You’ve hired a hygienist to join your dental practice. Now what?
There is no doubt it can be frustrating to train a new employee, but it can also be frustrating as a new hire to go through “trial by fire.” Do your new team member and yourself a favor; implement an onboarding plan, and simplify the process for everyone. If you’ve done your due diligence in the hiring process, keep a specific onboarding checklist, and have clear expectations for your team, the training will be much smoother.
Here are 3 simple steps to make your onboarding process pain-free.
1. Be Prepared With an Onboarding Checklist
When a new hygienist walks in the door the first day, they do not know everything about your practice. If they did, we wouldn’t be writing this article right now. Be sure to have a detailed checklist of to-dos for them and your team. We suggest the 3-3-3 onboarding model; this stands for 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months. Breaking the checklist down this way allows for accountability and clarity for both the new hygienist and your existing team. In many cases, you can delegate some office protocol training to your team. The lead assistant can show the new hygienist the flow of the back office, sterilization, and ordering. The front office can share scheduling and software processes. Each item on the checklist has a due date, the person or department responsible for training the new team member, and the current status. The practice owner and staff determine the items on the checklist.
2. Give Clear Expectations
Each doctor and office can be so different, be sure you are crystal clear about your expectations , even if you discussed them in the interview and job offer process. Provide your hygienist with a detailed job description and be specific about your preferred protocols. For example, would you like the hygienist to verbally express their treatment concerns for a patient (prior to an exam) with you, or would you prefer they write it down for you to review? These details are easier to iron out before beginning patient treatment and will also remain on a training document (the onboarding checklist).
Another benefit to having your systems and processes in writing is the ability to use them as a guide for temporary hygienists.
3. Check-in with Your New Hygienist at Set Intervals
When your office is always busy, it is easy to put off a quick meeting with your new hygienist, especially if you feel they are doing an amazing job. Don’t skip these check-ins! They may be drowning, and you have no idea. Employees may not always tell you when they have a question or an issue, but when you have a scheduled check-in, it helps them to feel at ease knowing there is time set aside to discuss their onboarding process and questions they have. Small problems, if ignored, can become major issues later. It is worth meeting with your new hygienist at set times, to evaluate the onboarding process.
