Episode Details

Welcome to the New Grad Focus Series by Dental Head Start. Join us across a limited series of episodes as we take a deep dive into the journey of a new grad, covering various topics from multiple different angles. 

Hosted by Dr Phillip Nguyen

When we’re about to graduate from dental school and looking for a job, we always hear how it is so important finding the right job for us that will allow us to rapidly grow both clinically and non-clinically as a new graduate dentist. But with so many job advertisements all touting the same perks and equipment, how can we filter out a job that may hold us back from growth from one that will maximise our first year a dentist?

Welcome back to the New Grad Focus series. My name is Phillip Nguyen and I am a first year graduate and today we are joined by Dr Steve Dudgeon and Dr Eli Burger who are co-CEOs of Avenue Dental, a group of practices on the Sunny Coast. And, they also happen to be my bosses and the guys I work for today. They have a passion for giving back to the dental community. They started the Australian Dental Graduate of the Year Award, the Mini-Residency Program as well as various other programs that help students and young dentists excel at the beginning of the careers. They are also passionate about how a supportive and fun workplace culture can lead to high quality dentistry and an outstanding patient experience. We discuss all the different factors to look for when choosing your first job out of dental school so if keep listening if you’d like to learn a few tips that may just help change the direction of how your first year will go. Enjoy the episode!

Dr Stephen Dudgeon and Dr Eli Burger

• Co-CEOs of Avenue Dental, a group of dental practices on the Sunshine Coast with over 75 employees.
• Avenue Dental has a number of accolades including winning the Best Place To Work in Australia (under 100 employees) in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
• Founders of Australian Dental Graduates, Australian Dental Graduate of the Year Award, Australian Dental Mini-Residency & Australian Dental Outreach.
• Individually, Steve is currently completing an MBA, and has an interest in positive psychology enhancing people’s overall wellbeing, while Eli is studying an MFA and surfs at least 10 hours per