I remember dental school as clearly as if I was sitting next to you right now.
- Stomach aches from the 3 pots of coffee exam cram.
- Burnt typodont tooth smell in my nose.
- Exhausted waiting on clinic faculty.
I remember the good days…the bad days…and the days I questioned why the heck I went to dental school at all. Passing exams and surviving practicals was all that mattered. When people asked what I would do after graduation, I just smiled and nodded my head as if I was paying attention. Truth is, there’s a danger is just trying to survive dental school. We don’t plan to fail…we fail to plan. You don’t need to have all the answers. You do need the following big 3 before you leave school:
Understand All Your Paths to Practice (by D2)
If you don’t know all your options, it’s easy for someone with THEIR best interest…NOT YOURS…to influence your decisions. Please understand, everyone has an agenda for you. Corporate practices spend big bucks on why you should work for them. Brokers push you to buy. Start-up folks tell you to start up. Everyone has an angle.
They’re not bad. It’s their perspective and their job.
Your job is to understand all perspectives. When you do, you make better choices for you. My job is simply to make you aware. Go to igniteDDS on Insta…ask and learn.
Create an Emergency Fund (by D3)
- Don’t deprive yourself.
- Do take $15/week, every week, that you would’ve spent on coffee, beer and tacos and set it aside. Start as D3 and you’ll cross the stage with over $1500.
- Increase it to $30/week as soon as you have dollars coming in, and in no time you’ll have $5k plus when you need it.
Get Disability Insurance (D4 and B4 you graduate)
Last and definitely not least…get in occupation disability insurance. If you’re a D4, do it now. You get big discounts as a student. Hard truth…dentists get disabled…a lot.
Back and neck issues take careers.
Vision issues take careers.
Hurt hands take careers.
Guys, I bought my practice from a 41-year-old dentist who had macular degeneration. Think about that.
- Without the right coverage, he would have lost his house. His kids would’ve had to change schools. The vacations would have been over.
- With it, he was able to get a job at a dental manufacturer (way less money than being a dentist) but still collect his insurance; so it balanced out. Friends, it’s easy to live from exam-to-exam in school. It’s also dangerous. Arm yourself with information, and if this helped you, follow igniteDDS on Insta…plenty more where this came from.
Friends, it’s easy to live from exam-to-exam in school. It’s also dangerous. Arm yourself with information, and if this helped you, follow igniteDDS on Insta…plenty more where this came from.
David Rice, DDS, is on a mission to improve our profession by leading the next generation of dentists to grow successful lives and practices. The founder of igniteDDS, Dr. Rice speaks to over 35 dental schools and residency programs a year on practice building, team building and wealth building. Dr. Rice is a private practitioner, educator, author and mentor who connects students, young dentists and professionals from diverse dental-related businesses – “fueling passion beyond the classroom.” Learn more: ignitedds.com/user/david_rice/