Whats going on in Delaware?

[StilgarMD]

I'm not a dentist, but my Fiancee is. We're looking at places for residency, most of them in the Northeast, and she is looking at sites to see average dentist salary across the possible places we'll end up. Despite the fact PA has pretty low averages on most sites shes seen, Delaware is oddly high, for being such a small place. Whats going on there?

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[bergus95]

I'm not a dentist, but my Fiancee is. We're looking at places for residency, most of them in the Northeast, and she is looking at sites to see average dentist salary across the possible places we'll end up. Despite the fact PA has pretty low averages on most sites shes seen, Delaware is oddly high, for being such a small place. Whats going on there?

Licensing boards

 

[Boat on the Chesapeake]

Delaware has its own PITA clinical licensing exam and you must have a residency or multiple years experience, so it cuts down on competition a bit.

 

[StilgarMD]

Delaware has its own PITA clinical licensing exam and you must have a residency or multiple years experience, so it cuts down on competition a bit.

She mentioned that, but like, 100k difference between PA and Delaware? for another 100k, an hour commute and some exams seems worth it. I'm really keen on Philly personally, but it seems PA isn't great salary wise. Where do you guys go for reliable data on these topics?

 

[gryffindor]

She mentioned that, but like, 100k difference between PA and Delaware? for another 100k, an hour commute and some exams seems worth it. I'm really keen on Philly personally, but it seems PA isn't great salary wise. Where do you guys go for reliable data on these topics?

There are dentists practicing in DE that live in PA for the reasons you stated. The reimbursements are higher in DE, you have noticed that correctly in your searches.

An hour commute can start to feel really old after a while. Or not.

The licensure exam is a true PITA as someone else noted above.

 

[StilgarMD]

There are dentists practicing in DE that live in PA for the reasons you stated. The reimbursements are higher in DE, you have noticed that correctly in your searches.

An hour commute can start to feel really old after a while. Or not.

The licensure exam is a true PITA as someone else noted above.

Interesting. Is licensure also the reason for other unusually high reimbursements in Northeastern states, or is it more simplely lower dentist of dentists? Specifically Conneticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

 

[gryffindor]

Interesting. Is licensure also the reason for other unusually high reimbursements in Northeastern states, or is it more simplely lower dentist of dentists? Specifically Conneticut, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

Licensure is not an issue in those 3 states like it is in Delaware. Vermont and Rhode Island don't have a dental school. So someone has to make an effort if they will be practicing there. CT is a small place with a small dental school so not a ton of dentists being pumped out there in general. Those might be reasons she is noticing higher reimbursements. I think I read that Rhode Island is heavily choked by Delta Dental so she may want to check into that. Also Dentaltown is a good resource for researching some of this kind of stuff if she's not already on it.

 

[Ivy.ch]

I'm not a dentist, but my Fiancee is. We're looking at places for residency, most of them in the Northeast, and she is looking at sites to see average dentist salary across the possible places we'll end up. Despite the fact PA has pretty low averages on most sites shes seen, Delaware is oddly high, for being such a small place. Whats going on there?

It is very difficult to get a DE dental license due to their special regional boards process. Unless you do your residency there, it’s a very high hurdle to go through the paperwork, bring patients to Delaware, and take a boards exam. The whole setup limits how many go to DE. The rest of us schmucks with ADEX or WREB exams can’t go there.

 

[StilgarMD]

Licensure is not an issue in those 3 states like it is in Delaware. Vermont and Rhode Island don't have a dental school. So someone has to make an effort if they will be practicing there. CT is a small place with a small dental school so not a ton of dentists being pumped out there in general. Those might be reasons she is noticing higher reimbursements. I think I read that Rhode Island is heavily choked by Delta Dental so she may want to check into that. Also Dentaltown is a good resource for researching some of this kind of stuff if she's not already on it.

could you elaborate on the Delta Dental line? my first impression is such a situation would lower average reimbursement rather than raise it.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Big Hoss

 

[gryffindor]

could you elaborate on the Delta Dental line? my first impression is such a situation would lower average reimbursement rather than raise it.

Yes, your impression is correct. I don't know much about it, I vaguely recall seeing an article years ago about the Rhode Island Dental Association going up against Delta Dental of RI over some issue. I do know that in the past few years, Delta Dental of MA reduced their fee schedules for providers and it was all a big thing, you can probably google it. MA is in between RI and VT, but I'm not too familiar of the fees and stuff in the NE area since I'm more mid-Atlantic based.

 

[StilgarMD]

Raising this from the dead, because I'm actually making decisions related to where we go now instead of fantasizing about the future.

Anyone with knowledge of the Philly/DE/NJ area have any tips for finding a good job? Craigslist still the main route? Any commutes that should be avoided at all costs? (I've heard some of the highways are a nightmare if you have to deal with them daily).

 

[Ivy.ch]

Raising this from the dead, because I'm actually making decisions related to where we go now instead of fantasizing about the future.

Anyone with knowledge of the Philly/DE/NJ area have any tips for finding a good job? Craigslist still the main route? Any commutes that should be avoided at all costs? (I've heard some of the highways are a nightmare if you have to deal with them daily).

My dad owns his practice in south Jersey towards the shore. It’s a beautiful area that most people don’t seem to have an interest in moving to. Might have some good gems for you to find.

 

[StilgarMD]

I live in PA north of Philly and work at two offices in the area. One is an hour drive into South Jersey. The other is about 45 minutes away to an area of PA right at the Delaware border. I found my jobs on indeed and also through a dental temp agency. They have a list of many practices in the area who were hiring.

I’d also suggest looking on the DentalTown classifieds as well as if you google some of the local dental schools they have a “jobs for alumni” page”.

Some of the roads can get pretty backed up during rush hour. I76 can get bad. I take 476 every day and unless there’s a crash it’s not usually bad. I95 is usually pretty smooth too unless there’s an accident. Same goes for 295 in Jersey.

Feel free to PM me! Good luck!!

Great tips, didn't know about this site, and will definitely reach out at some point!

My dad owns his practice in south Jersey towards the shore. It’s a beautiful area that most people don’t seem to have an interest in moving to. Might have some good gems for you to find.

We'd need somewhere that is commuting distance to Philly for me, so I'll have to see how the distances work out.

 

[Ivy.ch]

Great tips, didn't know about this site, and will definitely reach out at some point!



We'd need somewhere that is commuting distance to Philly for me, so I'll have to see how the distances work out.

Straight shot down the AC expressway