Early Career Dentists

“Private practices have been effectively taking care of the oral health needs of a large portion of the population,” writes…

The CDA Foundation is accepting applications through May 31, 2024 for the Webb Family Grant, which supports the education and training of dental professionals in California.

A commitment to rural and underserved populations guides the educational and career goals of the CDA Foundation’s 2023 Webb Family Grant recipient, Maria Augello.

A new Los Angeles city ordinance requires employers who hire and retain freelance workers within the city to provide a written contract and timely payment among other things and also established certain rights for freelance workers. 

Dentists and other authorized prescribers across the U.S. will be required under a new federal law to complete eight hours of instruction on treating and managing patients with opioid and other substance use disorders prior to renewing or obtaining a DEA registration.

CDA will host two in-person gatherings in San Diego and Ontario in late March that are especially geared toward early-career dentists who want to define or refine their career goals, but dentists in any stage of practice with an eye on the future are invited to attend. 
 

Space sharing — that is, sharing space or renting an operatory in an established dental office — may be a viable option for dentists in various stages of their career if the terms are carefully considered by both parties and all proper steps are taken.

The CDA Foundation awarded Dr. Stone just over $103,000 in student loan repayment in exchange for her commitment to maintain an overall patient caseload of at least 30% Medi-Cal patients for at least two years in either a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area or an underserved worksite.

Dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants and dental and hygiene students in California may be eligible for financial assistance via loan repayment or a scholarship through the Department of Health Care Access and Information. 

Dental assistant training programs are successfully placing graduates in California dental practices. One recent graduate, Liz Martinez, changed her career as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now employed by a dental practice in San Francisco.

Employers in California can now visit a single website to help them understand their requirements under a new law that further restricts their ability to classify their workers as independent contractors. Launched late last year by the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency, the website provides employer-specific resources and FAQ summarizing AB 5 and the ABC test and more.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, it will be more difficult for most employers in California to classify workers as independent contractors, rather than employees, and in some cases will make employees out of independent contractors. And although CDA secured an exemption for dentists, employee classification still isn’t clear-cut, and dentists will need to err on the side of caution when classifying their workers.