After reading “Waste Not, Want Not - Part 1” you now know about the turmoil at Dr. Thrifty’s dental practice. Tensions are high between both dental assistants and Dr. Thrifty who wants to keep the peace and focus on dentistry.
Dr. Thrifty has been practicing just over 10 years. A few years back, he took ownership of a 30 year old practice. Most of the equipment should be in the Smithsonian - just sayin. He made some equipment upgrades, even as he suffered many staff changes. Looking for good used dental equipment and hunting down potential new hires consumed all of his free time.
Have you ever owned a pair of jeans you just couldn’t get rid of? They’re the most comfortable jeans. They are your go to pair. They’ve got more patches than an Eagle Scout has badges. Everytime you wear them, you cross your fingers the patches will hold up. Everytime you wash them, you pray they don’t completely fall apart. Your wife asks, “When are you going to throw those things out?”
If you replace the jeans, they will not feel the same, they will not look the same - they won’t be what you’re used to and that thought makes you squirm. It’s not that you don’t have the money, it’s the principle of the thing! They’re your jeans and you don’t want to change. But you also realize that it would take less time to just go out and purchase a new pair than to buy, size cut, fit and iron patches on the all holes that keep appearing.
Dr. Thrifty’s dental practice operates similarly. Funny thing, Dr. Thrifty would never patch up dental care. He would never deliver a less than perfect product. As soon as he rolls his chair away from one patient, he is eager to start treating the next. You see, Dr. Thrifty loves dentistry and he loves caring for his patients. But when it comes to improving the processes in his practice, he’s ok with appeasing everyone around him - even as the threads of his practice continue to unravel.
Cara and Hannah have also been in the dental industry for 10 years. Everyone loves Cara Chaos, including her patients. Dr. Thrifty prefers to work with Cara because she’s a quick draw McGraw. She can anticipate his every move! But - and this is important - she never seems to have what the doctor needs when he needs it. She gets up during appointments to get things for procedures. A lot. She also doesn’t have a problem leaving a room dirty or leaving a mess in sterilization. She promises to come in a few minutes early the next day and take care of it. Likely, story!
In contrast, Hannah Hoarder is very reliable - though she does have a lot of meltdowns. In her own mind, she is incredibly organized. And though she’s very thorough, she works at one speed; slow. She micromanages inventory, and has a hidden stash outside the supply closet. It’s called "Hannah’s drawer ONLY!" In order to ensure her things are safe (and set up the way she wants them), she shows up early and leaves later than everyone. She honestly feels the weight of the practice is on her, and needs constant string of positive reinforcement. Ugggh!
Hannah has her own way of doing things, and so does Cara. Neither way is super effective - but when you put them together, you quickly hit a critical mass of dysfunctionality. It’s sad, because there’s true passion here - a real desire to help patients and the community at large. This passion gives the practice a huge potential for growth, but no one can figure out how to get there.
Things have come to a head, and now the staff is complaining about having too much to do. Resentment has started to set in due to the stress. They push the doctor to hire another dental assistant.
“We need someone to do sterilization and stock rooms. With someone else here to help us, we will be able to be more productive.”
Dr. Thrifty reluctantly agrees.
He’s going to put yet another patch on the jeans.
Think it will work? Stay tuned...
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