by By Deena Ali, Enhanced Hygiene
Yes, there is a person attached to that crown
No matter what position we hold in the dental environment, we are in a position to serve people. Every task or responsibility comes back to foster a better, or worse, environment for someone – in most cases that someone is a patient. This simple concept is critical to our profession, yet it is often the one we don’t routinely think about.
It’s easier to focus on growing career skill sets. Dentists might strengthen their endo performance by learning a technique with some newly invented files. Hygienists might learn new ways to battle periodontal disease using adjunctive aids. Office managers might discover a new use for a report that uncovers more information to help the practice continue to grow. These are all extremely important technical skills, but what about strengthening “people” skills? Without people, we are not taking advantage of what our new educations are bringing to us. Without a person to receive these skills, these skills are merely concepts that never become attained actions.
The power of interactions
When you stop and think about how much weight we actually have on impacting another person, it is pretty powerful. With a simple interaction, we have the power to make someone’s day, or ruin it. I often find we all have the right intentions, and many times we want to do more, but sometimes we miss the small things that add up to make the biggest impact.
Patients won’t remember the finite details about the crown prep. Instead, they will remember their experience during the process. Patients will think back to how the appointment was scheduled. Did the receptionist have pleasant tone, or did the phone call feel rushed? People don’t remember your credentials, but they recall how you used those credentials to help them. The emotional and psychological side of interacting with people is critical, but often forgotten. It is not uncommon for the “tasks” to overpower the more important outcome of what we are trying to accomplish, such as capturing the patient for a lifetime.
Treat the patient, not the diagnosis
I recently had a medical procedure that required staying in the hospital for a few days. No one was rude, everyone was cordial, and my life was never at risk … yet, the entire time I was a patient I never felt I was being taken care of.
The nurses were often rushed and distracted as they gave me my pain medications. When they walked in, they would ask how I was, but never really listened to my response. I was in pain, but too embarrassed to admit it. Yet no one picked up on the non-verbal cues. Nurses and attendants would come in and complete their task, whether it was changing bed sheets, cleaning the room, or taking my blood pressure, but no communication happened beyond the task. Even my doctor fell into this category. Even though I was not put in harm’s way, I will never go back to that hospital. I actually have changed my primary care provider to one that is affiliated with an entirely different hospital.
I made a mental note that when I returned to work, I would do my best to care for the patients as people, and not just their individual diagnosis such as the crown, the root canal, or the localized scaling and root planning. It also made me realize that patients are not looking at our competencies only by the procedures we can accomplish, but also how we are able to complete these procedures while building meaningful relationships and bonds.
Commit to people
I have put together a simple list of things that have helped me try to reach the commitment I made to myself, and I hope you find these useful.
- Become more self-aware. The first step toward becoming a better person is learning to notice your current behavior, whether it is how you react to stress, how you cope with loss, how you manage your anger, or how you treat the people you love. The only way to make an improvement in any of these departments is to first take note of your current behavior, then reflect on how it can be improved, and finally, make the necessary changes
- Set goals for yourself. If it helps, write some goals down on a piece of paper, or better yet, start a journal. This will open up your introspective side, and allow you to better understand yourself from an objective standpoint.
- Find a role model. Role models are a great source of inspiration, and their stories can make us feel strong when times get tough. Your role model might be your favorite singer, artist, politician, television personality, philosopher, religious figure, and so on. You might want to choose somebody whose story you can relate to.
- Practice empathy. This is about standing in the other person’s shoes and realizing what place this person is coming from (pain, fear, loss, etc.). Remember that everybody has his or her own struggles and insecurities; understanding this will help you be more sensitive toward other peoples’ feelings, learn to bond with others, and feel less isolated. And practicing empathy will help you to treat others as you would like to be treated.
- Show people that you care. Do this genuinely. Don’t tell people what they want to hear just to make them happy, or to get something in return. When I think back to all the patient concerns I have helped resolve, most of the time the patient just wanted to feel that someone cared. It was often this lack of care that made people feel unhappy and begin the complaint process.
- Be appreciative. Count and appreciate the things you do have and the people you have helped. You might be surprised if you actually focus on what is already good and helpful in your life. I am appreciative of having a career that allows me to help people, and I have a great opportunity within Enhanced Hygiene to allow me to do this daily.
- Practice gratitude. I once read those who do feel grateful tend to experience less stress, feel more optimistic and have more energy. I believe this to be true.
Patients have choices. Most of the time it isn’t the price, or the types of materials we have used, or the location of the practice that makes them choose to come back for all their dental needs – it is you. Patients choose the friendly, caring, and trustworthy environment you give them. Remember, we all have the ability to create this feeling in every interaction.
