As the year comes down to a close, it’s looking more and more relaxing. After a very busy two years, now is the time where the boards and finalizing my thesis become priority. I have finally finished all coursework required. Residency is a bit of an interesting thing. First of all, it is much more enjoyable than dental school ever was. This is work basically; and you do it to such a meticulous degree that truly differentiates you from a general practitioner. It has given me a new perspective all together, since I have practiced in general dentistry and in specialty. I can see why sometimes, there is a large disconnect between both types of practitioners. This is of a course a whole different topic. Second, residency means back in school again. This means a coarse load, homework, exams, etc… This is of course the last thing I thought I would ever do when I graduated dental school. Combine the two and you basically have a whole lot of work. No real breaks and when things start to draw to an end a feeling of satisfaction that is unmatched by anything else you have done. At least this is the case for me.
One more year to go to finish up my master’s thesis and the first part of ABOMR. After that, well I haven’t decided exactly what I want to do. I do know that I’m hoping to practice radiology from home, if I can find a job. Like I mentioned in previous posts, the market has changed and right this second things are looking grim. In the mean time, I am keeping my hopes up about the future. Demand is obviously increasing for CBCT reports, this is pretty obvious. Problem is, so are the number of radiologists and the number of dentists who complain about the cost of a report. Hopefully market dynamics will work themselves out over the next year or two and who knows… Maybe I will be able to make a full time career out of radiology after all.
The market in Canada is actually quite good for private OMFR. Perhaps this is a direct reflection of the significantly lower number of practitioners we have here (we only have 1 school for OMFR, and there are under 10 full-time private practitioners). With some patience and dedication, it can be quite a profitable business here.
Well I hope the market in Canada is an indication. As demand increases I can imagine things picking up, but right this second, if I were to look for a job today it just wouldn’t be that great.
Thanks for all your entries chronicling your past couple years. I want to follow your path. This was an insightful afternoon to find your blog. I’m anxious to join your ranks. Good luck, I’m curious to hear what is next for you. I couldn’t’ve agreed more with so many things you have written. “Yeah, that looks weird, I’ll send this patient over to the OMS”- – – I just don’t wanna be that guy anymore!
Thanks!
Glad I could be of help. This is the whole purpose of this blog. There are many challenges ahead, one of which is making radiology a profitable career as any specialty should be. We will see where this path takes me.