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Do you have a “New Grad Flight Path” to help them land safely from being supervised to being independent in your private practice

So you interviewed the graduate dentist, liked what you saw and heard, checked out their references, felt they were a good fit for your practice and offered them the job. But wait … what was the expectation of both parties?

The new graduate is on board excited, nervous, and does not know what to expect.  Did they get the structured on boarding? Instructions on how the mostly free public dental hospitals (where they have trained) and the private dental sector they have entered operate differently? A safety card with expectations on how to manage risks? Did you, the captain, set aside time to guide your apprentice through the flight path

Depending on the on boarding, mentoring, and the “flight path” provided, the graduate’s first job could make or break them and can prove to be either a successful partnership or a disaster for you. Some Graduate dentists have reported stress and burnout within the first 12-18 months, questioning their choice of career after an enormous investment in time and money.  Dental Practice Owners, Receptionists, Dental Assistants, Therapists have their own stories of the hurdles in integrating a new graduate to their practice.

Being a clinical tutor at University and having employed new graduate dentists in my private practice over a 11 year period, I have been in the unique position to have first hand knowledge of: their abilities and gaps in knowledge and experience of course but also their level of diagnosis and case presentation, understanding and execution of dental procedures, and all the new administrative and staff and patient relational things they encounter when they first transition from a Public hospital setting to a Private practice.  Developing the right “flight path”, staff training and support systems, valuable mentorship and regular course correction using relevant practice numbers ensures a smooth and enjoyable flight with a safe landing at the correct destination.

Not everything can be taught at Universities, and time restraints in the ability to cover the vast syllabus means that a lot of learning needs to take place in the first 12-18 months of graduating in the workplace.  The changing face of ownership has also meant that fewer graduates get the mentorship that they so desperately need.

As an owner of a very productive and busy dental practice, a tutor at University and having employed a new graduate, I was in a unique position to develop clear onboarding, systems, processes, training, mentoring, staff support systems, and reporting I needed to have in place to get to where we all wanted to go.

For your free copy of an overview and flow chart of : “The New Grad Flight Path” click here.  To help with implementation please feel free to call me for a free consultation on 0407732297 or send me an email on admin@justexcel.com.au

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