Mentorship is central to our mission here at CDP. We believe in the power of mentors to help new dentists grow, as well as foster supportive relationships within our teams that can last your entire career. An effective mentor can do more than just show you the ropes!
Mentorship Is Part of Our Culture
What sets us apart from other DSOs is our culture. We have built our entire business model around core values that ensure our patients get consistently amazing care in an inviting environment, and our doctors can enjoy career longevity in a practice they love.
Our mentorship program carefully matches each new doctor with an experienced dentist whose personality and communication style will be a great fit. Like any great work relationship, an effective mentorship needs mutual respect, effective and honest communication, the humility to be open to learning from your peers, and a love for lifelong learning. Our mentors don’t see their job as becoming your next professor. The exchange of ideas gleaned from valuable experiences can go both ways!
Why Mentorship Matters
Obviously, dental school is an essential part of becoming a great doctor. After all, you need the credentials and technical education to do the job! But on-the-job, experiential learning alongside a great mentor goes far beyond learning techniques (although that’s a huge part of it, too). Experiential learning outside an academic setting lets you hone your soft skills, too. Being an amazing doctor means more than executing suitable treatments. It means knowing how to navigate your patients’ dental anxiety, how to communicate in a way that enhances their trust in you, and being a key part of their overall well-being.
Your CDP mentorship will give you a way to debrief after patient interactions, analyze when things go wrong, and build an action plan for how to ensure things go better in the future. Your mentor will have critical advice, but also give you the moral support when navigating those first tough months.
Hone Your Skills and Perfect the Art of Compassionate Care
Your dental school education will have prepared you well for the job ahead. You have the technical knowledge to perform the work, and probably even a fair bit of clinical experience. However, school can never completely prepare us for the realities of day-to-day life as a dentist. Like any job, you can expect a learning curve in the first months of your new career.
By joining CDP, you’ll have a mentor there to help you hone your skills and adjust to the speed of a productive practice with effective guidance. You’ll never just be thrown to the wolves with us! Of course, on-the-job training isn’t your only option. There are residency programs that can also help you become a better doctor. We can’t tell you which option is best for you, but learning your trade in a real-world environment while getting paid is a pretty great way to do things.
What Will Your Dental Mentorship Look Like?
Mentorship comes with plenty of benefits, as you can see. But what will your mentorship experience look like in practice? First of all, your relationship with your mentor starts right from the beginning of your time with CDP. Setting you up with the right mentor is part of our onboarding process, which will give you opportunities to shadow and work side-by-side. You’ll get a sense of how things flow in your new practice while picking up a few essential tricks to help your first days go smoothly.
But your relationship with your mentor won’t end there! They’ll be there to continue supporting your mission throughout the beginning of your career with us. Furthermore, your mentor isn’t just there to answer questions or be a sounding board. They will push you to stretch your skills and lead you to a deeper appreciation of your full potential as a practitioner.
Mutual Respect Means Learning from Each Other
We see mentorship as more than just the one-on-one relationship you have with your mentor. Humility and love of learning are two of our core values at CDP. We believe that every member of our team can learn from each other.
Many of our practices are served by two doctors. Working alongside a colleague, rather than flying solo in a single-doctor practice, can change your entire work dynamic. Two dentists can support each other through the unique challenges of dental life, as well as the specific situations in your location. You’ll be able to bounce ideas off each other, learn from each other, and benefit from each other’s experiences.
Another way we learn from each other as a team is through outreach. CDP takes an active role in the communities where we set up practices, offering essential care to patients who otherwise have limited access to dentists. We also take a yearly humanitarian outreach trip to offer our services to underserved communities abroad. These trips give us amazing insights, experiences, and the chance to bond as a team.
Mentorship Is Just One Piece of the Puzzle
Finding an amazing mentor who will support your growth and respect your input are cornerstones of how CDP can jumpstart your career. However, mentorship is just one piece of the puzzle.
As you consider options for where your path after dental school should lead, you’ll want to be sure you find a job that’s the right fit for you. While we think working with a DSO like CDP offers tremendous benefits for career longevity, work-life balance, and prosperity, not every DSO is created equal. Do your due diligence when considering any potential position so you can enjoy your amazing new career!
You deserve a workplace that’s the right fit for your development as a doctor and your life outside of work, too. Working alongside an amazing mentor is one more way CDP can help you build an amazing career. Schedule a call with a Recruiting Manager to learn more about dental mentorship at CDP!
