

Dr. William Hull: The pros and cons of working in a partnership, the benefits of an electric handpiece over air driven, and the importance of bringing humor to a stressful work setting
Residency is the perfect learning environment for young maxillofacial surgeons, with valuable skills and know-how shared among professors and peers alike. Once qualified, the transition into private practice or starting a practice of your own can be quite daunting. Our guest today is an old-time friend and expert maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. William “Billy” Hull, who has plenty of guidance to share. To kick things off, we take a look at Billy’s academic and professional history. Having studied at The University Of Illinois At Chicago Medical Center, he has since moved into various private practice settings and is now a partner at his own practice. From picking the right partners to the best way you can build functional working relationships with them, Billy shares his biggest lessons with us. He then dives into seniority, hierarchy dynamics, and the best ways to manage compensation, before providing insight on why you should move into an established practice for your first gig. As our conversation continues, Billy talks about how he has evolved as a surgeon, telling us about his favorite tools and the reasons he uses them. Sprinkled throughout our conversation, Billy reminisces about his old days in residency, offering comical anecdotes and explaining why humor is an important part of his job. Remember to floss and be sure to tune in!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Introducing today’s guest, maxillofacial surgeon Dr. William “Billy” Hull.
- Billy shares details about his professional history.
- Hear about the lessons Billy has learned over the years.
- How hierarchy can influence the success of a practice.
- Exploring the pros and cons of having a good partner.
- Why the relationships you build during residency are so important.
- The art of drawing up a partnership contract that fairly distributes compensation.
- Knowing what healthy competition is between partners.
- Hear Billy’s humorous anecdotes about his residency.
- Billy tells us how he has evolved as a surgeon since leaving medical school.
- Why spreading your legs can be better than bending over while performing surgery.
- Billy touches on why he won’t use a hall drill.
- Hear about the 703 and its finesse as an oral surgery tool.
- Find out how Billy’s incision design has changed over the years.
- Why PRF is preferred over dry-socketing.
- Billy’s preference of BioHorizons over Straumann and Nobel Biocare.
- Hear about how Billy keeps a balance between humor and professionalism.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: