Adversity and Reward:
SUDDENLY A PRACTICE OWNER
I live in a scenic small town in rural America with all
the benefits of small-town life … and all the challenges of a weak economy. In 2008, I moved back to
my hometown after graduating from the University
of Tennessee Health Science Center dental school. I
also married, bought our first home, and was hired
as a new dentist in an established practice. Then we
discovered our first baby was on the way! It was an
intense launch right out of dental school.
After a few months, I felt I had settled into my
part-time employment routine, when something
happened that would change my life.
The Adversity
The dentist-owner of the practice where I was working —
an athlete and runner who had just turned 50 — had chest
pains one morning after a run on a country road. He drove
himself to the ER, and within minutes had a massive, lifeending heart attack.
The office, as well as our small town, somehow coped
with the shock and loss. Since my now-deceased boss and
mentor was without immediate family or a practice transition plan, his elderly aunt and I began to figure out how to
continue patient care at the office. That turned my parttime employment strategy into practice ownership practically overnight.
