Question:

I am a dentist and hiring a part time dental associate with set salary + commission. My office is in Newark,NJ. Can anybody help me with going rates these days?


Answer: It depends on the opportunities ,, the types of patients, YOUR goals, and whose system will be implimented. Is this for eventual partnership or is this a hired hand?

As example, Rick Workman of Heartland Dental fame has 130 offices yewt he pays his associates, well dentists, 25% of what they personally produce. There is extra money if the office itself does well.

Rick provides the system and the method and the "employees" do well.

Other offices pay 40%-50% and that is not enough is the senior dentist uses the associate as a trash can. Before the associate he used to toss the patients out and now the associate handles them!'

It all depends on how many cheez-O-rama insurances you take, etc.

Here is one suggestion: A draw charged against commission. This is better than salary plus commission which tends to make the associate feel if he knocks himself out he gets this but if he's a slacker he only gets this little amount less.

A draw tells the associate what you can GUARANTEE him, however, he can do better if he applies himself EACH WEEK.

The standard where I'm from is 40% of gross billings COLLECTED. The lab fees are taken off before the 40% calculation. Hygiene revenue goes to the senior dentist except for x-rays (the associate is paid for interpreting them).

Sample month...

$35,000 billings $5,000 lab fees

40% of $30,000 = $12,000

Sorry if the numbers seem off. This is a Canadian example. Some associates are desperate and will settle for 35% or other little tweaks to the contract.

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