28/06/2022
Hey everyone,
I’ve recently had a few people asking me and my wife contract questions, so I thought I’d just do a quick post with a few simple thoughts.
First thing - ALWAYS make sure you have a written contract. Do not ever, ever start a job without one. If you are in an existing job and you don’t have one then make sure you get one. Why? You’ve got a good relationship right? Because if there is ever a disagreement it becomes a lot more costly and messy to sort it out if you don’t have a written contract. Have you ever seen a poor divorce lawyer? Exactly.
I’ve had people message me saying they have transitioned from newgrad to SFA and the terms are completely different and also there are crazy exclusion zones etc on them. This should have all been worked out beforehand. If it’s not in writing this is where it gets messy.
Get the ADA to check your contract or a good lawyer. (The ADA is generally an excellent resource for this and very cost effective). They will advise you what is and isn’t reasonable. One thing to remember is that things are mostly negotiable. If you’re not sure whether it is or not then just ask the person giving the contract.
For newish grads typical percentages vary now from what I’ve seen from 30 percent up to about 38 ish. This is quite often on a sliding scale based on hourly, daily or monthly production. Corporates seem to screw their dentists with this the most (obviously dependent on the corporate). There are very, very few people offering a straight 40 percent these days for newish grads. Especially if they require frequent case discussion and mentoring etc.
Remember though it’s not all about the percentages. A well set up practice will be providing mentoring and CPD and may be sending you more of the type of work you want to do. So keep it in perspective. It may also be worth asking associates who work at the practice what it’s like.
One big thing I hear too is that associates are paid late and if they discuss this / have pay questions or ask for a contract that their boss gets angry. This is complete BS as far as I’m concerned and I’d even go so far as to say it’s abuse. Don’t listen to sob stories that they can’t pay you or need to pay you late. You should be paid on time.
Don’t be scared to discuss your pay or your contract. It should be written in your contract by when you should be paid by in business days. Pay should be transparent too. Any calculations and invoices etc should be provided if requested.
If you need to have a difficult conversation then come at it from a place of mutual agreement. Eg “I’ve noticed on the contract you’ve provided that it says this. I’d like to change it to x. What can we do?”
Before the conversation literally just do 3 or 4 bullet points and put it on a sheet of paper so you’re clear and concise with what you want to say before you have the conversation. Don’t go into these conversations demanding things because it will only sour your relationship. Happy practices are built on good relationships. Newgrads in particular are really scared about these difficult conversations and waffle a lot but using the bullet point method seems to work with the ones I’ve dealt with.
The next thing is always, always protect yourself. What do I mean by this? Well it’s like writing good patient notes. Any conversations you have regarding pay etc ideally need to be documented by email or if you have a verbal chat ask them to follow it up with an email summary unless you are getting a contract sorted. (You can always email yourself a quick summary of a conversation if they won’t send you one). This again is to protect you should they try and pull something. I’ve heard of people getting percentages changed, retention amounts being added out of the blue and money withheld etc and so everything needs to be documented.
Finally, if none of the clinicians in your practice have a written contract then please encourage them to all get them asap. You’ll hear a lot of horror stories about owners screwing OHT’s and associates etc. That does happen, in some cases it can be as simple as the owner is just really laid back. So don’t assume that every owner is out to screw you. Older owners in particular will be more laid back with this I find.
Bit of a long post (sorry) - these are just some musings off the top of my head. TL:DR version - make sure you have a written contract.
Disclaimers - I’m a General Dental Residency(GDR) tutor and have also been mentoring with some of the Melbourne Uni OHT’s, so I deal directly with a lot of newgrads and hear the good and the bad.
My wife Lavania Voruganti also runs Here Write Now for Dental a business to help dentists, newgrads and OHT’s with their cover letters, resumes and interview coaching etc. If you need some help with this reach out to her at lavania@herewritenow.com.au
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