Enriching the Lives of Dental Leaders

Enriching the Lives of Dental Leaders

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Should I Get Another Hygienist?

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Dear Sharyn

One of my hygienists just gave me one-week notice. I suspected something was up when she asked to re-schedule her performance review. She’s worked with me for 6 years.  I’m thinking of not replacing her and instead get out of 2 insurance plans so that I don’t have triple hygiene days. What do you think?

M.S. Kansas

Dear M.S.,

There’s a lot to unpack here. First, I would want to know why this hygienist grew so disenchanted with your practice. This means you need to lead an exit interview and potentially also initiate honest conversations with the rest of your team to see if there is universal discontent. Next, getting out of insurance may indeed be a good way to reduce your patient load, but that won’t be a quick solution. As hard as it may be to find a hygienist right now, I would advise you to replace her so that your patients get some continuity of treatment.  Alternatively, you could look into hiring a hygiene assistant to reduce the load on your current team. Then, we can get out of your worst plans through a planful process. And finally, we need to look at your overall goals so that we can develop a practice where you feel balanced and productive.

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Inspired Us to Dream Bigger, and it Works

“As an Office Manager, I’ve seen a great difference in my practice since starting with Sharyn. Three years ago our staff was in turmoil with a lot of infighting and gossip and some jealousy directed towards me.

I had given up because everything I did was judged. Now I have learned to have more one-to-one communication and by being more vulnerable with individuals I found my leadership voice. As a team, we’re all focused on the same goals.

Last year, in August we produced $88,000. This year we’re on track to produce $111,000 this month. I know it’s because we learned how to follow through with patients and communicate our expectations while building our systems.

Sharyn has gotten us out of our comfort zone and inspired us to dream bigger and it works.”

–Sharon St Pierre, Sperbeck Dental Care

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