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Dental Associateship 101
20 Plays1 month ago
About the Hosts:
Dr. Savanah Craig is a dedicated dental professional navigating her early career paths post-graduation. With a background rooted in comprehensive dental care, Dr. Craig holds experience from her residency at Prisma Health (formerly Palmetto Health Richland) in Columbia, South Carolina. She is committed to advancing her skills in implantology, IV conscious sedation, and various other facets of modern dentistry.
Dr. Ronnetta Sartor, an experienced dental practitioner, completed her residency at the same institution and has solidified her reputation by attending multiple job interviews to find the perfect associateship fit. Her nearly five-year tenure at her chosen associateship (prior to acquiring her own practice) underscores her dedication to professional growth, mentorship, and patient care. She is versed in a variety of dental specialties, including 3D dentistry and surgical procedures.
Episode Summary:
Navigating the transition from dental school to professional practice can be challenging. In this compelling episode of "Beyond Graduation," Dr. Savanah Craig and Dr. Ronnetta Sartor delve deeply into the intricacies of securing an ideal dental associateship. Both doctors share their personal experiences and the critical lessons learned while seeking and securing their positions in the competitive dental field.
Dr. Sartor recounts her extensive journey through numerous job interviews, highlighting the significance of finding a practice that genuinely feels right. Emphasizing the importance of gut instinct, she discusses her prioritization of mentorship and practice environment over mere employment. Dr. Craig adds her perspective, stressing the necessity of aligning clinical skills and practice philosophies, especially after acquiring advanced training in residency. Together, they explore the essential questions to ask, the red flags to watch for, and the nuances of integrating into a new practice successfully.
Key Takeaways:
- Gut Feeling Matters: Trust your instinct when evaluating potential associateships; you'll often "just know" when you've found the right fit.
- Critical Questions to Ask: Inquire thoroughly about new patient allocation, team dynamics, and whether the practice supports continuing education.
- Importance of Team Integration: Get a sense of the practice's team culture and ensure they are ready to support an additional doctor.
- Evaluate Financial Logistics: Understand the pay structure, collection rates, and other financial aspects like health insurance and malpractice coverage.
- Look for Mentorship Opportunities: Seek a practice that not only offers mentorship but also allows for professional autonomy and growth.
Connect with Us:
- Savannah Craig, DDS: @savanahcraigdds
- Ronnetta Sartor, DMD: @dr_sartor
- FutureDentists Beyond Graduation: @futuredentistsbeyondgraduation
- Dental Residency Guide and Beyond Graduation eBooks: https://ignitedds.com/subscription-resources/
We invite you to dive into the full episode to gain deeper insights into securing a successful associateship and to subscribe.
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Transcript
Introduction to Beyond Graduation
00:00:00
Speaker
Join Dr. Savannah Craig and Renetta Sartor as we navigate life beyond graduation. Real conversations about forging our own paths in our early years in our careers. There's a reason it's called practicing dentists. All right. Welcome back and to another episode of Beyond Graduation. I'm Savannah Craig. And I am Renetta Sartor. Welcome back.
Associateship 101: Finding Your Position
00:00:25
Speaker
This week we are talking, it's a big topic, but we're going to call it Associate Ship 101. A little bit about how we found our associate ships, what it's our, it's our experience. We've got nothing else for you, but we'll share as best we can about the wild world of life after, after dental school as always.
00:00:49
Speaker
So, Renetta, you had the reputation in your residency class and it continued to stick with you even when I was in residency about just how many job interviews Renetta went on. I know. I know. I think, well, a little bit of background. I think I went on so many of them is Because I wasn't I didn't have the words to describe what I was looking for It was more so a gut feeling yeah like once I Knew once I was in it like once I was in the place. I was supposed to be or went on an interview and Heard all at the opportunity had to offer I would just know I
00:01:43
Speaker
And so to your point, it sounds so woo woo, but it's so true because I had the same experience when I interviewed and our attendings and residency told me that. And I was like, they're like, you'll walk in the door and you'll know if it's a comfortable place for you.
00:02:02
Speaker
You'll know so it's funny because you know residency starts with july end of june beginning july so i interviewed from october to april and i went on so many of them that by the time i got to the last interview that i went on i i knew with clarity what i didn't want yes and for me that was as important as like having a clear description of what I wanted. Yep. And
Interviewing Strategies and Decisions
00:02:36
Speaker
so my last interview in April ended up being the place that I called home for almost five years. Um, and what I was looking for in a residency, I know it now, but I didn't know it then I was looking for mentorship.
