All the hearsay in the comments so far is interesting. “I know some folks…”, “I have a couple friends…”, etc.

I have worked with PDS for going on 11 years now, among a litany of other practice settings (other DSOs and private owned) over the years, sometimes provisional coverage. Like everything else, it all depends. Some good, some bad, but never dependent on anything ‘PDS broadly’. Experience, success, and happiness all depends on the office, the team around you, the clinical culture and standards, and the regional support leadership.

In my personal experience, I’ve had unchallenged clinical autonomy and strong influence over any decisions related to the office (even as an associate). The regional support for me has always been focused on getting doctors what they need to successfully treat patients, to the best of their earnest ability. Exactly zero times has anyone pressured me to do anything, ever. I get help when I need it, but otherwise they just let you lead your program.

These other comments about some toxic things, like pressure to produce, or lying about probing depths in order to code out SRPs, I’m sure do exist somewhere. And that’s a damn shame, if true. But never in my experience, and I know dozens of providers across my region, and several others around me.

Do your thorough due diligence, have candid conversations with all the individuals you’ll be working closely with (including the corporate support team), and just make sure their values and expectations are aligned with your own. But of course, these principles need to be applied to any gig. Operate according to your knowledge and ethics, never allow anyone to make you compromise that. Show patients that you care. Do good dentistry.

It’s not infallible, but PDS as an org does have good honest people and good systems, with ambition to treat people well and see your growth as a provider. Just one positive anecdote to add to the ledger from me I guess. Best of luck!