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Dr. Jamine Ifedi and Dawn Ifedi: Team Mistake
20 Plays7 days ago
In this engaging episode, host Tanya Sue Maestas delves into the challenges and dynamics of building effective dental teams with guests Dawn Ifedi and Doc Ifedi. The discussion highlights the critical importance of selecting the right team members, examining their skills, and understanding their career aspirations to ensure harmony and high standards in dental practice. With a focus on nurturing teamwork in high-stress environments, this episode offers profound insights for dental professionals.
The episode discusses the challenges of integrating new dental assistants, especially those from accelerated programs. Dawn Ifedi emphasizes the role of patience and training in bringing new assistants up to speed, given the demanding nature of dentistry. She explains the frustration when newcomers lack the experience needed to handle complex procedures like root canals or interact effectively with patients. Doc Ifedi shares personal experiences where feedback from patients helped identify team misfits, illustrating the delicate balance between providing opportunities and maintaining high standards.
The discussion sheds light on the need for empathy and the commitment to growth among both seasoned professionals and those new to the field. The Ifedis reveal how mistakes have steered them towards more comprehensive onboarding strategies, including shadowing opportunities, to ensure potential hires understand the realities of a dental career. Together, the panel underscores the value of evaluating team dynamics and making tough decisions to uphold patient care standards, advocating for practices that foster long-term professional satisfaction and development.
Key Takeaways:
- Establishing a cohesive dental team revolves around finding members who fit culturally and are empathetic to both patients and colleagues.
- Accelerated dental programs present challenges due to the lack of extensive hands-on experience; the onboarding process must address these gaps with care.
- Open communication and constructive feedback are essential in maintaining practice standards and harmonious team dynamics.
- Encouraging shadowing opportunities can help potential team members assess their suitability for dental roles before making career decisions.
- Continuous evaluation and tough conversations are necessary to maintain and improve team performance, ensuring high standards of patient care.
Connect with Dr. Jamine Ifedi and Dawn Ifedi: @mydentalwealth
Connect with Ignitedds and Dr. David Rice: @ignitedds Free Intro Call
Connect with Tanya Sue Maestas: @tsmaestas.dds
Learn more about Ignite Coaching : https://ignitedds.com
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Transcript
Introduction to Dental Fuel Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Dental Fuel, the podcast that focuses on what no one else is talking about, mistakes. The dental world is full of before and afters, and no one is talking about the middle.
00:00:11
Speaker
Dental Fuel brings you the unspoken in between.
Sponsorship by Ignite DDS Coaching
00:00:14
Speaker
Dental Fuel is brought to you by Ignite DDS Coaching, empowering dentists to build self-determined futures. Together, we're shaping the next generation of leaders in dentistry.
Team Dynamics in Dentistry
00:00:24
Speaker
Patience goes hand in hand with training and bringing in new assistants. In this episode, Doc and Dawn talk about some team mistakes and challenges. ah Teams, you know, you all are are really honing in on the importance of teams and and good good and bad team members can make or break us.
00:00:42
Speaker
So I would love to know some team mistakes that you all have made and some challenges that maybe you have faced with different team members. For us,
00:00:53
Speaker
it is it's very ongoing. Right now, we're currently going through interviews and just finding the right team member because in dentistry, as we all know, it could be very high stress, very high stress environment at times, things like that. Working in a high stress environment and working 12 hours can be even higher stress. so our biggest thing is finding someone that's a good fit, good culturally fit,
00:01:20
Speaker
for the team, good culture fit for the patients, understanding the patients, being empathetic and but being that energy for our team because we want to make sure we're empathetic and we're energized for our patients and for each other at all times.
Training Challenges for Dental Assistants
00:01:32
Speaker
So for our team members, we have, we've tried to give a lot of demo assistance, like especially, I know it's very popular right now that there's like a three month demo assistant program because like, i think it's considered like an accelerated program.
00:01:49
Speaker
But one thing that we've noticed is that there's a lot is there's lot they learn in that three-month time period, but there's a lot that they don't learn as well. So being able to provide them with an opportunity, but having the patient that's needed for them can be something that comes off a bit daunting sometimes because they're One thing that I think we all know going through dental school, going through dental hygiene school is that it takes a lot of grit.
00:02:20
Speaker
It takes, it takes, sure does it takes so much grit. Sometimes you have to cry to get through these programs and be okay with it. You have to understand that I have to put my head down, get through it, do what needs to be done, learn what I need to learn so I can get to the other side of it.
00:02:37
Speaker
And so with the dental assistants in the programs, that we've learned that Not that they're bad people or anything like that, but we we have learned that sometimes it may be more of like a career change for some people, and that's perfectly fine. but theyre they aren't as dedicated and determined when it comes to dentistry as someone that has gone through one-year, two-year, or four-year program.
00:03:00
Speaker
Yeah. That is a learning curve that we're going through right now is figuring out what's actually a good fit as a dental assistant, what that looks like, um probably bringing you on someone more seasoned so they have that opportunity, that patient to train someone to walk them through that through that so they're not thrown into the fire of dentistry of a full, um like two-column schedule with a doctor and not necessarily knowing and being confident enough to hop in and do a root canal when they've never seen a root canal or they've never taken an x-ray on a live patient before and knowing what they need to know in the middle of a workday, managing patients, managing a schedule, managing different doctors and doctor personalities, learning sterilization, and so many other things that come along with dentistry.
