Are you satisfied? – Practice setting and dentist job satisfaction

By | June 23, 2017

Are you satisfied with your current job situation? Are there certain aspects you wish were different? Maybe you are just starting your career, or looking for a change. It turns out the type of practice you work in may impact how you feel about your dental career.

Screen Shot 2016-11-02 at 10.10.46 AMIn an innovative, first-of-its-kind study, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago and the ADA Health Policy Institute (HPI) examined how dentists view different aspects of solo, small group, and large group practice. They found that:

  • Dentists working in small group settings reported the highest overall career satisfaction.
  • Dentists working in large group settings reported more satisfaction with income and benefits than dentists in solo practice, as well as less stress.
  • Dentists working in large group practices affiliated with dental management organizations were more satisfied with weekends off and fewer hours spent on non-clinical tasks.
  • Dentists working in dentist owned and operated practices were more satisfied with income and their overall feelings about dentistry.

Resources:

Practice settings and dentists’ job satisfaction (August 2015 JADA)

Webinar: Dental Practice Settings and Job Satisfaction (55 min.)

3 thoughts on “Are you satisfied? – Practice setting and dentist job satisfaction

  1. david

    Wonder how that correlates with type of insurance and or medicaid percentage they take related to job satisfaction?

    Reply
  2. Denise Johnson

    i worked in a large group practice for three years and my job satisfaction was really not in line with the report in this news blog’s ADA study. The benefits were nil- we were all hired as independent contractors. The practice was insurance driven and there was tremendous pressure to produce, produce. Materials and labs were inferior and supplies were always short. Dentists were of varying degrees of expertise, and because patients were shared between practitioners the more skilled, knowledgeable dentists were always trying to correct various problems encountered by some of other less skilled practitioners in the practice. I couldn’t wait to go into solo practice so i could practice the kind of dentistry my education had prepared me for !! The experience was extremely stressful!!! I am an older practitioner now (in my fifties), a GP. Perhaps these large group practices have improved, but with all the financial pressure young dentists face today, i have a tendency to doubt it. Average debt, I am told, is over $240,000.

    Reply

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