today Australian Dental Congress

Is daily practice more stressful for clinicians working in rural areas compared with those in the cities? Yes, it is. In most rural areas, the reality is that you are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is very difficult to escape from your professional status, and there is an expectation—whether right or wrong— that you are available even when you are shopping or out to dinner. Thechallengewehaveistocontinue to provide a level of service to our patientswithaworkforcethatplaces work–lifestyle balance at the fore- front of their working career. According to the Australian Work and Life Index, it is not only about how much you work, but also when it is during unsocial hours. What are the first warning signs? There are certain areas of the working life of a practitioner that, if not checked, may lead to a poor work–life balance. These stressors include managing a solo practice, missed appointments, patient dis- satisfaction with treatment, insur- ance problems, encroachment, as wellasregulationsofgovernmental agencies. Lack of quiet time, such as not having breaks from your work, is also a sign that something isnotright.Ofcourse,themainsign is burn-out as a result of the level of demands placed on the practi- tioner. How do new technologies in- fluence the work of clinicians? Are they actually time-saving tools as advertised or do they add even more stress, since practi- tioners have to constantly keep up and engage with the latest de - velopments? I once read the following: “We work harder and longer to save to purchase labour-saving devices”. How true this is. The competitive edge you have over another nowa- days is up-to-date technology and procedures. It is patients that drive this prominence of technology in our business. We have to be seen to have the equipment that allows us to perform the latest procedures. Of course, this increases the practice’s overheads, not only in the purchase of the technology, but also in the running costs to use the tech- nology, including the costs to in- crease the skill sets of staff through learningandthemaintenanceofthe technology. Could you list some strategies to achieve healthy work routines? The most effective strategy in the first instance is to recognise and ac- ceptthatthereisawork–lifebalance problem. Once it can be identified, it is then a matter of putting a series of strategies in place to manage the problem. These strategies may in- clude the employment of a practice manager, mentoring other staff to takeovercertainaspectsofthebusi- ness, and increasing clinical staff to relieve work overload. Certainly, all these come at a cost to the business, but the practitioner has to determine what he or she wants out of the business. For too long in the health care profession have we allowed the tail to wag the dog; it is time for practitioners to take control of their own strategy and destiny. Thank you very much for the interview. www.fdi2015bangkok.org www.fdiworldental.org Annual World Dental Congress 22 - 25 September 2015 - Bangkok Thailand FDI 2015BANGKOK Deadline for early bird registration 15 June 2015 AD “For too long in the health care profession have we allowed the tail to wag the dog...” news 03ADC Brisbane 2015

today Australian Dental Congress

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