2009 Student Event: Transition to Education

Dr. Joe Krayer answers questions about his experiences joining the faculty of a university.

Photo of Dr. Krayer Dr. Krayer is a professor at the Medial University of South Carolina. He completed his periodontal residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in 1985.

What was your ideal plan after graduation?

Private Practice full-time; teaching part-time.

Did you practice as a periodontist prior to making a transition into education or did you transition right after your residency program?

Private practice 21 years, four days per week, with one day per week teaching at dental school immediately after completing the residency.

What was the appeal of teaching vs. practice?

Private practice: you are the final word on most issues of how the practice runs; you determine the extent to which you are in the office; potential for financial gain; network of professional and social activities. Teaching: passive retirement plan; much better rate on health insurance; you do not have to be the final word on many issues; professional contacts.

If you practiced as a periodontist prior to becoming an educator, how did you transition from practice into education?

Transitioned from one day per week teaching and four days per week in private practice to full-time teaching when the right conditions presented.

If you moved directly into an education position after graduation, how did you transition from school into education?

Very quick due to position opening unexpectedly.

What expectations did you have? Were they met?

The expectations about insurance, retirement, etc., have been met so far. It remains to be seen about promotions, salary increases, tenure, etc.

What obstacles did you encounter and how did you overcome them to be successful in your transition?

Professional: no real experience in administration in a school>>Institute for Teaching and Learning, mentoring of colleagues.
Home Sale: very difficult in the housing market at that time. I could not overcome and simply survived disappointing results.

When making the transition, what resources did you find the most helpful?

Professional contacts at the school I was joining.

What is the most valuable advice you can offer individuals transitioning into education?

If possible, plan ahead. It would have been better to have been able to bring in an associate and be able to sell the practice rather than simply closing it. It would have been better to sell the house at a time when we could have realized some appreciation after twenty years of ownership.

What is your situation now?

Good, and the prospects for the future are very bright.

What is the most important thing you have learned?

Documentation is critical. The state does not work like the private practice.

What do you like most about being a periodontal educator?

Stability, predictability, academic growth.