Acknowledged by many of his patients and peers as a caring and personable doctor, Leslie Griesdorf is grateful for the opportunity to work at an occupation he loved. After completing dental school, he worked at a hospital in Ottawa, helping oral surgeons and learning the work of other medical departments. That was in 1969, and a few years later, Griesdorf moved to Toronto, Canada, to establish his private practice.

“Like any career, there were good days and there were days that could only be described using salty language. At least, the good ones far outnumbered the bad days.”
As with many private practitioners, Leslie had to learn much of the business skills on the job. As Leslie Griesdorf soon came to learn, there was more to just treating patients and cashing in the checks. Like any small business, a private practice requires the owner to wear many hats at the beginning. It's sometimes easy to underestimate the work required to keep the business running.With years of experience in the business, Griesdorf shares some of the things potential practitioners should know before opening shop.

Employment taxes
Working for yourself means you will handle remitting employment taxes. If you are used to your employer automatically remitting the taxes from each paycheck, you better learn how to do it (or find someone who will).

Health insurance
Aim to understand the various aspects of health insurance, especially when it comes to providing employee healthcare. Without complete understanding, you may fail to negotiate good rates or understand the reimbursement structures. Online benefits authorization and electronic billing have helped ease matters, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't learn.

Peak times and down periods
Many private practitioners often find the ebb and flow of work quite surprising. During certain times of the years, you may have to see fewer clients while other periods will present a stream of patients waiting to see you. Once you've worked a while, you may even learn to anticipate the peak and down periods.
Leslie Griesdorf ran his private practice for decades, and during this time was known for his patience and caring attitude towards patients.

About: Leslie Griesdorf is a former dentist who retired in 2004, and now enjoys life through investing in the stock exchange, spending time with family and catching up on world news and events. For more information visit at: https://lesliegriesdorfdentist.wordpress.com/