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Equity-Minded Orthodontic Associate Opportunity: Finger Lakes, New York

Equity-Minded Associateship in Finger Lakes New York Region

A private well-established orthodontic practice located in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York is seeking a full-time associate to join their team. This is an associateship opportunity that offers a path for equity for the right candidate.

The Finger Lakes Region is centrally located in New York and only a short distance to New York CityNiagara Falls, and Toronto. There are eleven freshwater lakes shaped like the spread of fingers on two hands – giving the area its name. Residents enjoy the area’s fresh air, majestic waterfalls, and scenic gorges.

With that many lakes and with the natural beauty surrounding them, it’s no surprise the area is a favorite vacation and recreation spot, offering endless outdoor adventure. The region offers lakes, forests, hiking, biking, fishing, boating, and more than 100 award-winning vineyards. Many enjoy exploring unique museums, art galleries, incredible restaurants, and many family-friendly activities.

The region is a global leader in optics, photonics, and imaging. Its innovation is fueled by the region’s top education institutions, like the largest Ivy League school, Cornell University, and other universities like Syracuse University. Besides technology, Finger Lakes has an abundance of agricultural resources for apple, dairy, and grape producers which allows major food companies to call this region home.

Consider living in Finger Lakes and enjoying the unique qualities the region offers, while maintaining the laid-back lake lifestyle. If you are interested in learning more about this practice opportunity available, please forward your CV and letter of interest to shannon@bentsoncopple.com and shane@bentsoncopple.com.

Click here to view additional practice opportunities available from Bentson Copple & Associates.

What Are the Steps to Land the Perfect Orthodontic Career Opportunity?

Step to Find the Perfect Orthodontic Career Opportunity or Orthodontic JobBy: Shannon Patterson, CPR, CMSR
Kolbe Certified™ Consultant
Director of Practice Opportunities

I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with hundreds of orthodontic residents every year who are looking for the right opportunity after their graduation. One of my first questions is, “Why did you want to become an Orthodontist?” I hear various answers every day as a recruiter but many times I hear this one, “Because I had an amazing experience with my Orthodontist.” So, you’re telling me that your experience with your childhood orthodontist was so awesome that it inspired you to travel this long, difficult academic path? Wow, it gets me right in the heart every time. And it’s that connection that as future practitioners you all want and desire to have with future patients whether it is in a private practice, group practice, or corporate model.

My next question is usually, “Where do you want to land and where do you see yourself in five years?” I don’t usually hear as much excitement, and often I hear confusion and concern. The answer to this question often sounds something like this: “I don’t really know I just know I want a good job to start paying off my debt.” I don’t blame you for not knowing the answer. After all, how can you know if you’ll be happy in your future job five years from now?

Well, lucky for you, I absolutely love what I do, and when you love what you do you have a passion for helping others. Most of you have identified your passion, now you are looking for a place to combine your passion and a career. Every day, I counsel candidates on what factors they should consider when seeking an opportunity. Through trial and error and knowledge gained from many candidates through the years, I have found these steps to be helpful as you narrow down your job search.

1) Know Who You Are!
We all want to get paid for doing what we love, but be sure to understand who you are and the must-haves before deciding on a job opportunity. What are your beliefs and values? Does this opportunity and community align with them and will you be able to fit into the practice and community cultures? Identify your practice values, your personal values, your interests, your “must-haves” in a community, your passions, and last- your financial needs. Yes, I said consider money last because, believe it or not, most people do not leave their current job due to money but often due to “it’s just not a good fit for me.”

2) Identify the Right Practice.
As residents, you might often hear “beggars can’t be choosers,” and with the debt load most residents carry, who can blame them? However, be sure to do your homework on a potential employer, as this person will be tied to your career forever. Be sure to spend a day with a potential practice or employer and witness the practice culture, sit in on new patient exams, watch how the reception area greets patients and watch the clinical team working with patients. I can assure you that all of these, and I mean every single one, will have a huge impact on your success. If a potential employer has an issue with you spending a day in the office, this could be considered a red flag, especially if you are being paid on a production incentive.

3) Find a Good Mentor.
First, do not ask a stranger or someone who does not know you well! A great mentor should be someone who inspires you and who already knows you. This person has seen your potential and hard work, they know how you think, how you communicate, how you tackle tasks and how you contribute to those around you. It should be someone who trusts you and believes in you, but, most importantly, it should be someone who is not afraid to give you input and feedback! Identify and join social media groups and blogs with other young orthodontists to hear their perspectives and voices as a resource in your career; Ortho 101 is a great one.

4) Practice Perseverance.
What is the definition of perseverance? Perseverance is commitment, hard work, patience, and endurance. There is an old saying, “do what you love and you’ll never work another a day in your life.” Is that really true? Probably not, but if you do what you love, it will never feel like a job. Success takes hard work, commitment, and persistence. All of you are talented and skilled clinicians, and with connections and a little luck you might find a good opportunity, but persistence will ultimately be what makes you successful in your career and is what will set you apart from others. Identify your vision and know that it will take stamina and endurance to get there!

