ADAPT Blog

We hear lots of questions about managing staff during practice transitions, so we made it the focus of last week’s ADA Practice Transitions Coffee Talk webinar.

Dr. Betsy Shapiro, ADA Director of Practice Management and the ADA Center for Professional Success, joined ADAPT’s Dr. Suzanne Ebert, Vice President of Dental Practice & Relationship Management, for this hour-long conversation. The two shared their experiences with managing staff through their own practice transitions, as well as lessons learned from working with other dentists.

Welcome to Practice Profiles, an occasional series that showcases some of the practices of ADA Practice Transitions participants. See all Practice Profiles.  

Discover what memorable experiences await you in the beautiful corner of the world known as southwest Michigan.

And look no further for a great professional opportunity in this general dentistry practice for sale.

ADA Practice Transitions (ADAPT) has been in pilot stage for several months now, but there are still many dentists who may not know what we do – and why we do it. ADAPT offers a new way of hiring an associate, finding a job, buying a practice, or selling.

Some wonder why such a service is necessary. And why now?

Last week's ADA Practice Transitions Coffee Talk webinar featured advice on preparing your finances for a practice purchase.

Rob Westhoven, VP and Director of Dental Banking for Androscoggin Bank, explained how banks approach practice sales, including several possible options. He also answered several great questions from attendees about how COVID-19 may change the equation. 

I have talked to many dentists over the last several weeks and noticed that recent conversations have taken on a new tone as we all navigate the COVID-19 situation.

Last week we kicked off new topics for the ADA Practice Transitions Coffee Talk webinar series with some fantastic advice from a pair of dental CPAs. Chris VanStraten and Andy McCarty of Baker Tilly, founding member of ADCPA, walked us through some of the ways that COVID-19 is changing dental practice sales.

During the webinar, Chris and Andy explored:

Kristen started her practice search on job boards.

Joe was exploring a sale with a practice management company.

In both cases, they could not get what they needed – until they turned to ADA Practice Transitions.

Now is a great time to have some important conversations with your family about how your career affects your collective future. Most of you have never been allowed this kind of focused time to evaluate your true priorities as a family.  

Emily Ishkanian, former chair of the ADA New Dentist Committee, joined a practice that turned out to be the wrong fit for her long-term goals. She shared her experience with ADA Practice Transitions. Read on for her story and 5 lessons for other dentists.

As a profession, we dentists have been challenged in many ways, at so many times, and we have responded with thoughtfulness, compassion, and caring. I am proud to be a part of a group of people who are willing to sacrifice so much just to care for our patients and communities. Let’s remember that we are a small group of highly trained individuals whose services will always be needed – we will bounce back from this.

So how can we navigate these times when practices are closed? After all, even the most introverted of dentists is used to interacting with people each day. I have a few ideas to help you stay positive through the coming weeks.