In our most recent post, we made mention of the awesome dental team we have here at Family First Health. As dentists, hygienists and dental directors, we all know how important this team is! We also know that each team is only as strong as its weakest link: Each member plays an integral part in the success of the practice.
How do you establish a strong, effective team; maintain engagement; and promote job satisfaction? We have been asking ourselves and (and our employees!) these questions for years.
We’ve found that a lot of it has to do with one thing: Balance.
There are challenges in finding that balance when your team has multiple moving parts. We’ve found success thus far in restructuring the department and allowing everyone to function at their maximum potential. As a part of this process, each individual identified his or her strengths or areas of interest, and we came up with a plan on how those strengths could be used to our best advantage.
One way we’ve seen this play out was when two of our hygienists expressed interest in obtaining licensure that would allow them to administer local anesthetic. They presented their proposal to us with ideas on how this could benefit the practice — demonstrating initiative, fulfilling the CE obligations and obtaining licenses — and we played our part by offering feedback and encouragement and creating a supportive environment for continuing staff education. We’d already identified their ability to deliver anesthetic as a great asset, and our hygienists are happy to be using their new skill to help patients.
Adjusting your department’s structure can feel intimidating, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that continued improvement often requires adapting as you grow!