Even if you hire experienced dental technicians, assistants, and receptionists, they are going to need some training so that they fit right into your office. In fact, their first month or two with you is very important. Training is essential if you want your employees to be engaged and willing to put in the effort to make a difference in your practice.
Here are some helpful tips on training new employees.
Have one person be in charge of their training. Most people learn better when they shadow only one person so that they can see how you want things handled in your practice. It is also helpful because the training stays consistent.
Let them watch and observe first. It can be challenging to walk into a practice that is running smoothly and try to jump right in. For this reason, you should allow any new employees to watch and observe before they do anything else. When they are ready, let them get started!
Make cross-training essential. Though you may hire some employees to work in the back with you and others to stay by the front, the truth is that your practice will run better if your employees can do both. Make sure that after your new employees are well-trained in their area, they learn how to help out wherever help is needed around the office.
Make training important all year long. Just as you are required to go to continuing education to learn more about dentistry, it is equally important for your staff. You may want to host a mini-meeting after your conferences to get your dental office up to speed with any new procedures or supplies that you want to try. If one of your employees takes a course, he or she may want to share it with everyone too!
There can be challenges involved in training a new employee but it is part of maintaining and growing a successful dental practice. It usually works best if they stay with one trainer at the beginning. Once they are up-to-speed, you may want to cross-train them so that they can lend a hand wherever one is needed.
Contact us if you are serious about growing your business. Transitions Group North America is proud to serve dentists in major cities all across Canada.
