Success Factors in the Field of Dentistry

Dentistry

Critical Success Factors in the Field of Dentistry

The path to becoming a qualified dental professional is partially defined by the medical implications of the chosen career and partially defined by the business administration imperatives also directly related. The discussion here considers some of the key issues in defining critical success factors in the field of dentistry. Most specifically among them, the discussion addresses the characteristics of your dental education and how these relate to your success. Additionally, the discussion considers the issue of your chosen path to practice, offering an analysis of the challenges relating to establishing your own practice. The key recommendations that this discussion leads to relate to the process of dental education and the path that aspiring dentists will take to entering the practice. Regarding education, the discussion recommends extensive personal research into the kind of dental educational community where practicing professionals provide instruction and oversight. With respect to practicing dentistry, it is recommended that the aspiring dentist first cultivate experience working within an existing practice before starting a new and independent practice.

Introduction:

A career in dentistry has the potential to be incredibly rewarding. As a healthcare professional, the dentist has an opportunity to help individuals to be relieved of pain, to provide critical medical treatment to those in imminent need and to offer aesthetic improvements for those who require them. Additionally, dentistry puts you in a position to provide valuable insight into preventative measures, lifestyle decisions and health habits to individuals who might significantly benefit from such input. Working in a healthcare setting, providing treatment and providing critical informational and practical support are just a few of the defining characteristics of a complex and nuanced occupational path. But in order to qualify to serve in this capacity, the developing dental professional must engage in a decidedly challenging course of professional advancement. There are many factors that will determine your success in engaging this course. The discussion hereafter considers these factors with a focus on education and the path to practice, and offering some insights into those success factors that can ultimately shape one's dental career.

Key Issues:

Among the key issues is your dental education. This is an absolutely critical dimension of your professional development. As with most professions in the medical sphere, dentistry calls for extensive training, on-site learning and a comprehensive knowledge of the anatomical, biological and general medical implications of the occupation. Most aspiring dentists will begin to gain this knowledge and its attendant skills during dental school,. Additionally, many aspiring dental practitioners will actually begin their preparations for this path as early as their undergraduate studies. As Santiago indicates, "to be accepted into a dental school program, you do not necessarily have to major in science in college, but it may help. Additionally, one must at least fulfill the dental school pre-requisites which includes many science classes. Recommended courses include biochemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and general biology." (Santiago 1)

For the critical success factors shaping one's dental career, there are certain steps one can take to improve career development. To this end, choosing the path to practice is also of critical importance. This is not necessarily a determinant of success so much as an indication that there are multiple paths to achieving this. Namely, you must determine whether you intend to work independently or within the scope of a broader healthcare system. The path that an aspiring or advancing dental professional chooses will shape the nature of the challenges ahead. Beginning your own practice comes with a wide range of challenges that may not be encountered by a dentist working in a hospital setting, working for an institution such as the U.S. military or serving in a public health clinic. Success will be shaped differently in each of these instances.

Key Facts and Findings:

Most dental education and degree courses are about four years in length. The common degrees earned during this four-year program include the Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) and the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) According to Santiago, the length of time for completion is roughly the same. Therefore, the choice of which degree to earn is truly a matter of preference and will depend largely on the practical dimensions of treatment that you wish to be able to offer. Santiago goes on to indicate that the most basic requirements for admission into a dental school thereafter will include the acquisition of a bachelor's degree and successful completion of the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). Beyond these basic requirements, fierce admissions competition not unlike that related to college admission or application to a graduate degree program will impact the dental school that you ultimately enter into. Factors such as grades, test scores, letters of recommendation and performance in entrance interviews will shape the admissions process and determine the degree of latitude that you have in choosing the right dental school for your needs and professional aspirations.

Santiago also advises that there are steps which one can take preemptively to improve the chances of having this freedom of choice. Accordingly, Santiago, "to improve your chances of success and acceptance into dental school, [dental education professional] Tammy Davenport also recommends volunteering or working in a dental office in high school and college, to increase your understanding of the field and help you obtain real life experience that may even transfer into your coursework and testing." (Santiago 1)

Following education, you must acquire your license to practice. Each state offers its own licensing program and its uniquely administered set of standards. For instance, According to the Office of the Professions (OP), the state of New York administers licenses and provides the following specifications to those wishing to qualify: "be of good moral character; be at least 21 years of age; meet education requirements; meet examination requirements; meet experience requirements; and complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse offered by a New York State approved provider." (1)

