So, you are fresh out of university and have your dentistry degree in your hand – now the whole wide world is your oyster! And what better way to use your degree than by setting up your very own medical practice. Sure, you could simply find a job with a current successful practice, but where is the fun in that? Setting up your own will give you the chance to be your own boss and to have a direct effect on your patients’ oral hygiene and dental health.
Even though it may be a thoroughly exciting idea, setting up a dental practice isn’t exactly easy. There are a few issues you might face as well, but that doesn’t make it a completely impossible dream to achieve! Here is what you need to know to make your new dental practice a complete success.
Consider Your Location
The location of your practice is very important. Ideally, you want to place yourself right in the centre of a town or city. That way, lots of people will be able to get to you easily, which is a big bonus when people are deciding which medical or dental practice to join. There is one major downside of these popular locations, though. And that is that many businesses will be trying to bag an office space in this spot, so you expect the competition to be fierce. And that means that prices will be very high! If you can’t find or can’t afford a spot right in the centre, it’s okay if it is in the suburbs somewhere, just make sure that it is close to public transport links for patients who don’t drive.
Decor Is Important
You might not think that the decor and interior of your new dental practice are that important, but it absolutely is. After all, no one wants to wait around in a sterile waiting room. And getting the decor wrong in the consultation rooms could make your patients quite anxious when they are sitting in your chair! If you aren’t sure what kind of decor will benefit your practice, you can always talk to a design firm who specialise in clinic design.
Find The Right Employees
You will need a number of people with different skills to help you open your new practice. For instance, you will almost certainly need some more dentists to work with you so that you can take on as many new patients as possible. In the first few years, just one or two other dentists should be enough until you are ready to grow your practice. You will also need a receptionist to take care of all your appointments and to meet and greet patients when they arrive. Most dentists also hire a couple of dental nurses to work beside them.
As you can tell, there is a lot that you will have to think about when opening your new dental practice. But all of this initial hard work will eventually pay off once you start to see all the money come in from this exciting venture!