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Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

November 14-20, 2011United Kingdom Edition If you have lost your moti- vation, then ask yourself how, why and when did this hap- pen. What happened to change the way you feel about being a dentist? Associates may be one-step removed from the financial pressure of practice ownership, but the price they pay for this is a certain lack of control over their working life. It is often this lack of control that makes people unhappy in their work. Associates become prin- cipals in the belief that they can regain some control over their destiny. Whilst to some extent this might be the case, there are still outside agen- cies and organisations to who practice owners will always be accountable. The days when a dental practice and the people working in them are relatively free from outside ‘interfer- ence’ are long gone. Dentistry is now more highly regulated than it has ever been. There are inevitably those within the profession who resent this outside interference. Rather than fight against it, accept it as part of what being a profes- sional is all about. For NHS practices, one of the biggest sources of dissatis- faction is the fee structure and the way the government keeps moving the goal posts. If you are someone who just wants to care for your patients, then you at least need to know that your bills can be paid and that at the end of each month there is enough money left for you to have if not an extravagant life- style, then at least one that is comfortable and free of mon- ey worries. Whereas private practices don’t suffer govern- ment interference, they prob- ably do still share some degree of financial anxiety with their NHS colleagues. I have touched on what I consider to be two key reasons why dentists become disillu- sioned with their job: a lack of confidence and a lack of con- trol. I remember as a young dentist sometimes feeling in- timidated by older, sometimes more highly educated patients, and stressing about having to explain the treatment I was planning to do for them. The explosion of ‘inter- net knowledge’ means that nowadays everyone is a self- taught dentist! Increasing confidence comes with age and experience, but it also comes with a complete un- derstanding of why you are recommending a particular course of treatment, how it will be carried out, but per- haps more importantly, your ability to explain it to the lay- person in language they fully understand. Total control over and confidence in your clini- cal work is therefore critical. Interpersonal skills are vital in dentistry, not just for how you interact with patients, but also for ‘managing’ others with whom you work. Some young dentists might initially find it hard telling older and perhaps more experienced co- workers what to do. But again, absolute confidence in what you say and what you do is essential. Confidence breeds confidence. A lack of confidence can also come from a feeling of isolation, for example, a prin- cipal who feels that they have no one to talk to and with whom they can share their problems. Take heart, you are not alone. Recently I was invited to speak at a dental business meeting, and was im- pressed by the sense of togeth- erness that the audience of 20 or so practice owners, manag- ers and hygienists all shared. They talked openly about the problems they faced on a daily basis in their own practices. Two things emerged: first, they were not the only ones experi- encing a particular problem; second, the group chipped in with ideas and suggestions to help find solutions. Call it counselling, a support group or therapy, it worked, and was part of a series of workshops all aimed at increasing the participant’s confidence and leadership skills. For the early part of my life as a practice owner I felt as if I had little or no control over my business. Realising this and doing something about it transformed not only the busi- ness, but also me. However, a more subtle change had taken place; I began to change the way I looked at things, and believe it or not, the things changed. I will give you a cou- ple of small examples of what I mean. If you greet people with a smile, they smile back at you. Happier people all round. If you periodically take time to talk to your employees and praise them for the work they are doing, they’ll feel more valued and are more likely to work harder for you. I took control of my business because I learnt how to be an excellent manager, a people person, and a confident clinician. My motivation for want- ing to be a dentist had always been a desire to care for peo- ple; I very nearly lost this, and it only fully returned when I controlled my business. My desire to now help dentists and to share with them the experi- ences of managing a practice was my motivation for writing Managing a Dental Practice the Genghis Khan way. As an associate you may feel that you can never have any control over what hap- pens in the practice in which you work. However, working with and supporting the own- er, and trying to understand their motivation and the day- to-day problems they face, is going to make your work- ing life much easier. Change how you look at things and the things change. There are inevitably many reasons why you might be thinking about giving den- tistry, but before you decide to throw in the towel, exam- ine what has changed. Try to regain your motivation and passion. Dentistry does have a great deal to offer as a ca- reer and, like every other job or profession, there are in- evitably challenges that have to be met, but it does have its rewards. I also sense that un- like 20 years ago, there are far more people around who are willing to help you, no matter what problems you are having to cope with or face. You only have to ask. My assessment of why den- tists are considering leaving dentistry is, out of necessity, very brief. It was never meant to be an exhaustive list. Hav- ing made the case for reinvig- orating your dental career, the next article will look at the op- tions that might be available for those who for various rea- sons decide to or have to leave the profession. DT About the author Michael Young is the author of the Diagram Prize winning Managing a Dental Practice the Genghis Khan way. He has over 20-years’ experi- ence of managing a dental practice. He taught clinical dentistry at two dental hospitals. He was forced to re- tire from clinical dentistry because of ill health. He is now a writer and busi- ness consultant. During his dental career he was a member of the Char- tered Institute of Management, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and was the Secretary of the North East Region Committee of the Institute of Management Consultancy. Michael is a former Young Enterprise Busi- ness Adviser. He was also a member of the Expert Witness Institute. His practice was one of the first in the UK to be awarded the British Dental Asso- ciation’s (BDA) Good Practice. He was also an Assessor for the Good Practice scheme. Over the years he has pub- lished a large number of articles on various aspects of practice manage- ment and marketing in the dental press, and an article on report writing in the legal press. He is the author of How to be an effective expert witness, which is available on Amazon Kindle. Away from dentistry, Michael’s inter- ests include archaeology, history and the arts. Apart from his undergradu- ate and postgraduate dental degrees, he also holds a BA from the Open Uni- versity. Visit Michael’s web page www.thegenghiskhanway.com