In the past week you’ve probably had a friend share with you that our profession has come in at #1 on the US News and World Report “Best Jobs List.” Actually, we’ve topped that list a few times in recent years. Do we agree?
You know why there’s an increase in the number of people who want to be a dentist? Because poorly-researched reports like this one from US News keep telling the public that it’s the best job in America.
I’m not saying that being a dentist isn’t awesome; I love our profession. But US News has done everyone a disservice by not putting a more accurate report together. Where is student indebtedness in their statistics? Where is the rise of large group practice and its potential effects on practice models? Where is the decrease in utilization of services by adults?
I think being a dentist is one of the best jobs in the world. But I think it’s wrong to draw up a list that compares our profession to being a software developer (ranked #3). These are apples and oranges. Right now dentistry is suffering from an increasing supply of dentists and a decreasing demand for our services. Reports like this miss that point and, if anything, contribute to the problem.