Alumni, Donors, and Friends
Professional Resources
Associate Matching Program
Welcome to the Associate Matching Program internet web site at the University of Florida College of Dentistry. Find out about our seniors and contact them directly concerning your interest in an associate or selling your practice.
The University of Florida, College of Dentistry, Associate Matching Program serves as a network to put Senior students and practicing general dentists in Florida together. In 1987, a pilot program was established to bring together new graduates of the College of Dentistry with Florida dentists looking for young associates to join their practices. Since then some 700 dentists in the state have used this service. Today there has never been a better opportunity for our graduating seniors. They are highly sought after as associates in Florida practices.
Eighty students typically graduate in May each year. The Florida State Dental Board Exam is offered in March and June. One third of the class will take the March Board and receive their license at the May graduation. The remaining two-thirds will take the June Board and actually receive their license approximately two weeks after taking the Board. Forty to fifty of the graduating students enter private general practice. Practically all those students go into Associateships in Florida. The remaining members of the class enter specialty residency programs, the military or general practice residencies.
The student list features each senior interested in an associateship and links the user to an individual home page for the selected senior, which displays:
- The student's photo
- UF College of Dentistry mailing address and e-mail address
- Home town
- Three preferred practice location choices with the corresponding Florida Dental Association district
- The student's biographical information
- Short term practice goals
- Long term practice goals
- Specific practice opportunities the student is looking for at graduation.
The list of students with their hometown, first, second and third choice of where they want to practice may be alphabetically sorted for each column. Simply click on the blue heading above the column you want to alphabetically sort by.
The College does not post individual dentist’s notices or offerings to sell their practice or employ new graduates. You are, however, encouraged to contact our students directly through the contact information listed on each individual student’s home page.
When you send them information about your practice or opportunity you should include information about:
- Your Practice Configuration - location, building, number of operatories, how long you have been in practice.
- Your Treatment and Patient Mix - the type of treatment you provide and types of patients you have in your practice. Your level of participation in contract dental programs, dental insurance and fee-for-service dentistry.
- Your staff - the number of staff and their function within your office and years of experience in your office.
- How long you have been in practice, where you went to dental school, and something about your personal and professional experiences.
- The opportunity you are offering or would like to discuss with the student; e.g., a simple employee position, some type of ownership, and the timing of that transition. If you are interested in selling a practice some professional evaluation of the practice should be available for the prospective buyer to review. In general it takes six to twelve months to prepare for an associate, so the earlier you start the better.
Contact Information
The Associate Matching Program is managed by Dr. Nick J. Minden, M.Ed., MBA, DMD, Associate Professor of Operative Dentistry, who also teaches the forty hour intensive seminar in Small Business Principles and Practices for the Dental Practitioner. You may reach Dr. Minden by phoning 352.273.5849 or e-mailing nminden@dental.ufl.edu.
