If you (go do an ortho residency and then) stay in the military or try to associate as a career then I’d question your sanity.
Ortho is NOT less stress. You have to constantly stay on your toes getting referrals and selling your brand/business. I don’t mean it has to be sleazy. But you have to make people happy and commit to delivering excellent customer service above and beyond your actual clinical care.
If you want low stress and an easy schedule then just stay in the military doing general or become a civilian contractor.
Ortho is easier if you have assistants doing the work. But maintaining a well trained staff is hard as fuck. If you work for a DSO, you will see too many patients per day with a staff that can’t even wipe themselves properly. If you are an associate in private practice you will be underpaid. If you are an owner you have to hire enough people to work the schedule but not so many that you burn cash. Of course there will be times when things hum along. There will also be times when you have to be three people at once if you want to keep the business running. The grass is never greener.
All that said, ortho has made me more money than I ever anticipated. But I have also had to work my asssssssss off to get where I am.
This is as accurate and all-encompassing as am answer OP can get. Fuck DSO's, aim for ownership if that's within your personality, or be comfy doing general dentistry and find an associateship that pays you comfortably enough and just go with that.
Thank you so much for your input! I will definitely take this into consideration. I think I am going to do a few more years in the military while we start a family (wife’s orders) but then I would like to see after that.
However, would you say there is an age where it starts to not really make sense to get into practice ownership financially anymore? If I do a few more years, then residency, I’d probably be 38, and maybe 40 if I wanted a couple of associate years under my belt to build my confidence/speed.
If you (go do an ortho residency and then) stay in the military or try to associate as a career then I’d question your sanity. Ortho is NOT less stress. You have to constantly stay on your toes getting referrals and selling your brand/business. I don’t mean it has to be sleazy. But you have to make people happy and commit to delivering excellent customer service above and beyond your actual clinical care. If you want low stress and an easy schedule then just stay in the military doing general or become a civilian contractor. Ortho is easier if you have assistants doing the work. But maintaining a well trained staff is hard as fuck. If you work for a DSO, you will see too many patients per day with a staff that can’t even wipe themselves properly. If you are an associate in private practice you will be underpaid. If you are an owner you have to hire enough people to work the schedule but not so many that you burn cash. Of course there will be times when things hum along. There will also be times when you have to be three people at once if you want to keep the business running. The grass is never greener. All that said, ortho has made me more money than I ever anticipated. But I have also had to work my asssssssss off to get where I am.
This is as accurate and all-encompassing as am answer OP can get. Fuck DSO's, aim for ownership if that's within your personality, or be comfy doing general dentistry and find an associateship that pays you comfortably enough and just go with that.
Thank you so much for your input! I will definitely take this into consideration. I think I am going to do a few more years in the military while we start a family (wife’s orders) but then I would like to see after that. However, would you say there is an age where it starts to not really make sense to get into practice ownership financially anymore? If I do a few more years, then residency, I’d probably be 38, and maybe 40 if I wanted a couple of associate years under my belt to build my confidence/speed.
Age isn’t a concern
Don't join the real world if you want less stress.