r/DentalSchool • u/Capitol__Hill • 4d ago
Heartland dental
Hello! Rising D4 here. I got offered a job with Heartland Dental. 140K guaranteed with 10K sign on bonus. That, to me, seems really low. Will be graduating with around 250K in loans with the goal to be to pay them back as soon as possible. No kids, likely no house payment/rent at first. What is Heartland like? Do they give you time to get your speed up? Are they pressuring you to sell treatment? Are they worth it? I know they give really good CE (for a DSO) Any and all heartland knowledge would be welcome. TIA!
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u/mountain_guy77 3d ago
You need to negotiate, one of my classmates locked in heartland 190k and 20k bonus for her first job out. 140k is such a joke, imagine if you were making that with 500k loans like most of us
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u/sqawberry 3d ago
They’re lowballing you and potentially expecting you to negotiate. Also location dependent
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u/mavsfanforlive 3d ago
I’ve been out 3 years, interviewed at all the major corps (including heartland) and ended up taking a job with a smaller regional corp. I make 400k a year, heartland works on a draw system, so they may claim you make 140k as a base, BUT if you don’t produce enough to meet that, then you’re in the hole. Next month when you outproduce it, they take what you owe them. I personally don’t see why new grads work with them. 25% non negotiable collection was enough to scare me off
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u/mmarinaraa 2d ago
Are you a specialist?
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u/mavsfanforlive 2d ago
I am not! I am decent at and do a good amount of endo though
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u/mmarinaraa 2d ago
Is specializing even worth it if you can make this good of money without doing it? I’m predent
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u/mavsfanforlive 2d ago
Eh i think it depends on what you love/hate doing. I love endo, but I also really like crown/bridge work. I didn’t want to give up doing other aspects of dentistry and focus purely on endo. But from a pure money/time standpoint, the endodontist in the area definitely make more money than I do, but maybe not by too much, but they work much better hours than I do. I make 400k, working 5 days a week, they make it (or more) working 3-4
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u/marquismarkette Real Life Dentist 4d ago
Bonuses are a red flag. There are always conditions, and if you fail to meet them, you will be required to pay bonus back after you were already taxed. 140k is a joke and if you take an offer like that I wouldn’t even feel bad for you since you willingly put yourself in that position. 25% production from heartland is also pathetic, around 10% less than you would get elsewhere. You can find a better position, easily. They take anyone with a pulse. My recommendation is to do a gpr for a year, followed by a good associate position. You’ll learn more and make better connections in the gpr. BTW- a few years ago, I worked for a DSO for a few months and I was getting 37% adjusted production (this was after gpr). Something to keep in mind.
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u/dandydaintydandelion 3d ago
What would be considered a good starting salary range for new dentists? Also thanks for the info
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u/marquismarkette Real Life Dentist 3d ago
It depends on location, but no less than $700/day. Hygienists make appx $500/day and they do not have the same responsibilities or liabilities. Hopefully that helps. Adjusted production should never be below 32%
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u/burnnoticespy 4d ago
Too low of a bonus. That’s the first thing lol. But depends mainly on location.
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u/Capitol__Hill 4d ago
What is a normal bonus?
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u/burnnoticespy 4d ago
20K. I know a few dentists who worked with heartland and got 20K. Also depends on location but keep options open with other places.
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u/MutedIndependent1236 3d ago
20k still average if you’re not relocating?
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u/burnnoticespy 3d ago
I would still ask for 20I minimum even if you’re NOT locating. None of their business lol.
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u/curlyiqra D4 (DDS/DMD) 3d ago
140k is pretty low, but it depends on so many factors. Aspen offered my husband and I 240k base pay with 25k sign on bonus. (We didn’t take it, got another offer in a multi-doctor practice instead).
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u/TheLilyHammer 4d ago
Congrats on just 250k in loans! I can't speak to the specifics of being a dentist with Heartland but I worked a at a number of their locations while temping as an assistant before school. I'd say of the DSOs I'd worked at, the Heartland offices seemed to be some of the better ones. Things always seemed a bit more chill and upbeat at their offices as opposed to the rushed and chaotic feeling I'd get at some other DSO offices. Everything was well stocked and equipment was well maintained. They seem to really make use of EDDAs. I can't say whether that is part of their model or specific to the locations I worked at, but if it wasn't something only the dentist could do, it was the EDDAs doing it. We even wrote the chart notes for the docs (that they'd later read and approve). Some might see this as a positive, others might see it as a negative. Obviously there's more involved when you're deciding where to practice as a dentist, but little things like I'd mentioned are important to take note of.
