Prime and DJS combine

Leading practice management consultancy Prime Practice has acquired a controlling interest in employment and practice broking consultants Dentist Job Search (DJS). The two operations will continue to be based in Sydney and Ocean Grove, Victoria, respectively and all staff including the principal, Dr Richart Hart, are still involved in day-to-day operations.

"There are a lot of synergies between our two businesses," said Prime Practice director Dr Phillip Palmer. "As Australia's leading practice management consultancy, we are well aware that in order for dental practices to become successful they need a few things.

"Firstly, they require improved management systems and skills (which is where Prime Practice comes in). Once they get systems in place and build excess capacity in their practice (more patients than they can handle on their own), they start to need employee dentists and hygienists to take them to the next level. They then may need to find new premises or do some succession planing.

"This was how we originally became interested in the services offered by Dentist Job Search. In DJS, Dr Richard Hart has established a unique agency that not only addresses the challenges in finding employee dentists and hygienists, but also hosts a successful online practice sales service for dentists buying or selling dental practices."

Dr Palmer said that DJS isn't just a traditional listing service for practices wanting to advertise a job on offer or practice for sale. In many ways, it acts as a matchmaker service for the dental profession. It has practices listing jobs on offer (currently around 350 dental jobs in Australia) but it also gets employee dentists looking for full time, part time or locum work somewhere in Australia to register with them (currently over 400) and introduces them to each other. It works the same way with practices for sale (DJS currently has around 70 practices for sale and over 100 registered buyers looking to buy a practice somewhere).

"You may think it is quite strange that there are more employee dentists registered to find employment than jobs available. The problem of course is mismatched needs. There are few dentists wish to work in rural and remote areas, as well as the public sector," Dr Palmer said. "For this reason, DJS has also taken an active role in addressing this shortage.

"We currently sponsor, register and employ 35 dentists from the UK and Ireland. The relationship we have with the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMIA) ensures this process is streamlined and that the dentists will be employed in the areas of greatest demand, which are outside the metropolitan areas of the capital cities.

"At present, we are in the process of streamlining the two businesses [DJS and Prime Practice] to take full advantage of the synergies. The clients of both businesses should then be able to feel the advantages of our unique perspective on Australia's and New Zealand's dental community and from having both great companies' services behind them whenever they deal with either company," Dr Palmer said.