00:02:55
Speaker
I was looking to be able to expand all of the things that I learned in my residency program. and um you know Savannah and I, we did our residency at different times, but at the same institution, which is is' now Prisma Health um in Columbia, South Carolina. when i When I went, it was Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia, South Carolina.
00:03:20
Speaker
in But, you know, we learned about IV conscious sedation. We learned about, you know, um, 3d dentistry and it's at my, at my point, it was in its early phases, right? Um, and, um, Sarah and, um, implants and surgery and,
00:03:44
Speaker
Right all of those things is all right it was important to me to step into an associateship not only where I'll be able to expand it but where if I failed I had someone to um Help me or yeah, you know for someone to bounce ideas off of so that I wouldn't fail and I could be the best that I could be for my patient and So it it ended up working out like, what about you Savannah? What was your process? You have an interesting perspective because you were in South Carolina and then yeah was moving back to Ohio.
00:04:23
Speaker
Yeah, that makes ah going on interviews pretty challenging. It'd be totally fair. um it It was nice though because I didn't go on that many interviews but I talked to a lot of people. I did a lot of phone interviews which honestly was cool in some ways because it was a good excuse to be like, let me feel it out.
00:04:47
Speaker
over the phone because it's going to be such a big commitment to take time off residency to go back to Ohio and all of those things. But just like you, I wanted to use all of the skills that I learned in residency. So that was super important to me. It ended up being a lot more of a gut decision than a brain decision, which as dentists and science backgrounds and those sorts of things you don't expect your job interviewed to be such a like emotional decision, but it kind of was. Just where you feel like you fit, where you felt like you were heard. The the other thing that was really important to me, in the end it came down to two pretty similar, at least on paper practice styles of
00:05:32
Speaker
big group practice because I knew I really wanted to do the surgery and the IV sedation and those sorts of things and wanting one of the practices really was strong and everybody here practices how we want you to and and that can be a really awesome experience for some people but I had just spent a year learning to practice how I wanted to practice and with the skills that I had worked really hard to learn and so to come into a practice and change all of that was not something I was interested in, where the the job I ended up in, they were very open to collaboration and ah letting me use the skills that I had gained and expand on them and offering CE and mentorship, but also giving me the room to implement the whole Ivy Sedation thing in a practice that didn't have it.
00:06:24
Speaker
at the level that i that I'm now doing it. um And so finding that nuance between support and mentorship and also allowing you to practice the way you wanted to practice. And that's thankfully the job that I found. What you said is is amazing.
Strategic Interview Questions
00:06:41
Speaker
And it's is very true. One of the questions that came to me while you were speaking was, what questions did you ask in your interview processes to get to the bottom of, you know, the one practice kind of wanting you to be cookie cutter and do things their way. Yeah. Versus, you know, knowing, okay. You know what, what questions did you ask the the owners and the, cause I'm sure you you spoke with the team as well. Yeah. Um, part of that was just,
00:07:23
Speaker
Slowly in the interview process, you know I have training in implant placement. What systems do you use? are you I'm more familiar with this one. Would it be possible to implement that in the practice? Coming at, you know as as you ask more questions of, how do you do this? could we Is there any possibility of changing this is what I'm familiar with? Or, oh, I see that you do that this way. What training would be available to me to get on board with that?
00:07:50
Speaker
And those questions help you sort of suss out what what's possible. The other thing I was really fortunate in the interview process was having you, other mentors and docs who had done the interviews and gotten associateships,
00:08:09
Speaker
and our residency directors telling me to ask for things that I didn't even know I could ask for. And the more questions you ask of an owner, the more you understand their perspective on an associate, I guess, is the best way to say it. You know, do they Did they see you as an equal in the practice and somebody to help grow the practice? Or did they see you as an employee? Not that there's anything wrong with being an employee. I think there's a difference between an employee and a team member. And even though those are on paper, the same thing, the way you talk about the other team members is really telling.
