Foreign Graduates

If you are a dentist whose dental degree is from a country other than the US or Canada, especially if you have not been through any formal post graduate clinical programs in either of these two countries, you may be facing more difficulties when it comes to the management of your practice.

Of course every dentist (US or non-US graduate) misses a lot in dental school as far as management is concerned, but this section specifically deals with international dentists' challenges.

As you remember from the introduction, Dr. Solution's™ character is created based on the experiences of a group of successful practitioners. This group includes dentists who have international degrees and/or backgrounds.

In this section you will see how they compensate for their lack of a US education, as well as how they put their different backgrounds to use in achieving above average results.

At this point, let's review some different areas that can be a disadvantage for an international graduate and consider the best ways to overcome them. We are also going to discuss the most common practice management mistakes made by non-US degree holders.

Being unfamiliar with all the available techniques and materials

As a dentist who has been trained abroad. It is very probable that you have brought your old techniques with you, especially if you have been practicing in another country for a significant period of time. In other words, it is possible that you are not comfortable with newer and better alternatives in dentistry.

If this is the case, it can cost you a lot. For example, if you are uncomfortable with rotary instruments in Endodontics, or with the use of full porcelain crowns when it is indicated, you may be losing a considerable amount in production and in patient satisfaction; this  directly affects your practice's success.

Sometimes, our sense of pride stops us from getting ahead in our lives. For instance a doctor who has been doing root canal treatments with hand instruments successfully (by his standard) for years, is reluctant to accept that switching to a more recent technique and armamentarium is worth it. The problem with this mindset is that before you realize it, you will be so far behind it will be difficult to catch up when that new method becomes "the standard of care".

Although I am not suggesting that you  jump into incorporating every new technology available, I want you to use your unbiased discretion to stay updated. A dentist (regardless of where he or she was trained) who refuses to adapt to the use of better techniques or materials is making a big mistake that will surely affect the progress of his or her practice over the long run.

Therefore, my first recommendation is to get acquainted with the techniques, materials and instruments that are proven to be better than what you may currently use. Don not view your comfort level with a procedure as the most important factor. You will soon see the benefits of applying new technology and techniques into your practice.

Do Not Build an "Ethnic" Practice

The most common mistake among internationally trained dentists is that they count on their ethnic group as their main target when it comes to marketing, particularly when they first build their practices.

To explore this issue in more depth, let me ask you this; have you ever been to a business in the US that is "too" ethnic? Have you been to a place where everybody speaks a language you don't understand? A place where everyone looks alike and talks alike and you stand out as being an outsider?

• Do you feel comfortable in such a place?
• Can you honestly say you are 100% comfortable with everybody speaking a foreign language in a place of business?
• What about the signs on the walls or magazines on the stands that are in a language you don't know; do you feel out of place?
• Would you consider that business to be a high-class and up-to-date kind of business?

If your answer is "no" to any of the above (as I believe it is), then why would you build your own practice to become one of "those businesses"?

Why do you hire people mostly from your own country of origin, run major ads in your ethnic community or heavily advertise among people you know from "back home"?

Well, I know the reason and let me tell you why it is wrong. You do this because you simply feel more comfortable with the culture and believe you can get a jump start from your own community. Then when you are making some serious money, you can expand it to other markets.

You may also say, "I should hire a few people from my country of origin so they can talk to my patients who come to me because of my nationality".

What you don't know is that before you realize it you are running an "ethnic" business. The problem with this is that you are not selling an ethnic food or ethnic entertainment; you are providing a service which should be open to everybody.

You want to provide your service to the general public but at the same time you are alienating them by creating a practice which is only friendly to people from your country?! When you think about it, it makes no sense.

Don't get me wrong, I am not questioning the greatness of different cultures and backgrounds. But in a purely business sense if you expect to have a mixed clientele (which is necessary for your long term success), do not turn the general public off by being too ethnic!

If you listen to me and avoid heavy marketing to your own people from the "old country," you may have a slower start in the beginning. But when you build a successful practice after a few months, you will get even more patients from your own ethnic group. Everyone likes successful people, including patients with backgrounds similar to our own.

Metaphorically speaking, turning an "ethnic" business into a multi-cultural one is like being an office heavily involved with HMO plans and trying to get out of it. Remember, I am not telling you to disregard your ethnicity as a positive factor, just don't count on it as the only or even the major factor. You want to be diversified, friendly and welcoming to everyone. As a matter of fact, due to your knowledge you can be more appealing to patients with different backgrounds versus doctors who have no international experience.

As an internationally trained dentist you will get more patients from your country of origin anyway, so don't overdo it. Make it your goal to have a mixture of patents so your income from your home country patients is not over 25% of your practice's production; exceeding this amount is the point where your office will inevitably shift to be a one-sided practice.

It is imperative that you use your background to your advantage and not against yourself.

Improve Your Communication Skills

English may be your second language if you are an internationally trained dentist, thus you may have not mastered it yet.

So, let me tell you this; if your English is not very good and you have problems effectively communicating with your patients, you must do something about it.

I am not talking about your accent. I am talking about the inability to answer questions fluently, difficulty reasoning with patients using easy to understand examples, and most of all the inability to look professional and confident.

All of the above can be major obstacles toward achieving your goal of having a successful practice.

You may need to spend some time on this, even if it means going to some classes or taking some online courses, but believe me, the payoff is worth it. Do not take it lightly and never think it is too late.

Don't Be Afraid!

One of the key reasons we don't market to the mainstream is that we don't feel completely confident about our education. We think that by dealing with people from our own background we will show more self-confidence, and therefore get better results.

Sometimes we even tend to categorize our patients based on their ethnicity, and in our conversations we say something like, "I have American patients too!"

The only way we can improve ourselves is if we change this attitude. We must feel just as comfortable with all of our patients and their cultures as we are with people who share our own ethnic background.

Your Name

My last point, but definitely not least, is regarding your name. Obviously I am not picking on you here; I am just bringing a fact to your attention. Most people who choose their dentist off a list (insurance book) have no information about a doctor other than what is provided by the insurance company, which consist of a name and an address.

Let's be honest, if you were deciding which doctor to see, would you select a name that you can't pronounce or even read correctly?!

The fact is that most people have a tendency to go to places that feel more familiar to them. Consequently, if you have a name that is very unique, hard to pronounce, very long or has multiple sections (hyphenated), it may be a good idea to use a different name for your business.

Different doctors have done it in various ways, and all have had positive results. Those who don't want to be left out because of their name, just change their legal name to an easier, may be more Americanized name. Others who are happy with their names but understand that it doesn't benefit them in their business choose to use fictitious names for their businesses and an abbreviated name in the office for themselves (like Dr. K, or Dr. D).

Whether you decide to change your legal name or obtain a fictitious name, the processes is rather easy to go through. Although it does not take long to do, the effect it has on your business will last a long time.