Educating staff for practice efficiency
Ask Dr. Christensen
Q+A
In this monthly feature, Dr. Gordon Christensen addresses the most frequently asked questions from Dental Economics readers. If you would like to submit a question to Dr. Christensen, please send an e-mail to info@pccdental.com.
Q
I am concerned about the level of education and clinical skills of some of our new staff members, especially those who have been out of their educational programs only a short time. I would like to upgrade their knowledge and clinical skills. Should I send them to formal CE courses? If so, how do I determine which courses are the most adequate? I have been somewhat discouraged with some CE courses, since many of the courses do not contain much practical information that they can use. I need guidance on how to upgrade these great people.
A
I commend you on your desire to invest in your staff. There are several different ways to accomplish this goal that can be quite successful.
The first step, regardless of whether you are a new or mature practitioner, is to define the characteristics of your ideal practice. Decide on the type of practice you want. Some dentists benefit from working with a practice consultant, and others prefer to make these decisions alone. Every practitioner has different opinions about the areas of dentistry he or she wants to include in the practice, the duties of the office staff, and the type of patient he or she prefers to serve (figure 1).
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