Common Concerns about Entering Dental Academics

Perhaps the only true barrier preventing you from joining the academic community is a concern about what you can bring to the table. Consider what you have already accomplished in your life, no matter what part of your career you are now experiencing. You did well throughout your education including being admitted to and receiving a degree from a dental college. You may have established a practice which has been rewarding and has been an opportunity to arise every morning and look forward to some aspect of your day. None of that attainment was easy.

That accomplishment required multiple skills including your intellect, your personality, and an extraordinary work ethic. Those are skills possessed only by a few individuals. They are directly applicable to the educational environment; you are well down the road to being a part of academics. There is no reason to be concerned whether you “know enough.” You are clinically successful, and you have kept up with the technology and faithfully attended continuing education courses. Further, you have developed special interests and talents that are critically needed in the learning environment. You can be that professor who changes the entire approach a student takes to our profession.

ADEA offers a variety of courses to enhance educational skills, including:

• Institute for Teaching and Learning is an American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and AAL Collaboration, with exclusive sponsorship from Colgate-Palmolive Co.
• Program for Emerging Academic Leaders which covers topics such as leadership styles, team building and time management that are essential to planning and implementing a successful academic career
• weTeach

One barrier to entering education is attempting to identify a setting in which to teach. With the increasing number of dental colleges in United States, especially in areas where there were no such institutions before, plus all of the hospital general practice residencies and primary care specialty training programs such as pediatric dentistry, there are many sites seeking educators. Additionally, there are many affiliated professional training programs such as for dental hygiene, dental assisting, laboratory training, and more that are based in community colleges or special training sites. These are spread well around the United States.

ADEA offers a listing of all dental hygiene and dental schools throughout the United States and Canada for your review.

You may be held back when considering the time commitment. Opportunities certainly exist for full-time educators, but there are many positions for those who are engaged for two or three days a week, typically in salaried positions. All of the above mentioned settings are also seeking volunteer faculty, typically for one day per week or even more varied commitments. Faculty volunteers constitute a significant proportion of the educators in any of the previously mentioned settings.

The opportunities are many and include clinical teaching, but also research, community health outreach activities, curriculum development, clinic systems management, information technology support, and finally serving on a wide variety of committees within an institution. In particular admissions and student affairs related positions are widely available, as well as being a lecturer a seminar leader or a specialty discipline leader in any of the preceding settings.

What exactly is the need for educators both full and part time? Data from the year 2000 indicates that there were 11,332 total faculties in our dental colleges, and of that number, 4758 were full-time and 6476 were part time. At approximately that same time there were known to be 344 vacant positions; restorative dentistry was hit the hardest. Annual surveys of graduating seniors conducted by the American Dental Association continually indicate that approximately 5% desire to enter full-time dental education careers.

Assuming approximately 5000 graduates annually, or now with the new colleges even more, that 250 still would be an inadequate number of new educators to fill existing openings, let alone positions which are vacated through retirement or those exiting for private practice. The single greatest barrier identified by interested seniors is the perception that there is a huge salary differential between educators’ income and that of full-time private practitioners.

There is a salary differential, but the difference is not typically as great as may be guessed. Educators also receive benefits from their colleges that can be as high as a 35% add on to base salary. Additionally, most practice one day or even more per week in settings that are very attractive to patients. Patients also perceive that professors are the finest and most knowledgeable practitioners in their specific area of expertise.

Base professorial salaries can be augmented by consulting and other allowed activities. Additional suggestions made for dental academic careers include loan repayment programs, scholarships, and tuition waivers for advanced standing programs. Visit the ADEA site for additional information on scholarships and loan repayment programs.