Vijay Maheshwari, D.D.S., is the owner of Infuse Dental in Crown Point, Indiana. He graduated from Pacific Dental College in India and then completed two residency programs focused on general dentistry at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Northwest Dental Residency in Yakima, Washington. Outside of dentistry, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending quality time with family and friends.
Members of the graduating class of 2025 recently put a bow on their academic careers with the culmination of their dental degrees. While this time may have been chaotic as requirements were fulfilled and exams were completed, it was important to remain organized, a necessity that continues with graduates’ next step: hunting for a job.
I remember when I was graduating, everyone I spoke to said the first job you get is the one you dislike the most. Whether it’s inexperience in evaluating a job position, not asking the right questions or not negotiating enough, too many people told me I would hate my first job. I don’t consider myself the exception to this “rule,” but I really didn’t want to lock myself into a contract where I would be dissatisfied (note: it is always a good idea to have an attorney review any proposed employment contract). I had a conversation with my co-resident about these complaints, and he shared with me a very objective questionnaire, which I then used to filter through job prospects.
Once you finalize a location area where you are willing to work, the beautiful thing about the questionnaire is it helps take the emotion out of a job prospect. Sometimes you see the pictures or the recruiter hypes up a location to make you rush your decision, but there are so many subtleties to this commitment that it needs to be a win-win for both you and your future employer. Your first interview will not be pretty, but as you go through subsequent ones, you will begin to sound out what is a good job prospect versus a bad one. Developing this skill will help make you an exception to this idea that your first job is your worst job.
I hope this questionnaire can help you in your journey as it has helped me.
Expected pay:
• What is the salary range for associates?
• How is the amount calculated (base pay, percentage of production or collections, etc.), and how might it vary?
• When and how much will I get paid?
• Will I start with an existing patient pool or from scratch?
• Does the practice cover lab fees?
Insurance:
• What percentages of patients pay out of pocket, have PPO insurance and have Medicaid, respectively?
• What is the practice’s collection percentage?
• How quickly does the practice receive collections?
• With how many insurance networks is the practice contracted?
• Do I need to take care of my own credentialing?
Practice hours:
• What are the practice’s days and hours of operation?
• Is there an on-call schedule?
• If this is a multisite organization, will the employer have the right to assign me to practice at multiple locations in the same day?
• What is the vacation policy?
Procedures:
• Do you do specialty referrals for certain procedures?
• How many chairs will I have?
• How many patients can I expect to see?
• Will I be mentored through more complex procedures?
Staff:
• What are assistants’ responsibilities?
• Will I have an assistant for each operatory?
• Do I get collections from hygiene checks and recall exams?
• With how many hygienists will I work?
Benefits:
• Does the practice reimburse for continuing education?
• How much paid time off will I receive?
• Does the practice offer health insurance to employees?
• Do employees’ immediate family members get discounts?
• What retirement benefits does the practice offer? Is there a match program for retirement savings?
Contract:
• How long is the commitment?
• Is there a noncompete clause? If so, what are the terms?
Buy-in potential:
• Is there an option to buy in?
• Is there a time frame before buy-in is an option?
• Is buy-in for a specific percentage, or is it a full partnership?
Source by New Dentist Blog Read More
