Dentistry is experiencing a significant staff shortage. This is a problem in many industries, and dentistry is competing for many of the same skill-level workers that other industries are chasing. To deal with the new reality of staff shortages, you must focus on the best ways to recruit, hire, and compensate new team members. The decisions you make in these three areas will determine how competitive your practice is in terms of the acquisition and onboarding of new team members.
Offer signing bonuses. Today, more and more applicants won't even consider responding to a job without the offer of a signing bonus. The key is to make the signing bonus big enough to be attractive, but don't pay it out all at once. Pay it over six months so that new hires don't walk away with the entire bonus should they leave their new position early.
Don't forget systems. During a staffing shortage it becomes crucial for practices to create and implement systems (e.g., scheduling, hygiene productivity, case presentation, collections, insurance management, and customer service) that will allow the practice to grow even if it has a leaner team. By putting in the right systems and prioritizing actions, a smaller dental staff will be able to keep the practice growing and successful.
Dr. Roger P. Levin is CEO of Levin Group, a leading practice management and marketing consulting firm. To contact him or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit LevinGroup.com or email [email protected].
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