00:03:46
Speaker
Mm-hmm. I think it's it's so important to set your team up for success and giving them those tools to be able to you know meet the standards of care and and the expectation that's being set from the team. And so I think that that's excellent of just you know just taking a step back and spending some more time with them because you're right, you we really don't know what what's being taught at these programs. And so many are so quick that you know some students are just in and out.
00:04:12
Speaker
And, you know, I've had a lot of conversations with a lot of different dental assistants, assistants, both seasoned and younger. And, you know, a lot of people don't feel like dental assistant or assisting is a career and it is such a rewarding career. it is I feel like many times some people think that it's just like a something that you do for a little bit and then you do something else, which it can be.
00:04:31
Speaker
But it's such a rewarding career. And I think that we need to continue to value value our team our dental assistants and our team members. and encourage them to grow during their time in the practice so that way they can continue to learn and and love the profession that they're in.
00:04:47
Speaker
Absolutely. Absolutely. Any team mistakes? Doc, do you have any any thoughts on that? You wrapped up perfectly. I mean, that's really what it comes out of. Yeah, Don, you said it' some really great stuff there. yeah I mean, for us, it just really boils down to the investment level, right? As dentists, you've invested at least eight years to get to where you're at, right?
00:05:06
Speaker
your house janis
00:05:09
Speaker
take future associate's degree, but there's plenty of bachelor's holders when it comes to hygiene, right? So for somebody, you know, who has invested three months and is you doing this, maybe I'm trying this out versus she's like I'm committing to this, it it's completely different. And, you know, as leaders, it's incumbent on us be able to be able to empathize with the fact that there are new to dentistry and it is very high stress.
00:05:31
Speaker
At the same time, though, right, our patients aren't a playground, right? This is serious care that we're doing and we've got to make sure that we bring the best at the table every single day.
Evaluating Team Fit Through Feedback and Shadowing
00:05:40
Speaker
There was one patient, there was one assistant in particular who was breaking into dental assisting and he wanted to give it a try.
00:05:49
Speaker
And I wanted to try with him as well. He who was a previous army veteran. So I always feel like, you know, if I can, I want to definitely try provide opportunities. And I thought he had the stuff and he thought he had the stuff and we really wanted to give it a good try.
00:06:05
Speaker
I knew it was time when a patient called me after implant surgery and said that he feels like that assistant has to go. He said the experience with that assistant was not pleasant. He's been to the practice many times and there's never been any any issues.
00:06:18
Speaker
And very rarely do I get a patient call. I think that might have been the only time a patient ever called and said, this assistant is not so to get that kind of call you know it was a tough conversation try to sit down and to look across the table from somebody who you you told them that hey i commit to fool for you to right i commit to make and help you become the best version of yourself.
00:06:43
Speaker
But thank thank God it was actually a mutual understanding. By the time we actually sat down had the conversation, he actually came forward and said, you know what, I don't think i'm going to reach the empire standard.
00:06:54
Speaker
The standard in which we're all striving for here, based off of my limited time within dentistry, don't think I'm going to reach it. So it's kind of ah double a double-edged sword because was like, you know, now you have to start retraining somebody else.
00:07:07
Speaker
But at the same time, it was it did feel good knowing that we did have a standard And it was articulated in a way that somebody understands that maybe I am here or I'm not here, right? So it was a ah mutual parting at that weight, which was, again, was good for all sides.
00:07:23
Speaker
So now he doesn't feel like he's abandoned. I'm hoping he already had next steps lined up. I'm going to come to you, right? don't have a next step already lined up. So I know his come family is going to be good and our patient base is going to be good.
00:07:36
Speaker
And I will add to that one thing that we learned, like that we've learned through this entire process when it comes to dental assistants, because we do want to make sure that we are able to provide that opportunity for people. So even for like this particular assistant, just seeing if there's another fit somewhere else in the office that works.
00:07:54
Speaker
um But then we had to sit down and do some evaluation of the process in itself. And we figured, OK, well, maybe coming in and doing shadowing first. So for any of the assistants that have gone through these accelerated programs, come in, do some shadowing, see what this looks like, even if it's a week. So you can see if it's a good fit for you.
00:08:14
Speaker
Because they probably have done maybe like 40 hours. or I think they have required usually 40 hours of shadowing in a dental office. But a lot of them don't have an opportunity of actually be chair-side with a dentist.
00:08:25
Speaker
So come do some chair-side shadowing with a dentist. See if it's a good fit for you before you make that career change and quit the current job that you're working right now. Because you have to love dentistry, really, to be in it.
00:08:39
Speaker
So that was one thing, one I guess, piece of information that um from that mistake we've learned, okay, when it comes to hiring, if it's someone that may not know or they're kind of on the fence or they aren't as confident in the position or the role that they're walking into, come in, do some shadowing first, see if it's a good fit for you before on all parties.
00:08:59
Speaker
that a decision is made.
00:09:02
Speaker
So many moving parts in our profession, and yet they're all so important and need, you know, our time and our energy to focus on ah just to, you you know, get it right.
Managing a Practice: Communication and Challenges
00:09:12
Speaker
And it's hard.
00:09:13
Speaker
It's really hard sometimes, but it's so great to hear that, you know, you take time to evaluate and reevaluate and learn to have those tough conversations because we know that those are difficult and definitely not something that we learn dental school or any training, you know, before that. that's wonderful hear. learned in dental school. Really?
00:09:31
Speaker
and no but she's a paraization did oh yeah they see tagging how to run an entire office but out how to do the heavy listening Thanks for tuning in to another episode with Doc and Don Ifedi. Next week, they're back sharing some expert advice.
00:09:52
Speaker
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