As a faculty member in a residency program, I’m a new dentist teaching even newer dentists. We have a lot of similar career questions. What are the best options for paying back student loans? How can I get my name out there to build my practice?
As the 9th District (Wisconsin and Michigan) representative to the American Dental Association’s New Dentist Committee, I want to make sure you’re benefiting as much as possible from your dues dollars. The Wisconsin Dental Association and the ADA offer so many practical benefits to new dentists.
No matter how much student debt you have, it’s an exciting time to consider loan refinancing. It’s like a solar-eclipse for your student loans that WDA and ADA are both able to offer discounted lending partners right now. I have refinanced my student loans once through the DRB in early 2016 (now known as Laurel Road) and once through SoFi earlier this year.
There is no better time to refinance because SoFi is offering double the discount for WDA members through Sept. 30, 2017. I speak from experience when I encourage you to check with multiple lenders every year or so, as their products will vary and your offered rates will change significantly in the first years of practice.
Another easy way to benefit from membership as a new dentist is to update your Find-a-Dentist® online profile. The WDA and ADA are pouring millions of our dues dollars into helping patients find YOU and me. The best way we can leverage those effort is to upload a current picture and accurate practice details. Let the hard work of ADA and WDA pay off for you.
Lastly, please consider joining me at the New Dentist Conference in Atlanta this October. It’s nestled within the bigger ADA Meeting and includes a variety of continuing education and social events tailored to meet the needs of dentists out of school 10 years or less. The speakers are well-known experts selected to offer the very best buy for high quality CE. I, personally, am excited for the “Skeptic’s Guide to the Literature” course and the evening socials included in the meeting.
My work on the local and state levels will be to continue connecting with new dentists one-on-one and also advocating for our unique interests with decision makers. Please connect with me directly ([email protected]) or comment below on these or any other new dentist issues you feel need attention by the ADA or WDA. Thank you!
