Dentist Placement - Blog
Dentist Placement Program - October 30, 2008
It was a busy summer for the Dentist Placement Program! I visited community health care clinics at Lakewood in Oconto County, Park Falls in Price County, and Cashton in Monroe County - three different regions - each with a distinct Wisconsin beauty. It was good to see the dentists I referred at work in their new clinics. Since the recruitment process can take up to 9 months, it is gratifying to see the end result - more dentists to help take care of the many patients that waiting for care.
On July 1, our 3rd fiscal year ended with a new record of 16 placements – and 15 are dentists practicing at community health care clinics which see all people regardless of income. The communities where we placed dentists were Park Falls, Superior, Racine, Owen, Chippewa Falls, Ladysmith, Cashton, Wautoma, and Kenosha. One dentist joined a private practice in Richland Center, which has seen 4 dentists recently retire.
A highlight of the summer recruitment was the site visit of a dentist candidate to Ashland, WI. The town earned a gold star for recruitment at this event – the mayor turned out, with a live band, as well as representatives from Sen. Bob Jauch’s office. Everyone worked together to show the huge need for dental care in Bayfield county. Happily, the efforts worked since the dentist has signed a contract to provide services at Ashland, as part of the new community health care clinic at Iron River. It is anticipated that the dental office will open in early 2009. This clinic will see everyone, regardless of income.
We are excited to bring this dentist back from Alaska, where she helped set up dental services in a clinic 2 hours north of Anchorage. She is a native of Wisconsin, so was thrilled to return to Wisconsin, and excited to learn that her start up skills will be useful again in Ashland. This placement is a win win for everyone, but especially for the people in the Ashland area who will no longer have to travel long distances for dental care.
Fall is the busy season for recruitment as the 2009 grads start the job search process. We look forward to job fairs in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The AT Still School of Dentistry in Arizona got an early start with their job fair in August (photo below), which I attended in Phoenix - fortunately this year it was held inside, in very appreciated air conditioning. This school was created to address the need for public health dentists; it was fun to meet the Arizona students, several of whom have ties to Wisconsin – and we are eager to bring them back to Wisconsin to use their professional skills!
For assistance please contact Marsha Siik at siik@wisc.edu, 800-385-0005 or 608-261-1887 direct.
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Dentist Placement Program - May 29, 2008
As of June 1, 2008, the Dentist Placement Program has placed an additional dentist at the Community Health Center in Chippewa Falls, and two dentists at the Community Health Center in Kenosha.
These placements bring the total number of placements for our third fiscal year to 15, with several contracts pending. In our second fiscal year we achieved 10 placements, while in our first fiscal year, we had 5 placements.
We continue to seek dentist candidates for openings throughout Wisconsin, including dental director positions.
We also offer assistance to clinic managers and owners to recruit dentists for their clinics in Wisconsin.
For assistance please contact Marsha Siik at siik@wisc.edu, 800-385-0005 or 608-261-1887 direct.
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Dentist Placement Program - March 28, 2008
The Dentist Placement Program recently learned of 5 completed placements plus one verbal agreement. The placements are in the Community Health Centers in Chippewa Fall, Ladysmith, Park Falls, and Cashton, plus a placement with a private practice in Richland Center, which has a serious lack of dentists due to retirements.
With these placements, we have now placed 12 dentists in this, our third fiscal year. Last fiscal year the program achieved 10 placements, while in our first fiscal year, we had 5 placements.
We are gratified that the program is growing, since the need for dentists in all areas of Wisconsin continues to be a serious need. We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Office of Rural Health and Wisconsin Primary Healthcare Association.
For assistance with recruiting a dentist for your clinic in Wisconsin, please contact Marsha Siik at siik@wisc.edu, 608-261-1887 direct or 800-385-0005 (ext 23) toll-free.
Wisconsin Public Television recently aired Dental Care, produced by Liz Koerner, as part of their In Wisconsin series. The program focused on the crisis in access to dental care throughout the state and featured attempts to deal with it. The Dental Placement Program was featured. The program which aired on March 20, can be viewed online at www.wpt.org.