00:08:54
Speaker
who So i I didn't know that you could ask for them to pay for your scrubs because that's technically something required of your employment. And if you're a W2 employee, they have to provide you a lot of the things, you know, required for working in the office. That was one that I had mentors tell me to ask for asking for help covering like my DEA license or, um,
00:09:23
Speaker
paying towards malpractice, paying towards all of these things. And just, again, the more questions you can ask of somebody, the better feel you're gonna get for. And it's not always gonna be a yes, right? That would be crazy. But you at least understand, hey, we can't do this, but we'll help you in this area and those sorts of things. Yeah, I think in addition to what you said,
00:09:50
Speaker
Listening for the responses and whether there is room to negotiate.
Evaluating Dental Practices and Team Dynamics
00:09:57
Speaker
Oh, yes. um Because if everything you ask is immediately shut down.
00:10:05
Speaker
Depending on your personality, it may or may not be the place for you. And you and I have kind of talked about this um before, but when i I was always taught that when you go on an interview, you know you're not the only person being interviewed. You're interviewing them as well to get more information to see if it's a right fit for you both.
00:10:33
Speaker
Correct, and I think you you made an excellent point when you talked about what or how? The owner doctor views the associate, you know, are you? um Just gonna be their cash cow ah Bring money, you know, and it's not that I mean but like yeah, are you are you just there? to make them money or are you there to be a you know, an awesome team member. Um, and one thing I love about, um, you know, um, Dr. Rice is that he always says that a mentorship, um, goes both ways, right? yeah The mentee learns from the mentor and the mentor to lunch from the mentee.
00:11:25
Speaker
It should make you both better. Yeah. I think the other point, not just is the associate the cash cow, is the associate just the person they're going to dump all the crap on?
00:11:39
Speaker
re So one of the back to our point about questions, one of the questions that I was told to ask is, you know how are the new patients divvied up? If you're in a group practice, if it's something that I treatment plan, in am I going to be the one to see that patient? So you know if I treatment plan a four-mile of rehab, you know does it slip through my fingers because you're the owner doctor?
00:12:07
Speaker
Now, if the patient specifically asks for the owner, that's normal. Um, I'm the same way. If, if, when I'm going to the doctor, if my doctor is not going to be there, I want to know, I don't want you to put me with someone that I don't have a relationship with yet. Yeah.
00:12:25
Speaker
100% so I 100% You know get that but I think that brought up a really good point about asking those questions, you know um Will you only see all of the new patients, you know, what will That interaction be are you gonna be responsible for the majority of the hygiene exams? Mm-hmm. Like how how will you get patients on your schedule? Are you?
00:12:53
Speaker
expect it to bring the patients to the practice or will the office supply you to patients? You know, are they marketing? Is there enough patience for everybody? Ooh, that, that's a big one. That's a really big one. Cause you know, in my millions of ah interviews that I went on, I always asked, you know, can I see what the schedule looks like? You know, yeahp what's it look like today versus, you know, I'm off down the line. Um, and the associateship that I ended up going to, he needed,
00:13:31
Speaker
He needed someone like he was too much it was too much i went to some interviews where they showed me the schedule and the doctor. You know the solo doctor that was there they they didn't even have enough.
00:13:48
Speaker
For them themselves, I was like, okay, what if I come, how how's that going to work out? I really don't think, you know, you're going to have enough to like, keep me busy. And when I say keep me busy, um, I was very eager to continue learning dentistry. And, um,
00:14:09
Speaker
Everyone's different. Some people could read a book like you're a speed reader and you retain a whole lot of stuff, right? But I know that in order for me to get better at something, I have to like physically do it. Right. um And, you know, everyone's different. I think another point to that is. Do you.
00:14:34
Speaker
They told us in residency, do they want an associate or do they need an associate? And asking if they've had an associate in the past because there are, in some instances, solo practices that you don't necessarily need an extra doctor, but like the idea of somebody doing the hygiene checks or covering while you're on vacation. And while that's nice, that's not that's not a full-time patient load. So finding out exactly why this position has come available in practice. And there are more subtle ways to ask that, but I think getting to the bottom of that tells you a ton about
00:15:19
Speaker
what you're stepping into.
00:15:23
Speaker
Just the more the more questions you can ask. It's like dating, right? You're going to have to, you're going to spend more time with this person likely than the other people closest to you in your life. So you better at least be able to stand them in some capacity.
