Alumni Endow Chair in Practice Management
Four years may sound like a long time, but for dental educators, that never seems to be enough time to teach dental students all they need to know before they graduate. Because time is limited, one subject that traditionally takes a back seat to clinical education is practice management — the business side of being a dentist.
That’s going to change at the UMKC School of Dentistry, thanks to donations from Gary McCabe Ross (DDS ’80), Albuquerque, N.M.; Charles Squire (DDS ’68), Wichita, Kan.; and Onas Johns (deceased), Springfield, Mo. Their combined gift of $1.5 million has enabled the School of Dentistry to establish an Endowed Chair in Practice Management.
The person appointed to the position will be charged with the task of moving practice management education from the back seat to the passenger seat of the dental curriculum. The endowed chair will develop a curriculum that prepares students for careers in private practice dentistry, oversee the delivery of the curriculum and manage the day-to-day operations of the dental school’s Innovation Clinic (see “Message from the Dean,” page 2). The classroom portion of the curriculum will focus on exposing students to the realities of running a dental practice, such as how to finance a practice, manage debt and set realistic financial goals. Students also will learn how to handle personnel matters like hiring, training and firing staff; create a budget; handle payroll; manage purchasing and evaluate contracts.
The Innovation Clinic will operate just like a small dental practice and enable students to build both their clinical and business skills. Because the Innovation Clinic will work with private industry to outfit the operatories with the most up-todate equipment possible, dental and dental hygiene students will gain first-hand experience with the latest developments in dental treatment options. Students also will be involved in the execution and evaluation of the clinic’s day-to-day operation. “Since the school’s inception in 1881, we’ve been educating excellent dental clinicians,” said Dr. Marsha Pyle, dean of the UMKC School of Dentistry. “By establishing a faculty position and a facility dedicated to practice management, we’re making an unprecedented commitment to preparing our graduates to be both excellent dentists and successful business people.”
2011 Summer Explorer Contents:
- Alumni Endow Chair in Practice Management
- Message from the Dean
- Midwest Dental Conference 2011
- Alumni Achievement Awards
- 2011 Dental Alumnus of the Year
- 2011 Young Alum of the Year
- UMKC Alumni Acheivement Award
- UMKC Dental Hygiene Alumni Achievement Award
- Reflections from a Dental Hygiene Education Pioneer
- Class Notes
- In Memoriam
- Congratulations Class of 2011
- A Legacy of Legacies