Helping new dentists, dental students succeed

By | December 4, 2015

Basic CMYK            From easing the burden on student loans and financial planning to helping recent graduates find a job and getting involved in advocacy, the ADA offers new dentists — who have different needs than more seasoned dentists — a plethora of services, resources and benefits to help them thrive in their professional and personal lives.

Dr. Hasty

Dr. Hasty

“The ADA is your one-stop shop for resources pertinent to the new dentist, now and throughout his or her career,” said Dr. Chris Hasty, ADA New Dentist Committee vice chair. “From patient education to professional resources, the ADA delivers with quality and credible information.”

Dental students and new dentists receive benefits all other members get, including travel benefits, health and wellness information, continuing education programs and access to care initiatives. However, certain ADA products and services are tailored to their needs.

Finances

Adjusted for inflation, the average dental school debt for the class of 2000 was $118,515. For the class of 2014, it was $247,227, according to the annual American Dental Education Association’s Survey of Dental School Seniors. Add in the cost of moving to a new area and/or starting a practice, and it can get overwhelming.

The ADA provides dental students and new dentists with resources to help them stay on track for a bright financial future.

The ADA announced Sept. 10 an exclusive endorsement of Darien Rowayton Bank, known as DRB, that allows ADA members an opportunity to refinance existing federal and private student loans at a lower rate.

Through the endorsement, qualifying ADA members receive an additional 0.25 percent discount in the loan rate, which could result in savings in the tens of thousands of dollars, on average, in interest. For more information on the program, visit student.drbank.com/ADA.

Provided by Wells Fargo Practice Finance, and developed with dentists in mind, the Center for Professional Success also offers business planning calculators, which can help new dentists and dental students determine how much they can responsibly afford to borrow for personal and business use. Other calculators available are the loan payment calculator, which estimates monthly loan payment. The loan term calculator helps dentists see how much faster they can pay off an existing loan by adding an additional fixed amount to their monthly payments.

Licensure

Dental licensure marks the transition between dental school and dental practice. The ADA provides licensure information on ADA.org and has a licensure manager on staff who can provide guidance. The Board of Trustees convened a task force this year on licensure and discussions continue.

Finding a job

The ADA CareerCenter is the official online job board of the ADA, a resource for searching dental career opportunities or recruiting dental professionals.

The resource allows professionals to search or post job opportunities for dentists, including oral surgeons, orthodontists and other qualified professionals who specialize in dentistry.  State and local dental societies may also have job postings. The ADA Success program also offers a program on finding a job, which is available to dental schools.

Staying up-to-date

The ADA can also help new dentists and dental students stay current on the latest dentistry news as well as scientific findings and studies.

On Sept. 29, the ADA New Dentist Committee launched a redesigned New Dentist Now blog website to help better connect new dentists and dental students to news and insights on the dental profession. It includes several guest bloggers across the country and features articles on topics such as finances, marketing, growing the practice, health and wellness, ethics and continuing education.

The Journal of the American Dental Association and the ADA News are available to members. These publications are available on ADA.org/publications, along with the ADA Dental Product Guide, the ADA Catalog and ADA E-Communications, which include the ADA Morning Huddle, a daily bulletin of the latest news complied exclusively for ADA members.

Access CE anytime, anywhere with ADA CE Online. New dentist members can receive a 50 percent discount with promo code 481253. Student members can access free ADA CE Online.

For other scientific findings and studies, new dentist and dental student members can access full-text articles online with instant access to over 280 journals through the ADA Library & Archives website. About 95 percent are strictly dental journals. The other 5 percent have medical-dental crossover. This includes in-house access to the New England Journal of Medicine articles going all the way back to 1812. To access the ADA Library & Archives online, visit ADA.org/library.

Networking and Leadership

Comprising 17 members representing each of the ADA’s regional districts, the New Dentist Committee is a national committee of the ADA Board of Trustees. Its mission: to serve as the voice of the new dentist within the ADA. The committee advises the Board on member benefits the member experience from a new dentist perspective, on policy affecting new dentists and other matters. Committee members also provide insight on the issues and needs of new dentists through their liaison roles on the other ADA agencies.

Most state dental societies and several local societies also have new dentist committees. Making personal connections with new dentists in your area is an ideal way to stay connected.

Ethics support

The ADA Ethics Hotline assists new dentists and other members in managing ethical challenges that may arise in day-to-day practice. Callers will be discreetly matched with a member of the Council on Ethics, Bylaws, and Judicial Affairs who will arrange a time to discuss the matter and offer resources that may assist in resolution. Call the toll-free number and indicate that you’d like to discuss an ethical matter.

To get involved or for more information, call your state or local dental society, or contact the ADA New Dentist Committee office at newdentist@ada.org or 1-312-440-2386.

One thought on “Helping new dentists, dental students succeed

  1. Greg Murray

    I really like the way ADA works helping dentists and dental students during the beginning of their career. I wish the British associations were at this level.

    Keep up the good work,
    Greg Murray
    Emergency Dentist
    London

    Reply

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