ASDO 8301 - Practice Management and Professional Development 4B

1 credit hour

Practice Management: The purpose of this module is to convey knowledge in dental management and economics. The program is designed to provide basic skills in business decision-making and practice management. The curriculum deliberately promotes early consideration of certain unexplored and unfamiliar personal and dental practice issues to allow sufficient time to build awareness, knowledge, and mindset for required competencies. In the Dental Practice Ready (DPR) program utilized for much of the content delivery and assessment, Level 1 describes career opportunities, introduces strategic planning as a way to address personal and professional challenges, and creates familiarity with financial statements and procedures. Levels 2 and 3 use the strategic planning and finance principles learned at Level 1 to develop problem-solving skills needed when practicing dentistry in the real world as owners, associates, employees, public administrators, or military personnel. Level 4 concludes the dental practice program. It offers advice on how to select a practice location, addresses many frequently asked questions on the transition to practice, introduces sources of information on financial and economic trends that affect the dental profession, and guides the application of knowledge and skills acquired in previous years to produce a professional business plan that could be used in attaining financial support for starting a dental practice.