DENT 4169 - STRATEGIC DENTAL BUSINESS PLANNING SELECTIVE

[20 Credits]

Strategic Dental Business Planning is a course designed to prepare pre-doctoral dental students for future dental practice acquisition. While only a few dental students aim at practice ownership, most of these find themselves disadvantaged in understanding business acumen, economic principles and small business management. This course begins with foundations in personal financial management and ends with exposure to the necessary steps to practice ownership. Students will be exposed to (but not limited to) debt reduction and management, how to establish a personal budget, the psychology of money, developing a vision for future practice ownership, maintaining a vision for owning a fee for service practice while working in less than desirable circumstances, training for practice ownership while still an employee and developing a master plan for owning a dental practice. As a capstone project (in lieu of a final exam), each student will be required to present a business proposal in front of a panel that includes a corporate loan officer from a bank. This is intended to promote an understanding of the many facets of beginning a business and cultivating its growth.