00:15:42
Speaker
And I think that point drives home too, because it's not just the owner or the other ah doctor that's there. It's the team as well. Okay. What's this team like? Do I feel like I was received well on the team? Will there be obstacles in terms of scheduling? Like,
00:16:06
Speaker
If they don't like my personality, will they not schedule me patients? Yeah, that's a real that is a real concern. no One interview that I went on, I'll never forget this, I walked into the interview and my mom's a hygienist. She taught me how to, you know,
00:16:25
Speaker
nudge nudge my way into into an office and make friends. So I show up with a dozen donuts to my interview. um And I, you know, hey, I'm Savannah Craig. And they're like, Oh, are you a dental student here shadowing? And I said, No, I'm here to interview as an associate doctor. They were like, Oh, they had no idea I was coming.
00:16:52
Speaker
And it was just such a yucky feeling. And then everyone I encountered, on they were like, oh, are you here shadowing? and Somebody send out an email or a text message that I'm trying to get a job. I'm just going to say it's because you look so young. Sure. It's no way that you could be a dentist. Can you imagine you show up to an interview and nobody knows that you're trying to interview for a job? That was your first impression yeah and it was lasting.
00:17:27
Speaker
It was very lasting. So, I mean, as a tip to all you owners out there trying to hire an associate, just put a block on the schedule, let people know that somebody's coming to interview. It's very awkward otherwise.
Critical Job Interview Questions
00:17:47
Speaker
What would you say are some other really important things to, to maybe ask about I think trying to sneak away from the owner doctor and talk to team members, find out how long they've been there, find out how they feel about their job, that sort of thing. another um I didn't have to ask the question because my current boss was very forthcoming about it, but will I have my own team? Will they be trained and ready for me or are we sharing?
00:18:26
Speaker
team members um because I've heard some stories from colleagues and classmates where they don't hire another assistant or another EFDA and there's some wild things going on out there, but um that can be super awkward if the the the owner doc is running behind and there's not enough rooms or rooms aren't being turned over because there's not enough team members to support you. It's not just about and ah enough patience.
00:18:57
Speaker
the whole thing has to be ready for another doctor. a um I think understanding your other benefits. Health insurance, is it an option? What does that premium look like? Those sorts of things. Pay structure. Being really careful about, um they call them draws and like how how you're actually paid, what that,
00:19:27
Speaker
looks like oh another big one that I never knew about until thankfully my attendings in residency sat me down. A lot of times you're getting paid a percentage of collections. What is the actual collection amount every month or Are they collecting above 90% of what you're producing? Because even if it's, even if they're telling you, you get 50% of collections, if nobody's actually collecting any money. 0% of... Yeah. 50% of zero.
00:20:06
Speaker
So there's just a lot of nuances and just trying to collect as much data as possible. Also because when you ask an owner for that information, if they're weird about giving it to you, that's a pretty good sign too.
00:20:22
Speaker
Exactly. The only other thing I would probably add is because you and I um were pretty big on it, but continuing education yeah and like, you know, whether they'll pay for, whether you guys will go together, um, you know, that, that sort of thing is really important as well. And, and the other thing I didn't ask about, but was fortunate enough that my current position is big on is, will you let me bring my team with me?
00:20:52
Speaker
I, I've implemented IV sedation. And if I couldn't have taken my team with me to those trainings, it would have, we, we would have managed, but it would have sucked. And so you would have had to come back and try to train them. Yeah. So finding out. Not just the, again, the, the philosophy for the whole team, not just the doctors really tells you a lot too about what position you're walking into.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:21:20
Speaker
I think this has been a great episode on associateships 101. We'd love to hear your experiences. So definitely message us. Um, if you have any questions about our experiences or any questions, because there are so many questions to ask, definitely reach out to us. You can find me on Instagram at dr underscore Sartor and you can find Savannah at at Savannah Craig DDS. You can also check out the podcast, Instagram as well, but please reach out with any questions, new grads, dental students. If you're in an associateship, we'd love to hear it all. So thanks for listening.
00:22:00
Speaker
Thank you for joining us for this episode of Beyond Graduation. If you enjoyed this week's episode, be sure to share it with a friend. Connect with us on social media, Savannah Craig, DDS, and Dr. Underscore Sartor. And remember, you are not alone on this journey. This episode was sponsored by the Dental Residency Guide and the Beyond Graduation eBooks. These eBooks can be found at IgniteDDS dot.com slash eBooks. Thank you so much for listening to Beyond Graduation brought to you by Ignite DDS and Future Dentists.