Total cost

[Sloth]

Hey folks, I've been lurking in the Pharmacy and Physical Therapy section of this website for some time, and I'm starting to give up on those two...

I was just pondering a few things maybe someone can help me.

So you go to dental school and you accumulate your 250,000 of debt.

You graduate from dental school and then what? You have two options right?

1) Get on with an existing practice and work for w/e they offer you.

or

2) Start your own.


Which do the MAJORITY choose?

How much does it cost to start up, i heard 500k +

How on earth do people go from 250k + 500k = succesfull?

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[HupHolland]

Hey folks, I've been lurking in the Pharmacy and Physical Therapy section of this website for some time, and I'm starting to give up on those two...

I was just pondering a few things maybe someone can help me.

So you go to dental school and you accumulate your 250,000 of debt.

You graduate from dental school and then what? You have two options right?

1) Get on with an existing practice and work for w/e they offer you.

or

2) Start your own.


Which do the MAJORITY choose?

How much does it cost to start up, i heard 500k +

How on earth do people go from 250k + 500k = succesfull?

Majority of people work for someone else for a while (associate) and then at some point 1) buy the practice or 2) start their own (more risky)..

Debt will be a normal part of your life as a small business owner. It's something you have to be OK with if you ever want to be a practice owner. The good news is banks will readily lend to dentists. Why? Because we're a good bet.. low loan default rate!

Bottom line, don't think about all that stuff now. Choose a field based on your interests and how happy you will be, then get into the cheapest school possible.

Hup

 

[Sloth]

That's good advice thank you, perhaps you can assist me further. I can't think of a specific thing I actually WANT to do. I think about my day to day life as each different clinician, and I don't feel myself saying "YES! That's the life for me"

What should I do..?

Shadowing right now isn't really an option for me, I work/school full time, 45 hours at work 16credit hours at school.

 

[bing12]

shadowing is never an option, its necessary. if you cant see how various professionals operate in their field, then you will never have a basic understanding of it.

 

[Sloth]

So my only option is to either find part time work, or drop to part time school, and substitue that time with shadowing.

 

[HupHolland]

So my only option is to either find part time work, or drop to part time school, and substitue that time with shadowing.

Yes, somethings gotta give. Before making such a big decision I think it's pretty important to gain some insight into the field.

 

[Mackchops]

Not to mention that if you pull the trigger and apply schools are going to want to know HOW you know you want to be a dentist.

 

[jay47]

Not to mention that if you pull the trigger and apply schools are going to want to know HOW you know you want to be a dentist.

You don't have to shadow hundreds of hours, just 20-50 hours before I'd say you have a pretty good idea of what the heck goes on in a dental office.

Just try and find a clinic that is open late or maybe on the weekends and see if you like it. If you do, pursue it further, if not, then look elsewhere. I don't know how anyone could stand pharmacy or PT personally, but to each his own.

 

[Bereno]

Shadowing is a must. I was very indifferent about dentistry before I ever shadowed; it seemed like a boring field to me. After I spent some time looking from the other side of the chair, I loved it. I suggest you shadow a dentist, pharmacist, and a physical therapist. Its the only way to be sure of which career you will like. 20 hours shadowing each field is a SMALL price to pay for the assurance of knowing which, if any, is for you.

Good luck!

 

[Sloth]

Thank you guys so much, you're all so helpful.

I will find the time to do some shadowing, thank you!