The American Dental Association is calling the current state of hiring in the dental industry a crisis, with shortages in almost every field making it feel nearly impossible to confidently run an office.

Here at ePractice Manager we’ve seen this with a number of practices and have come up with some simple tips to help you navigate this area. But before you dive straight into hiring, there are a few things that must be established in order to ensure a smooth and successful hiring and onboarding process.

The most important thing is knowing exactly what you are looking for before you begin the search. This means you must first take a moment to review the position, and your specific criteria for what would make an ideal candidate.

Let’s say you post an ad for the patient coordinator position, but also expect the employee to take on some treatment coordinator duties. Well, you will potentially end up with an employee who is either out of their depth and causes more work for the office, or an employee that is upset due to unclear communication about the position.

This is one of the biggest causes of quick turnover in an office.

It is worth spending the extra time to find the right candidate, rather than wasting time trying to quickly hire and train an employee that isn’t a real long-term solution.

During hiring you may have to make some small compromises. For example, you may be set on finding a dental assistant with two or more years experience, but what if the candidate is highly motivated and quick to learn? This is why it is so important to prioritize the qualities and skills you are looking for in a new addition to the team.

Creating a clear picture of the ideal employee will give you a template to use during the hiring process.

Here’s an example of a simple checklist you can use to help you narrow down your ideal candidate:

 What is an accurate pay range for the position?
 Do you offer benefits, 401K and other PTO?
 Are you looking for an employee who is flexible with their hours, or can you guarantee set hours each week?
 What type of background and experience do you want this candidate to have, and what is non-negotiable?
 What are some ideal attributes and passions?
 What exactly would you be expecting from them?
 What responsibilities would this job entail?
 Is there room for growth in this position?

Once you have taken the time to really look at these questions and answer them honestly, you can move forward with posting an accurate job advertisement that will attract the most fitting candidates for your practice!

In the second blog in this series we will get into hiring platforms, and how to easily navigate them to your advantage.

Here at ePractice Manager, we understand that running a practice is stressful, which is why we offer a full suite of onboarding, training, and management resources—to help you focus on what matters most, patient care.