Because time is limited, one subject that traditionally takes a back seat to clinical education during dental school is practice management -- the business side of being a dentist.
That's about to change at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) School of Dentistry, thanks to donations from three dental school alumni: Gary McCabe Ross (DDS '80) of Albuquerque, NM; Charles Squire (DDS '68) of Wichita, KS; and Onas Johns (DDS '32, deceased) of Springfield, MO.
Their combined gift of $1.5 million has enabled the dental school to establish an endowed chair in practice management. The person appointed to the endowed chair will work to develop a curriculum that will focus on exposing students to the realities of running a dental practice, such as how to finance a practice, manage debt, handle personnel matters, and set realistic financial goals.
The endowed chair will also manage the daily operations of the dental school's proposed Innovation Clinic, which will operate just like a small dental practice. Through the Innovation Clinic, students will see patients from the Kansas City community and will have a chance to build both their clinical and business skills. Students will work alongside dental hygiene students and dental assistants, and will be involved in the clinic's daily operations, including scheduling, ordering supplies, solving personnel problems, record keeping, and billing.
