Dental practices are facing a shortage of dental hygienists, and often need to bring in temporary dental hygienists to help keep up with demand. However, setting up temporary staff for success is crucial to help keep your practice running smoothly. In this article, we will discuss the steps that dental offices can take to ensure that their dental hygienist temp is equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to perform their job duties effectively and efficiently.
Develop clear job descriptions and expectations
Before the temporary dental hygienist arrives, it is important to have a clear understanding of their job responsibilities and expectations. This will help them to understand what is expected of them, and what their role will entail. A well-defined job description should include tasks such as patient check-ins and check-outs, taking X-rays, and cleaning and sterilizing instruments.
Provide orientation and assign a mentor
It is essential to provide the dental hygienist temp with an orientation session. During this session, you can go over the practice’s policies and procedures and provide hands-on training to ensure they are comfortable and confident in their duties. This will help them to quickly acclimate to the practice and start performing their duties effectively.
Assigning a mentor to the temporary dental hygienist can help them become familiar with the practice. The mentor should be a seasoned employee who can provide guidance, answer questions, and offer support as the temporary dental hygienist acclimates. This can help to ensure that they feel comfortable and confident.
Provide resources and tools
Ensuring temporary dental hygienists have access to resources and tools they need to perform their duties is crucial. This may include a handbook, a list of emergency procedures, and equipment manuals. Providing these resources will help them become familiar with the practice and their role.
Encourage open communication and provide feedback
Encouraging open communication between the temporary dental hygienist and the permanent staff is critical. This helps to ensure that issues or concerns are quickly addressed and resolved. It will help to foster a positive work environment. Encouraging the dental hygienist temp to ask questions and seek help when needed will also help to ensure their success. Also, providing feedback of the temporary dental hygienist’s performance can help to ensure that they are meeting expectations.
In conclusion, setting up temporary dental hygienists for success is essential for creating a smooth immersion. Providing clear expectations, orientation, assigning a mentor, providing resources and tools, encouraging open communication, providing support and feedback are all key steps that dental offices can take, to ensure that their temporary dental hygienists are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to perform their job duties effectively and efficiently. Dental temping services, such as TempStars, can help dental practices find temporary dental hygienists, providing offices with the additional support they need when unexpected staff shortages occur.
