"A rising tide lifts all boats"

I’ve been coaching final year dental students how to use a CEREC system.

It’s been a blast.

The students gained experience with multiple cases, applying themselves well, and seem nearly ready to handle one independently in practice.

The beauty of the coaching I was doing was that it was one on one.

I supported and instructed the students through the procedure from start to finish.

For this reason they progressed quickly, adapted to the prep design and picked up the foreign concepts quickly. I could redirect them if they veered off course.

They obtained a successful outcomes with minimal stress on their part.

What will happen in their new job?

What form will the promised support and mentoring take?

As a former practice owner, I understand the tension between supporting and sometimes instructing new graduates, while also needing to meet the financial demands of maintaining production.

As practice owners are we even equipped with the necessary skills to do this? Some of us are better than others at this sort of thing.

Will what we offer be enough?

Having taught this way I understand what will reap faster rewards in the progress of a new associate.

Being a companionable guide through a procedure will help the dentist develop faster and feel comfortable asking questions. Truly supporting their learning.

As a practice owner it can be difficult to fully commit to this, to not understand that the investment of your own time will benefit you both in the long term.

As the mentee make sure you ask the right questions of the practice you are considering to ensure that you understand what form the support is going to take. And if it's not enough then look elsewhere.

As an employer taking on a new graduate, maybe for the first time. Spend some time planning how you will support your new dentist clinical and emotionally and make sure you can offer them what they need. If not then search for an experienced dentist.

If you want to hear how this might work in practice listen to this podcast where Nauvneel Kashyap talks about how he mentors in his practices. Informative whether you are the mentor or the mentee.

If you’re looking for your first job as a dentist are in your early years I’m creating a toolkit to help smooth your entry into practice, join the waitlist here.

Rosie