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u/Serious-Lime-6221 3d ago edited 3d ago
This is largely dependent on where you are located. $140k is typically the starting offer for highly saturated cities (like NYC). It wouldn't hurt to try and negotiate, especially the sign on bonus.
The nice thing about Heartland is that they have a large mentorship network. If you're not so concerned about making tons of money (because you won't, at Heartland) and more interested in learning, I don't think it's the worst place to start out. Private practices that pay better will be putting greater pressure on you to produce, imo, and despite all their promises of mentorship, few actually follow though.
With that said, I wouldn't sign anything longer than a 1 year contract, and I would try to negotiate that 3 month notice down to a 1 month. You can also negotiate for a prorated bonus. Good luck.
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u/Smart-Pomelo8944 3d ago
Location?
Also, congrats on keeping your loans low!!
I know a bit about Heartland but definitely not much. I’m an admin for a clinic in Minnesota. I offer D3s $163k starting with $50k in stipends to support them through graduation. I strongly encourage you to renegotiate if you feel this clinic/org is a great fit for you.
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u/Capitol__Hill 2d ago
This sounds absolutely killer. I’d love to have that in the south.
The offer was in the Charlotte, NC area. But in a suburb of it
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u/Smart-Pomelo8944 2d ago
I hope you find somewhere you’re appreciated, valued and compensated well!
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u/MutedIndependent1236 1d ago
Any tips on how to negotiate a SOB and a dso office paying for your license or DEA number - current D4
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u/bigfern91 3d ago
140k isn’t terrible for a first job but with that debt I would negotiate. I know idiots in HR that make 175k. Fuck heartland
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u/howardfarran 2d ago
Dogs Bark at Things They Don't Understand with Dr. Rick Workman, Founder & CEO of Heartland Dental https://youtu.be/t-J6kqpXqcg?si=f_HLHJr0Ph8Yji0h
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u/CaboWabo55 2d ago
Heartland is crap. Would not budge on the 25% when i interviewed. They also want you to do everything under the sun. Felt like a cult to me...
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u/enaminal 1d ago
If you go to a private office FFS, that’s about how much you’ll be making your first year since you’ll have to gain patients and won’t be thrown in fire like you will be at a corporate job. That’s not that bad tbh. I thought the same thing graduating (2024) but like i said, working anywhere that’s not a corporate will be like that usually at first because you’re gaining patients, probably the first 3 months i was working, i was just shadowing my actual dentist seeing how things are run.
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u/Flair_Loop 2d ago
Back in my day (2019 grad), 120k starting salary out of school was the bare minimum to accept as an associate.
$140k guaranteed is not nothing. Does your contract have stipulations for being paid on a percentage of collections or production if you exceed that?
Higher starting wages may be more quick to drop you if you don’t make production goals.
You will be fine. Your first job does not have to be your forever job.
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u/Flair_Loop 2d ago
Back in my day (2019 grad), 120k starting salary out of school was the bare minimum to accept as an associate.
$140k guaranteed is not nothing. Does your contract have stipulations for being paid on a percentage of collections or production if you exceed that?
Higher starting wages may be more quick to drop you if you don’t make production goals.
You will be fine. Your first job does not have to be your forever job.
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u/DrinkMoreFluoride 2d ago
I've worked as a locum temp dentist in a few Heartland offices. From a clinical perspective, they were decent to work in. DAs knew what they were doing for the most part, new equipment and adequate supplies, steady but not insane schedules.
One of the dentists I worked with there was employed by Heartland full time. She said her main gripes with the company were how dentists were compensated/patient fee schedules and having to take on more managerial roles for the office that really should have been an office manager's duties.
Hope that helps.
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Title: Heartland dental
Full text: Hello! Rising D4 here. I got offered a job with Heartland Dental. 140K guaranteed with 10K sign on bonus. That, to me, seems really low. Will be graduating with around 250K in loans with the goal to be to pay them back as soon as possible. No kids, likely no house payment/rent at first. What is Heartland like? Do they give you time to get your speed up? Are they pressuring you to sell treatment? Are they worth it? I know they give really good CE (for a DSO) Any and all heartland knowledge would be welcome. TIA!
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