Staff Shortage? 6 Ways to Handle a Reduced Dental Team

Staff shortages continue to challenge dental practices nationwide, leaving many providers struggling to meet patient demand, maintain high-quality care, and remain profitable. 

Whether you're facing unexpected absences or long-term hiring gaps, navigating these shortages requires flexibility, creativity, and a focus on optimizing your team’s time. In this article, explore six practical ways to manage a staff shortage while keeping your dental practice running smoothly.

6 Ways To Manage a Staff Shortage at Your Practice

1. Adjust and Prioritize Procedure Offerings

Most dentists offer a wide range of services, which allows them to provide more comprehensive care for their patients. However, the dental staffing shortage may lead you to consider the procedures you currently offer. 

Hiring challenges provide an opportunity to weigh the value of the procedures you currently offer against what you and your existing staff can manage, as well as your projected staff availability. Here are a few questions to guide you:

• Are there procedures that you could refer out, especially those of lower value that require a significant amount of time, effort, or cost? 
• Are there procedures that you should add that are high value to replace the income from any procedures you choose to drop?
• Do you need to adjust your marketing to reflect your offerings?

2. Streamline Operations

Inefficient operations eat up time for you and your team. Review your workflows and identify where bottlenecks occur.

For example, you may encounter issues in the front office, including scheduling problems, patient communication challenges, and busy phone lines. Look for simplification and other solutions that can streamline your front office operations. 

3. Leverage Technology & Automation

If you haven’t fully leveraged technology and automation, this could be the time to explore solutions that manage everything from scheduling to billing, charting, and treatment plans. You can find information through online vendors, dental conferences, and industry publications. Additionally, the peers in your professional network can also provide valuable suggestions. 

Keep in mind that some tasks are best handled with a human touch, so look for ways to blend technology and human patient interactions.

4. Cross-Train Existing Team Members

Practice owners tend to hire for similar positions, but that doesn’t mean that the tasks traditionally performed in a specific role must be done by that person. Flexibility can keep your practice running smoothly.

For example, if you have a dental hygienist shortage, what tasks can someone else do that your hygienists have typically done? You can easily cross-train administrative staff on basic clinical tasks, such as room setup or sterilization, and equip dental assistants to support them with tasks like patient education, charting, or taking vitals.

5. Consider Temporary Staffing or Locum Tenens

When it’s necessary to fill immediate gaps, don’t hesitate to use short-term staffing solutions when necessary. This strategy allows you to avoid long-term commitments while you find long-term solutions, such as hiring the perfect person.

6. Communicate Proactively With Patients

Finally, if a staff shortage unexpectedly causes limited appointment availability or leads to longer wait times, communicate proactively with your clients. You’ll find that most patients are understanding if you give them information ahead of time, rather than letting them discover the issues on their own.

How To Attract and Retain Your Staff

With the current hygiene staffing shortages, the challenge of hiring professional front office staff, and even a potential shortage of dentists, it’s essential to adopt best practices in attracting quality applicants and retaining employees at your practice. Fortunately, many of the same strategies support both attracting and retaining staff:

Practice Culture: Foster a supportive work environment, promote open communication, and show respect for team members as individuals and as valuable members of the team. 

Competitive Compensation: Conduct your own research into employee pay in your geographic area. If you can’t exceed average pay for similar positions, make sure you offer a competitive compensation package that at least matches average pay but offers other benefits, such as more paid time off, professional learning opportunities, and more.

Excellent Benefits: Differentiate your practice by offering benefits other practices may not have considered. For example, support your team with a financial wellness program. Consider retirement planning support, whether through a formal plan or educational resources, access to budgeting and debt management tools, and other financial education resources, such as workshops or lunch-and-learns on personal finance.

For more information about managing people in your practice, download your complimentary copy of the Managing People in Your Dental Practice Ebook. Explore the key strategies and decisions that drive a thriving dental practice, starting with how to invest wisely in your team.

Protect Your Practice With an Effective Risk Management Strategy

Whether you are currently managing your practice with a reduced team or preparing for potential challenges, ensure that you take steps to protect your practice with business insurance coverage. 

Are you sure you have an effective strategy in place to protect your business?

If you haven’t had a risk management assessment in the last 12 months, it’s time to speak to an advisor experienced in helping dental and medical professionals like you find the right coverage for yourself and your practice. Reach out today for a complimentary consultation.

About Treloar & Heisel

Treloar & Heisel, an EPIC Company, is a premier financial services provider to dental and medical professionals across the country. We assist thousands of clients from residency to practice and through retirement with a comprehensive suite of financial services, custom-tailored advice, and a strong national network focused on delivering the highest level of service.

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