Once you have achieved this licensing, the opportunities for practicing are considerable. This is because there is a great demand for new dentists today and there is, additionally, evidence that this demand will only continue to grow in the coming years. Seizing this opportunity in the way that best suits your needs and professional aspirations will be a great determinant of success. As Santiago notes, "according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dentists are in demand in the workforce. The field is expected to grow by 16% through 2018, which is considered 'faster than average'. Three out of four dentists are solo practitioners. Therefore many dentists, about 30% or more, are also self-employed, as owners or partial owners of their own business, a dental practice. Very few dentists work in a hospital setting. According to the BLS, about dentists held about 141,000 jobs, and about 15% of dentists are specialists." (Santiago 1)

The growth in demand for private practice dentistry is especially compelling and causes us to consider the implications of starting one's own practice as part and parcel to defining success. This is an important point to consider because opening one's own practice substantially expands upon the professional demands and attendant challenges facing the dentist. In addition to the challenges that are inherent to the dental practice, which can include not just treatment but also the complexities of navigating insurance law and healthcare system bureaucracy, one who runs one's own practice must also function as a business administrator.

This is why the most successful private practice dentists are those who can assemble a staff with the skill, knowledge and experience to provide critical business management support. This includes management of a staff, coordination with insurance providers and even basic attention to issues of equipment maintenance, schedule coordination and office administration. Santiago indicates that there are common staffing demands that are somewhat standardized throughout the field of practice. According to Santiago, "a dentist typically employs a staff that includes dental hygienists and dental assistants who help provide the basic care such as teeth cleanings, x-rays, and flouride treatments." (1)

Beyond staffing demands, there is also, of course, the demand for capital in order to initiate a practice. This means that like most other businesses, the private dental practice must work to establish patient loyalty, to spread awareness of its presence in a given area and, even in advance of these steps, to ensure that the convergence of location, marketing strategy and operational scale are compatible with a given community. In other words, many dentists will find that their success is not strictly defined by their skills and functions as a dental practitioner but also by their capacity to oversee or delegate the oversight of a dental office. Choosing the right scale and scope given your resources and growth ambitions can be very important is shaping the path ahead.

Of course, as Santiago notes, a dental practice is like any other business. The ability to achieve consistency, stability and success depends as much on the ability to court and retain 'customers' as on providing them with high quality care. Such is to say that the ability to promote the practice, to maintain its visibility, to achieve patient loyalty and to establish a reputation that brings it further patients are all part and parcel of defining success in the field. As the text by Santiago notes, there will inevitably be ebbs and flows in the robustness of your practice. The ability to absorb, rebound and even prevent these patterns is important, as is the case in any business. Accordingly, Santiago warns that "patient volume can decline in tough economic times, as many people will put off preventative or routine visits when cutting back financially. Office revenue (and the dentist's income) can decrease when patient volume declines." (1)

These are realities that you must be prepare for in the field, a challenge that is especially compounded for dentists who are in their early stages of practice. This is because high tuition costs and the demands of investment for the start of a practice can have a direct impact on cash flow. Still, just as tuition is high, so too is compensation. The American Dental Education Association (ADEA)(2008) reports this fact, noting that "dentists are well compensated. Though incomes vary across the country and depend on the type of practice, the ADA reports that in 2008 the average net income for an indpendent private general practitioner who owned all or part of his or her practice was $207, 210; it was $342, 270 for dental specialists." (1)

What is perhaps best-highlighted here is that success in the field of dentistry is not defined by your medical training and treatment capabilities alone. The nature of yourpractice and its ability to thrive as a business are very much a part of success in dentistry.

Additionally, the practice of dentistry is truly more multidimensional than just provided treatment. Beyond this, the article by Kokemuller (2009) shows, dentistry also requires you to be something of an educator. According to the article, "along with providing preventative care and treatment, dentists help educate patients on how to manage their oral health." (Kokemuller 1) This means that as a practicing dentist, you must not only possess the communication skills and bedside manner to provide this kind of education, but it also means that you have a clear responsibility to your patients to remain abreast of all current knowledge and emergent research in the field.

Recommendations:

Several recommendations emerge from our discussion here on dental education. Particularly, you should choose an educational environment that gives access to a host of qualified practicing dental professionals and that provides clear paths for hands-on training as well. According to Trotman et al. (2007), there are considerable efforts within the field to court local and practicing professionals to help improve dental education standards. Trotman et al. finds, "a consistent theme in the national dialogue about future directions for the educational arm of dentistry is how best to cultivate a school environment that will be seen as attractive by members of the dental community who desire to serve their profession as teachers and scholars." (Trotman et al. 713)

Therefore, as you seek out an ideal educational setting, it is recommended that you search for a dental school that meets these qualifications. Naturally, cost, geography and accessibility will also impact the dental school that you attend. The strongest recommendation that we can make here is that you conduct extensive research on the nature, orientation and learning environment of those dental schools into which you seek admission. Additionally, as recommended by the Education Portal (EP)(2012), it can be extremely beneficial to seek a mentor to counsel you through your education.