4 Important Things To Consider When Joining A New Dental Practice

All dental practitioners start working for a new practice at some point in their career. Whether you’re just starting out and it’s your first practice, or you’re a seasoned pro and keep moving on to bigger and better clinics—either way, the move can be a bit daunting. 

Regardless of how many times you make the move, the challenges of starting at a new practice remain the same. Here are 4 things to consider when joining a new dental practice:

1. How Knowledgeable is Your Support Staff?

You’re only as good as the company you keep. Good practices will pride themselves in having highly-trained dental assistants, hygienists, and administrative staff. The quality of your support team is essential to being happy at your new practice. 

If you don’t feel properly supported, or find yourself needing to do your job plus the tasks of others, you may want to reconsider the practice. 

2. How Good are the Scheduling Strategies?

Proper scheduling is the lifeline for any good dental clinic. The success of any practice depends on 2 major scheduling strategies: efficiency and stress management. 

Having a structured, well executed schedule leads to smoother days, care and consideration for both patients’ and practitioners’ time, and the ability to easily add, move, or replace appointments when needed. 

These scheduling loopholes will indicate a major red flag with both the support staff and their scheduling strategies:

• Schedule repeatedly changes without warning
• You’re continuously working outside the hours you agreed upon
• Appointments not strategically booked to use your time efficiently
• Your work/life balance is being affected

3. Are You Being Properly Compensated?

A fully transparent dental practice will offer competitive wages and will routinely evaluate the market wage data to stay on top of the competition. A good practice will see your worth and will ensure you get the appropriate compensation. Fair wages are essential to keeping a productive and committed team. 

You can find wage data comparisons from credible sources like: the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Salary.com. If you find your compensation is too low, or is based on an equation that’s working out negatively in your favor, it’s worth having a conversation with the owner of the practice. 

4. The Owner of the Practice Doesn’t Keep Up-to-Date With Continued Education (CE)

If the owner of the clinic you’re working for doesn’t keep up-to-date with their CE, you’re not working for a very good example. 

Any dentist, hygienist, or dental assistant is required to stay up-to-date with all the latest techniques that pertain to dentistry, otherwise you can lose your license to practice.

Ensure you stay qualified by earning continued education credits through completing courses, attending seminars, and engaging in webinars. 

The number of credits required to keep your license valid is determined by each state or province. 1 credit equals 1 hour of study. 

Any practice that doesn’t stay informed on all the latest developments in the industry, has no regard for their patients, their staff, or their license. Protect yourself and your credentials by staying away from this type of clinic. 

Do you have questions about joining a new practice? Contact us!