking ship. New OIC has me on the “amalgam line” (just doing composite restorations all day). I didnt do the AEGD-1 and the skill atrophy is real. I did more complex procedures in dental school. I am feeling discouraged. I knew this was a possibility from people I spoke to and I don’t want people to feel sorry for me because we all signed up for this.

My concerns are when I get out. When I leave military dentistry I will be worse off than colleagues and will need years to build up skills and confidence just to get to the production level of the income I want. Does anyone have any experience with this? How has your transition been from military to private practice? I just really have no mentors with private practice experience as everyone I work with has only done military dentistry; my OIC has been in 14 years and moonlighted one year and thinks “private practice sucks” lol.

Also my experience so far as made me rethink general dentistry. I have not had a lot of experience with speciality procedures but we do have specialist at the clinic (even though I can’t block time off my schedule to shadow/assist them). How should I go about researching and thinking of specializing? Is it even worth specializing in the military? Should I just stay in as a 63A and get out or payback more time with a residency and do 20 years? Since everyone around me speaks negatively of private practice should I stay in for more?

Any advice on these topics would be appreciated. Feel free to DM me as well, would love to chat with people who were in a similar situation.

I would use your chapter 33 benefits towards a civilian residency when you get out. As good as the military residencies are, once you're done you will likely be a mentor of some kind at an AEGD program or be tasked as an OIC. You'll see the skills you developed in residency diminish as you become a paper pusher.
Your military experience will be highly valued by most programs