Spring 2022 www.nvda.org 23 SNDS President’s Spring Message Sheronda Strider-Barraza, DMD SNDS President’s Message A voice. This is the most important reason to become an active member. There is a trend in Southern Nevada with members of the SNDS/NDA/ADA tripartite. You see it when you go to the dinner meetings. If you have ever been to a House of Delegates meeting it is obvious there is something missing: Recent graduates. This has prompted me to look at the possible reasons why there are not many recent graduates active in the dental societies and therefore, not active in the ADA. The average recent graduate is graduating with: 1. Huge debt. According to ADEA, the average school debt in 2019 was $292k, which is 5X higher than the debt of a graduating dentist in the 1990s. Most dental students graduate with debt more than $300k. The reality of graduating and being on the hook for this debt forces a new graduate to look employment in a new light. You need a job, and you need it before the first loan payment is due. When the average salary of a dentist fresh out of dental school is $150k, it is difficult to see a way out. 2. Wanting to start their career and life. Most dentists want to start living. By that I mean getting married, starting a family, and making moves to blaze their own trail in the dental field whether it be owning a practice, becoming an associate, or joining a DSO. These two main points can become financial and time commitment barriers for a new graduate. While there are many immediate tangible perks of becoming a member (you can read those on the ADA website), there are very important reasons why young dentists should become active members in their component dental societies and ADA. One reason is the brotherhood and sisterhood that can come from fellow dentists. There are many stresses that come with the dental profession, and many challenges that new dentists encounter. Within the dental society, there is a whole group of dentists of varying disciplines and experiences that can help you and guide you through those tough times we all go through. A voice. This is the most important reason to become an active member. The ADA and your local component society is your voice in dentistry. This means that any laws, regulations, etc. that go against or for our profession and patients, the societies fight for. There are so many issues right now in Nevada that threaten our profession, and the health of our patients. The average person works 30 years. This includes dentists. If this is the profession that you have chosen to work in until you retire, you have a vested interest, from the day you walk across the stage to accept your diploma, to ensure this profession thrives. Some say that they cannot afford the financial and time commitments that are involved, then I pose this question to you: Can you afford not to? ADA and their components are our safety net, our insurance for our professional future. If you do not see value in any of the other perks, you should see value in that. 0 Organized Dentistry and the New Dentist: What’s In It For Me?
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