A job search requires commitment and dedication. Making a career plan requires you to outline clear expectations and objectives. It means going back to the basics, discovering your likes/dislikes, values and beliefs and taking them all into account for a job opportunity. Even if you don’t land your dream job and you have a short-term opportunity, stay committed to your long-term career goals.

It will take time and effort but in the end, it will be worth it. And for those of you who are looking for that new key phrase “work-life balance,” I believe it is important to understand that your job will ultimately take up most of your time; it financially supports your dreams and it is a core part of your identity. If you simply live your life, love what you do and do your very best at it, ultimately you will achieve great success!

What Metrics Should You Focus on During Your Initial Review of a Practice Opportunity?

What metrics should you focus on during your initial review of a practice opportunity?By: Anthony Copple, JD
Transition Specialist

Reviewing an opportunity to purchase a practice outright or to buy into a practice as a partner can be an overwhelming task. You may have been presented with a mountain of data about the subject practice: tax returns, profit and loss statements, and operational reports. What does it all mean? What should you focus on? What data is important in determining a fair value for the practice?

Well…the long answer is that all of the data and information surrounding a practice is important in determining its value. After all, an orthodontic practice is a unique asset and no two are exactly alike. However, there are a few things you can focus on that will provide a reasonable snapshot of any practice. Three of the most consequential are explained further below:

Practice Overhead Rate
The overhead rate of a practice is one of the most important factors in determining a practice’s value and the benefits that practice will provide to a buyer. After all, the overhead rate ultimately determines the amount of cash the owner can reap from the business. Generally, the lower the overhead rate, the more valuable the practice. So, a practice at 55% overhead will be more valuable than a practice at 65% overhead, all else being equal. The average practice overhead rate for an orthodontic practice is 58% of collections. If operating expenses are below this level, it can drive the price of a practice up while expenses above this threshold will generally have the opposite effect.

Practice Production
Production acts as a bellwether for practice collections; it tells us where we’re headed. If the practice produces $1,500,000 this year, we can expect that the practice will collect something close to $1,500,000 next year. Knowing this, we can use practice production, practice collections and their relationship to one another to identify trends within the practice. If practice collections have grown over the past two years and production in each particular year exceeds our collections in the same year, we can be fairly confident that the practice will see continued collections growth in the following year. This can be vital to practice value because a growing practice has more potential, and less risk, than a declining practice.

Practice Contracts Receivable
The contracts receivable balance is the total amount remaining to be billed to the active patients of a practice. This can be distinguished from accounts receivable because accounts receivable have already been billed to the patient and are currently due. The contracts receivable balance gives us an indication of the stability of the expected future cash flow of the practice and an idea of the number of active patients that are paid-in-full.  We know that we can expect cash flow from the contracts receivable balance as we treat current patients of the practice regardless of the number of new starts we have. On average, a practice’s contracts receivable balance is approximately 50% of prior year production. Below that level, and the practice likely has more paid-in-full patients than the average orthodontic practice. This would add risk for a buyer expected to continue to treat those paid-in-full patients after the closing without collecting patient fees. This additional risk tends to drive the practice price down. Of course, if the contracts receivable balance is above this threshold, it can add value to the practice.

As I said above, there are dozens of factors that go into determining the value of a practice. No one point of data will tell you everything you need to know about a practice. However, analysis of the three metrics above should give you a pretty solid idea of the type of practice you are looking at and whether it is worth pursuing further.

New Bentson Clark & Copple Website Launched


We are excited to announce the launch of our new and improved website, www.bentsonclark.com.

The new mobile-friendly website features a modern design and an easy-to-navigate interface. Created with the user experience firmly in mind, the website has been developed using responsive design so it is compatible with today’s browsers and mobile devices to deliver a better cross-device experience.

“Bentson Clark & Copple is continuously looking for ways to deliver the best experience to our current and potential clients,” said Chris Bentson, Partner of Bentson Clark & Copple. “The website was created to allow easy access for visitors to obtain the information they need when considering the future of one’s orthodontic practice, across any device.”

Over the past few years, the Bentson Clark & Copple team has experienced growth in the Recruiting/Placement Services portion of their business. The new website provides orthodontic clients and candidates valuable resources and information regarding recruiting and placement of orthodontists who are seeking associateships, equity-minded associateships and permanent placement services.

The website also includes the following:

  • Searchable Career Opportunities – Orthodontic residents and doctors seeking career opportunities can search available practice opportunities by geographic location, type and status.
  • Helpful Resources – Browse an array of articles and consultant links for orthodontists of all career stages.
  • Bentson Clark reSource Information – Subscribe or renew one’s subscription, learn what readers and contributors are saying about the publication and read samples of past editions.
  • Blog Posts – Peruse posts offering practical, useful advice and knowledge addressing a variety of topics.

To access our new online experience, simply visit www.bentsonclark.com from your desktop or mobile device. Let us know what you think!

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