Tips When Adding a Dentist

Episode #369 with Paul Sletten

Transitions are like marriages. They’re difficult, stressful, and shouldn't be rushed. But they're worthwhile when you find your ideal partner! And there are steps and processes you can take to ensure you find the right partner for your practice. To help you with that process, Kirk Behrendt brings back Paul Sletten from The Sletten Group to share expert planning advice for smooth transitions. Remember to be patient — the right candidate is out there! For more of Paul’s advice and to learn how he can help you transition, listen to Episode 369 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Have two transition plans: an ideal plan and a crisis plan.

Appraise your practice’s capacity to add another dentist.

Know the attributes of your ideal candidate.

Identifying an ideal candidate is a team-based process.

Choose someone who is coachable.

Take time to get to know the person you’re interviewing.

Be patient. The right candidate is out there.

Quotes:

“What I've noticed is that some people [add associates or dentists] very haphazardly like it’s going to be easy. And it isn't. It’s far more complex than it would seem at first blush. People do add dentists and get lucky. They found the right one and it ends up working. But I'd like to bring them today a model for how to do that and the steps involved and the importance of the steps.” (3:01—3:49)

“I think you can add a dentist when your practice is robust, when it’s growing, when it’s healthy, when it’s trending in a positive direction and, in a general practice, when you have enough active patients to be able to handle another dentist. So, one of the first steps in the transition process is to appraise your practice’s capacity to add another dentist.” (4:12—4:41)

“If [your practice] is large enough, or if you're cutting your role back to allow patients to move over to the incoming doctor, that certainly can work. If somebody has 900 active patients, they're not ready to add another dentist. If somebody has 2,000, they may be ready or they may not be ready. But it’s important to appraise that and to talk about that.” (4:50—5:23)

“I think when you're considering adding another dentist, you want to add somebody who can make you better, who can make the practice better, more accessible to patients, and someone that fits with the culture of the practice. So, you need to really look for talent. If you have an exceptional practice, you have got to find an exceptional young dentist.” (8:51—9:18)

“This is really a team-based process. When we’re working with a client, we involve the team in the process of identifying what an ideal candidate profile would look like. So, when you're going out to recruit or to find somebody to bring into your practice, you have to make some determinations as to who would fit in your practice and who wouldn't.” (9:55—10:21)

“Clinical skills are extremely important, of course. But it’s really a list of intangibles. It’s a list of core values that need to be in link with the core values of the practice. You need to talk about work ethic. You need to talk about what does this person, without learning anything about the opportunity, at first, but just being interviewed and screened, what are they looking to do, ideally, with their future? What are they looking for? What have they been exposed to?” (10:52—11:30)

“Coachable means, are you hungry to learn? Are you, on a daily basis, looking for new skills and new services you can bring to that patient? Are you looking to grow and develop yourself? Because if somebody’s going to be exceptional, they're going to have to do an awful lot of work on themselves in terms of their own personal growth and development.” (12:25—12:51)

“We don't want to tell [candidates]...