Macbook Pro in 2-screen setup
If You have Mavericks installed it's not a problem at all to quickly switch between the primary/secondary screen, because the menubar is present on both screens. 

To move the Dock You only need to move your mouse cursor to the bottom of the second screen and then move the mouse down again.



EDIT:
On previous OSs you can also change the primary screen in Preferences -> Displays -> Arrangements and move the Menubar (white stripe) to secondary screen. Here you can also change the position of secondary monitor.