As a dentist, have you ever added up the time and money you put into getting your license? Obtaining a dental license in Texas is a relatively straightforward process, but this simplicity masks the years of demanding work, study and dollars that went into it. So, in case you forgot, here’s a condensed version.
- Education Costs
Your journey to a dental license didn’t begin with dental degree; it began with your undergraduate degree. The average total tuition for four years at an in-state public university is $38,600; an out-of-state public university costs $99,720; and a four-year private school costs $133,920. It’s no wonder the average college senior graduates with a student-loan debt of $37,000.
Now let’s add dental school. Depending on where you went, the total cost of dental school can range between $30,000 to as high as $300,000. The average dental student graduates with a student-loan debt of $261,000.
- Study, Study, Study
First, there were the hundreds of hours you studied as an undergraduate; then there was the time spent doing post work. Next were the years spent as a dental student, including clinical work, and possibly as a resident. Now add the time in preparing for your license exam, from either the Texas Board of Dental Examiners or the American Dental Association Nation Boards. By the time you were ready for to get your license, you were in your late 20s or early 30s.
- Find a Job
While most of your non-medical friends had been in the workforce for nearly ten years, your dental career was just getting started. But a license to practice dentistry doesn’t guarantee one a job. So then came your search to put your license to use, to begin to build the life you’d put off until finishing your schooling. Whether you join a private practice or start your own, only then did your career truly begin.
And what the expenses and time you’ve invested since then? What about the tutors or study guides you used to get ready for your license exam, fees to attend conventions, or for your mandatory continuing education hours?
Given all this, why wouldn’t you fight to defend your license when it comes under attack? You’ve spent too much time, money and energy to let it all slip away. If you are under investigation by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, we urge you to seek the advice of an experienced medical license defense attorney. Call the BERTOLINO LLP team immediate at 512-717-5432 for the insight you need.
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