Did you know that most dental hygienists and other specialists agree that their career is more stressful than any of the others? On top of that, more professionals in the dentistry field are feeling more stress due to the pandemic.
If you want to have your practice continue providing high-quality care to your patients, then you will need to ensure that your staff’s wellbeing is looked after.
So, What Exactly is Burnout?
Everyone experiences a burnout differently, but a professional burnout is caused by mental exhaustion that continues for a very long time. In a dental profession, the specialists are at a higher risk, as they are both exposed to physical and mental stressors.
Physical stress at a practice comes from standing and walking constantly, plus your arms are held in uncomfortable positions when working with a patient. This can cause discomfort and add to your stress during the day.
Mental stress can be caused by treating many patients in a short amount of time. The feeling of being rushed to get through everyone you need to see can be stressful for many dentists. Over time, your stressors can build up and cause a burnout.
If you are the owner of the practice, you also need to handle the mental stress of running a business. When all of these stressors are happening at once, it is no surprise that many dentists, dental hygienists, or dental assistants report feeling under a lot of pressure at their place of work.
Signs of a Burnout
In order to prevent burnout, you are going to need to recognize the signs. In the dental community, these are the main signs of an overly stressed dental professional:
No longer enjoying the work
Avoiding others or dropping hobbies
Showing up late to work
Chronic exhaustion
Working late or during breaks
Skipping meals or only eating small snacks
How to Prevent Burnout
If you notice any of the above signs in yourself or your employees, you are going to want to take some steps to reduce work-related stress at the practice. Below is what we recommend you do.
Don’t Hide Problems
Anyone and everyone have experienced burnout at some point. Brushing it under the rug will only succeed in making the problems worse. Encourage your employees to talk to each other about issues. Communication goes a long way.
Make a Relaxing Space
Be sure that you have a break room or somewhere else for your employees to escape to during the day. When they get too stressed, encourage them to retreat for a cup of coffee in this room. Also, be sure to give them space there- pulling them out with more work could ruin the atmosphere of the room.
Stay on Schedule
Be sure that your employees take all their breaks and “work time” does not run into “relaxing time”. Keep the two separate as best you can. Let your employees really enjoy their breaks to keep them motivated.
Conclusion
Everyone deals with stress at work. You want to be sure that your staff has every opportunity to handle the pressure in a healthy way. If you are interested in adding some members to your dental team, considering hiring freelancers in the dental industry in your area by joining Stynt’s online job marketplace.
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