With about 1,000 new dentists graduating from dental school in Virginia alone over the past 10 years, the future of dentistry looks very bright. The hopes of the Virginia Dental Association’s new dentist committee is to keep all of our recent graduates abreast of what is happening nationally as well as in our state and local ADA components.
Dr. Sinclair
I am a fairly new dentist; I graduated from VCU in 2009 and can hardly believe that I just had my 5-year reunion a few months ago. It was great to visit with my fellow classmates and see just how many different paths had been taken; however, many of us were thriving in general dentistry.
Once you leave the doors of dental school, you quickly realize how career paths are available. You can specialize, attend a residency, become an associate, enter public service or the military and even start your own practice. I have experienced several of those areas myself starting with public health, working as an associate, and finally starting my own practice a few years ago.
Did you know that the ADA can help in almost all of these areas? If we just take a look at my recent journey from student to practice owner, the ADA has been a great resource for me in almost every segment. In the next few issues, I will highlight some of these areas that the ADA has helped out along the way and show a few of the various ways the ADA may be able to help you, the new dentist.
ADA Sponsored Insurance Policies
Did you ever think what would happen if you had some life altering issue while you were in school? How would you pay your loans? What would happen if you injured your hand disabling you from practicing dentistry? I was a young dental student and none of these ideas ever crossed my mind; however, I didn’t need to worry about it!
The ADA had taken care if it for me as they currently do for all dental student members. When you are student member in the ADA, you are covered in an ADA sponsored policy that not only includes a $500,000 life insurance policy, but also a $2,000 a month disability plan with $150,000 coverage in student loan protection. There is even a chance to continue on with the policies as your career advances and your need for coverage increases. For more information, click here.
Licensure Maps
Where do you want to practice? One of the main hurdles for many dental students is deciding what regional board is going to be the best one to take. The ADA has a great informational website that lists all of the regional board exams and the states that accept that exam for licensure. There are also links to contact the state’s individual boards as well as state dental components if there are any further questions. For more information, click here.
CV Development
How do you distinguish yourself among your peers for that perfect job? Not everyone graduating dental schools wants to do the same thing, but how do you get that first interview for your first associateship. As an ADA member, you have access to the group at the Career Transitions Center of Chicago (CTC). The team at CTC can provide you with general tips for having a successful resume all the way to co-writing that perfect CV to help you land your dream job. For more information, click here.
This blog post, reprinted with permission, originally appeared in the Virginia Dental Association journal. Dr. Cappy Sinclair is a New Dentist Now guest blogger and a 2009 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Sinclair currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, as member of 3M’s Council for Innovative Dentistry, and as an ambassador for the Dawson Academy. He started his own practice Coastal Cosmetic Dentistry 3 years ago from the ground up and is more than happy to share his success and failures with fellow new dentists. He is a member of the American Dental Association and the Virginia Dental Association. To contact Dr. Sinclair, email him csinclair@smilevabeach.com.
Awesome to know that policies in place already exist to protect dental students from potential mishaps.
If you are going to be a dentist, you are going to want to work with the ADA to make sure that your patients are getting the best care possible. They decide what is the best for our teeth and make sure that we are just using whatever product we find. If you work closely with the association, you can guarantee the best products and equipment for your patients.
There are a number of career paths available to new dentists! It can be overwhelming choosing one. I’ve found that selecting an area that you’re truly passionate about will lead to fulfilling work in the dental field.
It certainly sounds like the ADA has many resources that can help a dentist that is just starting out. Like you said, there are many career paths available in the dental industry. It helps to have a great resource for writing successful resumes and CVs.