New Grad Being Solo

[Firik]

Hello!
What are some concerns you have for a new graduate being a solo practitioner as an associate?
If you were in that position what helped you to succeed?
What happens if you can't finish a procedure, who bails you out?
What are some challenges you likely to face?
Is it possible for someone to know their limits and not proceed with the procedure in the first place to be able to work as a solo practitioner? Another words, by being as much careful as possible and not taking extensive cases to do well as a solo practitioner. Then with more CE courses and more experience start slowly taking more complex cases.
Thank you for sharing!

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[chiangmai2015]

Hello!
What are some concerns you have for a new graduate being a solo practitioner as an associate?

The fact that no one to bail you out.

If you were in that position what helped you to succeed?

Shadowing seasoned dentists during the weekends/time-offs

What happens if you can't finish a procedure, who bails you out?

Ask the other dentist to bail me out/temporize the tooth and refer to specialists.

What are some challenges you likely to face?

You don't know what you know and what you don't know. For example, how comfortable are you doing a surgical extraction on an upper molar tooth with sinus pneumatization in dense bone? Or how comfortable are you doing a partial bony extraction? Or how comfortable are you doing a molar root canal on a tooth with large curvature/calcification? etc. etc.

Is it possible for someone to know their limits and not proceed with the procedure in the first place to be able to work as a solo practitioner?

Sure, you can. We all learn from mistakes. But if you don't do certain procedures that you feel uncomfortable with, when will you start doing them?

Another words, by being as much careful as possible and not taking extensive cases to do well as a solo practitioner. Then with more CE courses and more experience start slowly taking more complex cases.

You could, but I think it may take too much time. Would you wait until you take endo CE courses and start doing molar RCTs, or would you rather work with someone who knows how to do molar RCTs and have them help you if you are stuck in the middle?

Thank you for sharing!

If I were a fresh new graduate, I would prefer to work with a seasoned dentist so that I can learn from them, and they can bail me out when I am stuck. I hope this helps!

 

[Blueshirts]

My spidey sense is tingling, you might be looking into contracting with a DSO that rhymes with artland? I know that they advertise to us as D4’s about being adamant that they will provide great CE for RCT, etc; but the one thing I remind my friends to be skeptical about is that they are being recruited for a “de novo” office.
Main future problems:
1) No current patient flow
2) They have to hire a new staff, this is not an already well oiled machine, you are new and expected to lead potentially people who have limited experience, this sounds like a fun adventure?
3) As a new grad you are going to want to lean into someone and it is time sensitive, this can not currently be solved by graduating and immediately working solo. Even in my last career, I would hand-hold new hires for the first 3 months and then I expected them to lean into me for the rest of their 1st year before they would be totally autonomous and whatever work they did I could fix before approving it, dentistry is a totally different animal - do you really want to see “clinically acceptable at best” work on 6 month recalls this is an ethical issue, these are people after all.

Just 0.02

 

[krcs3865]

Hello!
What are some concerns you have for a new graduate being a solo practitioner as an associate?
If you were in that position what helped you to succeed?
What happens if you can't finish a procedure, who bails you out?
What are some challenges you likely to face?
Is it possible for someone to know their limits and not proceed with the procedure in the first place to be able to work as a solo practitioner? Another words, by being as much careful as possible and not taking extensive cases to do well as a solo practitioner. Then with more CE courses and more experience start slowly taking more complex cases.
Thank you for sharing!

I might be able to help - been working at a private practice in a rural location (mostly) solo for about 5 months now.

Surprisingly the main concern for me hasn't been getting bailed out - if you need a bail out it's usually on an RCT or EXT, both of which can be referred out to specialists. If you can explain the situation well enough to the patient they'll actually appreciate your honesty and you also get to build a relationship with your specialist so it's a win/win. To be honest though, this entire situation happens way less often than you think.

The main concern is really mentorship. As someone else mentioned, you don't know what you don't know. If you don't have someone there giving you feedback on your work you can build bad habits.

To your last point, knowing your limits is definitely important if you're solo but don't be afraid to push the envelope sometimes, especially if you're granted clinical autonomy. It's the only way you'll really learn.

 

[yappy]

I would go to a great AEGD and then go solo. CE is hit or miss and there is no assurance that someone will mentor you.

 

[P7898]

I am solo.

You learn what to refer and what not to refer - this is porbably the hardest thing for the first couple of month. I would get stuck on cases where I couldn't instrument a canal fully or a tooth would not budge. However, you go into it thinking you may have to refer but could do this without harming the patient then sometimes I would do this to increase my skill set.

But our oath is to do what is best for the patient ultimately so most of my dentistry is bread and butter with surgical ext and endo (I did a lot of endo and ext in school). So everything I did in dental school except third molar extractions I do in practice. The one thing I added was Invisalign.

So AEGD vs not:

Not: Focus on getting the bread and butter dentistry down while getting paid $$. Volume is key with this. Refer what won't take you a lifetime to complete safely for the patient. Once you start getting board of bread and butter then maybe tray and tackle a molar endo or learn some things about Invisalign and do easy cases (this is where I am at now). Then start taking CE in whatever you want.

AEGD: Get implants and advanced procedures down. However you will not get paid a lot. I find this avenue to be counter productive. My significant other is AEGD trained from a great one and states they are over trained - which is a good thing. But I do not place implants and they do. Implants are next on my list. But overall it is a 5th year of dental school in my opinion or a residency that is pointless in your career (AEGDs heavy in surgery or implants). Because really you will be doing mostly bread and butter things unless you want to focus your practice in an area of dentistry as a GP (which I humbly think is great but you mine as well specialize at this point).

No AEGD = more money, real world dentistry and get into a groove to see what works and doesn't work in real time, take a CE course every year.

AEGD - less money, but learn more procedures faster, not as good and efficient with bread and butter dentistry, still have to take CE as a license requirement.


These are my humble opinions although I was bless to gradauate school with 15 endo and 200+ ext. So for me I decided no AEGD plus I am a little older. You cannot go wrong though. This is comparing apples to oranges - just pick a fruit that sounds good to you it is just 1 year of your life.

Cheers.

 

[axiumgod]

Not to derail the thread, but what are people’s opinions on working solo in terms of social/professional interactions? I’ve heard single doc offices described as lonely islands.

 

[yappy]

Not to derail the thread, but what are people’s opinions on working solo in terms of social/professional interactions? I’ve heard single doc offices described as lonely islands.

Imo there is enough dental society meetings, CE and study club stuff to do that I don’t mind being the only doctor while at work.

 

[Roto Picante]

I miss the talking football/basketball/name your hobby, with people at work.

 

[P7898]

Not to derail the thread, but what are people’s opinions on working solo in terms of social/professional interactions? I’ve heard single doc offices described as lonely islands.

yeah it can be lonely but I mean it is a job. you call the shots though which is the flip side and better continuity of care meaning you do not have to worry about other docs taking patients or bickering over who sees what patients.

 

[charlestweed]

At the Corp office, where I work part time at, I have the opportunities to meet a lot of different general dentists. I talked to them at the beginning when they first joined the practice but then we ran out of topic to chat. Later on, we just say hello to each others and then I go back to my own little corner (an unused operatory)....and kill time by watching youtube and reading sdn posts.

At my own offices, I book patients every 15 minutes....work nonstop for 3-4 straight hours....no chit chat......no time for going to the bathroom.....and then go home to be with my family. I'd much rather have this type of short work day than a slow 8 hour work day at the corp. That's the beauty of being your own boss.

Dentistry is just a job.