为了影响休斯敦Uthealth School School的学生，居民和最近的毕业生的早期职业选择，一支由九个实践顾问组成的团队超越了教室，以提供有意义的建议。

PACE中心的实践咨询团队鼓励学生将在课堂上教授的实践管理，道德和法学（法律理念）课程转变为他们在狩猎，面试，执业牙科甚至拥有自己的实践时可以使用的适用技能。通过一对一的任命，顾问在访谈中帮助“平衡”谈判表，发现一场良好的道德职业比赛，并使他们的第一步成为积极，有益的一步。

“I have made many mistakes in my career, so I try to steer students away from the ways of thinking and actions that hindered me,” said Practice Consulting Co-DirectorJoe M. Piazza，DDS ’79。“我传达了使我的实践变得有趣和愉快的想法和概念。”

广场和其他顾问表达观点和insights during personalized appointments. Services offered include:

• 职业咨询；
• Contract analysis;
• 模拟访谈；
• Shadowing and observation requests;
• Small group meetings;
• 发言人要求专业组织；
• Resume and cover letter review.

这些服务可为牙科前学生，居民和新校友提供三年的牙科学院免费费用。

三年级和四年级的学生也有机会参加全年参加的许多“ Pace Power Hour”午餐会议，顾问和客座讲师在场，提供职业指导，并解决有关职业选择的相关问题，尤其是私人选择实践。今年秋天，PACE咨询团队将在W. Kenneth Horwitz，DDS ’61的家中恢复一年一度的“小时强力小时”，这是PACE的实践顾问之一，在那里他正式讨论道德和行业趋势。

Practice Consulting Co-DirectorS. Jerry Long, DDS ’66 also offers practice management courses and lectures, which are included in the DDS and DH academic course curriculum.

“When I got out of dental school, I didn’t need to decide what I was going to do next,” said M. Collin Myrick, DDS ’20, owner of DeFuniak Springs Family Dental. “Instead, I had this blueprint for where I needed to be going, and I just started practicing what I already felt so confident doing.

“I don’t think I would’ve been in such a place if it hadn’t been for the ‘echo chamber’ and really good mentorship that pointed me in the direction of practice ownership and showed me what it looked like to serve others well.”

Since its foundation in 2017, the practice consulting arm of the PACE Center has grown progressively. Initially, there were just eight students seeking appointments. During the 2019 fiscal year (FY2019), which runs September through August, there were 88 consultations. In FY2020, that number grew to a record 304 sessions.

Over the past four years, the team has grown from two consultants to nine, and added an administrative coordinator.

“This growth has been so satisfying, because with more consultants, the more perspectives we can share on private practice,” Long said. “Everybody we’ve added to the consulting team is either in the middle of, or has previously had, a successful private practice career. We’ve continued to adapt, too, as the dental market, patients’ attitudes, technologies, and knowledge has changed.”

顾问主要花时间进行模拟访谈并审查联合合同，希望查看雇主是否适合学生，概述了公正的条款，并使新的助理能够遵守该职业道德准则。

广场强调，执业牙科是患者，同事，经理，供应商等之间的关系。作为医疗保健提供者，重要的牙科专业人员了解这些关系，并做出道德选择，使患者的兴趣置于自己的范围之上。这些价值观说明了善良，并希望帮助我们的学生避免牙科专业的坏处和丑陋的一面。

朗说：“牙科可能发生的最糟糕的事情是，如果公众仅将牙科程序视为商品，而不是专业的医疗保健服务。”“不幸的是，一些办公室只雇用员工来执行程序以增强其底线；他们并不总是允许员工与患者建立有意义的关系，或者在与患者协商时做出自己的治疗决策方面具有充分的自主权。”

“对我们的奖励是看到学生的头部灯泡熄灭。您必须努力建立良好的练习并使您对您有意义，以便该行业真正成为您的激情。”

此外，佩斯中心没有两个约会是相同的。学生可以期待个性化的指导会议，以解决他们的职业目标，他们想要服务的社区类型，个人，专业价值观和以前的经验。

For Myrick, UTSD’s program on the business of dentistry was a large contribution in his decision to attend. Many of his appointments with Long and Piazza focused on practice ownership, but some of the most valuable insight he gained was in the overall mentorship.

“在UTSD期间，我受到了指导和咨询，这是因为这些步伐顾问选择提供的时间和精力。”

迈里克说：“我并没有真正期待我们的对话的工作与生活平衡方面，但现在最珍惜它们。”“我现在意识到这种平衡有多重要；这是我早期职业生涯成功的关键。”

学生和最近的毕业生可以在go.ut.edu/paceappointment的任何顾问中任命。

注意：步伐实践顾问不是律师，也不提供法律建议。此外，它们不是练习管理或实践销售组织。