Part-Time Associates: Flexible or Just Uncommitted?

Part-Time Associates: Flexible or Just Uncommitted?

Hiring part-time dentists feels like a solution to unpredictable demand. You get flexibility without full overhead. In practice, it's messier.

Part-time associates (under 20 hours) typically produce 30-35% less per hour than full-time peers. Why? They're not invested in case development, they don't build patient relationships across sessions, and they're often your lowest priority for premium scheduling. You give them the 2pm Thursday slot because your full-time people handle the juicy mornings.

A full-time associate producing $500K annually costs you $120-150K in salary, taxes, and benefits. That's 24-30% of production. A part-time associate at 15 hours per week produces $180-200K with similar overhead percentages, but sits idle three days weekly. Your per-available-hour cost actually climbs.

Part-time works if you need coverage for one specific day or have 60+ hours of weekly demand. Otherwise, you're paying for unused capacity. Full-time at lower productivity is often cheaper.