What do I miss out on by NOT doing an AEGD? Advice needed for D3 with a family.

[meisterluv]

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Hi everyone, I'm in my 3rd year and have begun weighing my options post grad. I have my heart set on doing an AEGD so I can learn more in a short amount of time and i feel it accelerates my plan to purchase a practice sooner than later. I do however have some things to consider and that is my family of 5 and my spouse's income. Currently we live in a city where only GPRs are offered, where my support system (inlaws/babysitters 😛) is, and where my spouse is making roughly 100k/yr. Right now I'm set on general dentistry and a GPR does not fit my goal of general private practice (maybe i'm wrong). For me to pursue an AEGD I will need to relocate my family, sacrifice my spouse's income, lose my support system, etc. Would pursuing an AEGD with all these factors make sense financially, knowledge, and experience wise? The other option would be to go straight into work but I feel it would slow my plans of purchasing a private practice more. What do I miss out on by going straight into work and how long would it take to gain the same amount of experience I would gain from an AEGD?

Also what would you do in my situation? Thanks!

 

[Sublimazing]

in your mind, what is the difference between a gpr and an aegd? what skills, specifically will you learn in an aegd that will get you a practice faster?

 

[meisterluv]

in your mind, what is the difference between a gpr and an aegd? what skills, specifically will you learn in an aegd that will get you a practice faster?

For me a GPR is more so seeing medically compromised patients with more emphasis on anesthesia and general medicine as opposed to an AEGD which is more clinic-based allowing one to work with/learn from specialists while working on complex cases.

Based on what my school reqs. for prost work, endo, etc. (very minimal) I feel I can gain more experience from attending an AEGD while under the supervision of specialists for crowns, bridges, implants, perio, and endo. while working on my efficiency. I think the biggest thing about doing an AEGD would be to see what I do and don't feel comfortable doing ie. knowing when to refer.

 

[Sublimazing]

For me a GPR is more so seeing medically compromised patients with more emphasis on anesthesia and general medicine as opposed to an AEGD which is more clinic-based allowing one to work with/learn from specialists while working on complex cases.

Based on what my school reqs. for prost work, endo, etc. (very minimal) I feel I can gain more experience from attending an AEGD while under the supervision of specialists for crowns, bridges, implants, perio, and endo. while working on my efficiency. I think the biggest thing about doing an AEGD would be to see what I do and don't feel comfortable doing ie. knowing when to refer.

I think your answers make sense. I think you have a lot to gain from a GOOD training program. Just do your research on the handful of programs you’d see and make sure they will give you knowledge and skills you couldn’t accrue on your own while practicing for a year.

 

[allDAT]

It depends on the AEGD or GPR because they are not all the same. Completing a good residency is a really good idea, but I did not attend one. In hindsight, I suspect I would have been better off completing one that taught me how to place implants and offer sedation. It's difficult to say if my career would be any different at this point though because my coworker's completed residencies and we have the same job and similar production/collections. That said, I am the only one who did not complete a residency that has been brought on board in the last 12 years (it's not a requirement, but it's becoming more important to get a good job in the absence of 5 years of experience).

I was in a similar situation regarding relocating due to my wife's employment. One of the best things we did was keep her job during my transition from student to dentist.

In your situation, I would not sacrifice your spouse's 6 figure income to relocate and attend an AEGD.

 

[Svart Aske]

Don't count out GPRs just because they're hospital-based with more medically compromised patients. GPRs and AEGDs are not all the same, and some GPRs will give you excellent clinical experience. The best thing you could do is to look into the programs in your area (talk to the directors and residents, visit the program etc.) to figure it out for yourself.

 

[maxFax2020]

You won’t miss out on anything. Go to work and get your reps in. An AEGD/GPR is not going to make a difference in where you’re at in 5 years. A great program may give you a 1 year jump start but 98% of the programs will not make a difference. Go out and work. You’re family will appreciate it.

 

[Strag]

Hi everyone, I'm in my 3rd year and have begun weighing my options post grad. I have my heart set on doing an AEGD so I can learn more in a short amount of time and i feel it accelerates my plan to purchase a practice sooner than later. I do however have some things to consider and that is my family of 5 and my spouse's income. Currently we live in a city where only GPRs are offered, where my support system (inlaws/babysitters 😛) is, and where my spouse is making roughly 100k/yr. Right now I'm set on general dentistry and a GPR does not fit my goal of general private practice (maybe i'm wrong). For me to pursue an AEGD I will need to relocate my family, sacrifice my spouse's income, lose my support system, etc. Would pursuing an AEGD with all these factors make sense financially, knowledge, and experience wise? The other option would be to go straight into work but I feel it would slow my plans of purchasing a private practice more. What do I miss out on by going straight into work and how long would it take to gain the same amount of experience I would gain from an AEGD?

Also what would you do in my situation? Thanks!

I would research your GPRs in your city and see if what they offer in the program fits your goals for what you want in private practice. Not every GPR is the same, some are very hospital/call focused, others have more AEGD/private practice components with the GPR name to it. Also, based on your current situation, unless you have a pretty good shot of getting into the GPR in your city (and it fits your goals), I would not recommend attending a program. Most of what you can learn will be through CE and trial/error with experience. If you do work coming out of school, it's imperative you either get a private practice gig where someone is willing to teach you (rare) or make time to attend CE to hone in on skills that you want to improve on. There's a ton of great online CE programs that can cater to situations like the one you have. They say it takes ~3-5 years to be at same level of AEGD/GPR, but to be honest, it's dependent on how proactive you are with CE and your job. I see some people that benefit more from self-learning vs. guided learning in an AEGD/GPR program.

 

[meisterluv]

Is it really 3-5years to be at same level??? this is what i've heard and it makes me wonder why most don't do this (do a gpr/aegd that is)

 

[Svart Aske]

The biggest benefit of GPR/AEGD is that they allow you to get your fingers wet doing procedures you are less likely to attempt in private practice without training: surgical extractions, crown lengthening, implants/grafts, molar endo etc.

 

[Rambunctious]

Hi everyone, I'm in my 3rd year and have begun weighing my options post grad. I have my heart set on doing an AEGD so I can learn more in a short amount of time and i feel it accelerates my plan to purchase a practice sooner than later. I do however have some things to consider and that is my family of 5 and my spouse's income. Currently we live in a city where only GPRs are offered, where my support system (inlaws/babysitters 😛) is, and where my spouse is making roughly 100k/yr. Right now I'm set on general dentistry and a GPR does not fit my goal of general private practice (maybe i'm wrong). For me to pursue an AEGD I will need to relocate my family, sacrifice my spouse's income, lose my support system, etc. Would pursuing an AEGD with all these factors make sense financially, knowledge, and experience wise? The other option would be to go straight into work but I feel it would slow my plans of purchasing a private practice more. What do I miss out on by going straight into work and how long would it take to gain the same amount of experience I would gain from an AEGD?

Also what would you do in my situation? Thanks!

The only people in dental school i knew that did GPR/AEGD just used it as a way to buff their resume to apply for other specialties. if your plan is to solely work GP, then just start working, theres no amount of school that could match the speed and complexity of actual private practice.