If you are a dentist and own your practice, you know that having associate dentists that help lessen the workload is a good thing. However, the worst thing about it is that they can come and go. One of the most frustrating things a lead dentist doesn’t like is losing an associate dentist who brought tremendous value to their practice.
So how do you go about retaining them for the long term? We’ll show you how to do that shortly. Most family dental practices will have a freelance associate dentist or two that will help lessen the workload. If you have different offices in multiple communities, having them cover that one area when you can’t is a plus.
You obviously can’t be in one place all at once. So having associate dentists who can go to one location on a specific amount of days before going to the main office for the rest of the week is what you’ll need (especially when you have multiple dentist offices). Let’s take a look closely at how you can retain them so they stay on for as long as possible.
Address the work/life balance
Of course, it’s not easy being a dentist. You’ll work long hours throughout the day. Not to mention, life outside of the office is important. You and your associate dentist have families to tend to, free time to spend, and so on.
So it’s important to give your associate dentists a way to balance work and life. The last thing you want is an associate dentist suffering from burnout and performing poorly. So it’s important to give them the time they need so they are performing at their best level after a couple of rest days or so.
Maintain a positive culture
This is a big factor here. Maintaining a positive work culture within your practice will be important. A high morale will spread throughout the office and everyone will take pride in their jobs. And your patients will notice that each time they visit.
A toxic culture will have an equally high number of employee turnovers. It won’t be the assistants or the office staff headed for the exits. Your trusted associate could be among the others.
Consider the practice location
Location, location, location. You’ll want an associate dentist that will be happy with the kind of location they are in. Naturally, most dentists fresh out of school want to work in the city.
Of course, there are those in rural areas that are always in demand for dental professionals. But the small-town life may not attract some of your ideal associate dentistry candidates. When recruiting for an associate dentist, it’s important to give them the lay of the land about the location.
Show them around, let them know of the schools, and some fun facts as well. Who knows? They’ll love it so much that they’ll definitely come for the work and stay for the close-knit relationships that you’ll see in smaller communities.
When introducing them to the area, get a good idea of what they are thinking. If they are not a fan of the town, then chances are they will likely leave for a better location in the not so distant future.
Final Thoughts
An associate dentist is there to cover the patient volume whether they are in one practice location or another. If you have two practices in different towns, you know that you can’t be everywhere. But it takes finding the right kind of talent that will help you out for the long term.
You can find your next associate dentist by checking out Stynt. All you have to do is fill out this form or download the app to your mobile device so you can find people who will benefit your practice for the better.
Commentaires