Walking with Dental Students through the Minefields of Associateship Opportunities

Dental students in the United States face a variety of choices often involving incredibly complex issues when negotiating for a position as an associate employee in a general dentistry private practice. Choices range from relatively simple and essentially temporary "jobs" defined by boiler-plate contracts, to very complicated and lengthy contracts defining not only the associateship position but also potential buy-in/buy-out provisions to become practice owners. This editorial describes some of my experiences in last 12 years in helping in some capacity over 120 students navigate these options. My remarks focus on employment opportunities which students viewed not simply as temporary jobs, but as careers leading to potential practice ownership.