Hiring a New Staff Member to Increase Practice Efficiency

by Dr. Amruta Patel

hiring-new-staffHiring the right employee is crucial for any business. In today’s postmodern world you can see turmoil and dramatic changes taking place. These are increasing in diversity, increase in consumerism, globalization, mobility of workers, decline of nuclear family and increased access to information.  Boundaries and distinctions have become blurred. Because of these modern practices managing a dental practice team can become difficult. Today’s workers expect a high salary and flexibility but are less willing to take on more work and remaining loyal. The rules of the workplace which were there in the past do not apply to the new employment world.

The right employees must be hired and retained in order to have a well run business. To know which staff is best for your organization put them into three categories. Terminators are the employees who do damage to the organization by performing poorly and bringing down the moral of the team. Transmitters are employees who perform averagely and do not add anything new to the organization. Transformers are employees who are positive and make improvements to the work place. They have a high emotional quotient. These staff members (transformers) should be attracted in order to have patient satisfaction and growth in profit.

Job duties should be laid out accurately and in detail as a part of the hiring process. These must be interesting so the staff remains interested and energized. This will increase productivity. Employees must be praised for good work and right decisions they take. Job descriptions must be reviewed again. It is also important to have the right job application form in order to identify the right candidates. Include appropriate sections for work history, previous job, previous salary and references.

The recruitment must now start and vacancies should be advertised in dental society publications and local newspapers. The next stage is the interview process where you can ask them specific questions. The second interview must be arranged and you must do a background check on your potential employee. The orientation process will introduce the employee to the rest of the staff. A staff member must serve as a mentor and trainer for your new staff member. Complete all the related paper work.

You can provide a welcome pack to the new employee. After which you can explain the working of the company to the employee. Provide them with the necessary documents. The performance of the new employee must be evaluated. A system must be developed to evaluate the employee’s performance. You must set reasonable goals for the employee. Review the performance of the employee at specific time intervals after a ninety day period. Maintain proper decorum and explain the performance review to the new employee. If the performance is poor, then termination should be done in a good way.

Following these steps will help you choose the right employee for your dental firm and will result in good performance and higher profit. Training a new employee is your entire dental team’s job.


About the Author
dr-amruta-patelDr. Amruta Patel is a warm and compassionate dentist caring for the community of San Antonio, TX. Dr. Patel attended Marquette University, where she received both her dental degree and her bachelor’s degree. She practices at All About Smiles and specializes in cosmetic braces, endodontic treatments, implants, and veneers, as well as basic general dental services. Outside of practicing dentistry, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two dogs.

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