https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svdwh5G5MNk

Kevin Henry and His Role as a Dental Assistant Supporter

Carrie Weber:

Welcome back to the Jameson Files. I'm so glad to have all of you with me. Thank you for being a part of our Jameson Files community and staying connected and engaged and looking to improve your professional lives every single day. We're so glad you're here and you're in for a big treat today because my guest is none other than Kevin Henry. Kevin is a good friend. 

I was saying when I was speaking with Dana, your better half, in her interview on the Jameson files that I've known her for several years, but you and me go way back into the depths of time. I think I've known you as long as I've been in the industry. That's been 24 years. Am I right?

Kevin Henry:

You're right, because I've been in it 25. So we kind of came in together, which is a really cool thing. I love that.

Carrie Weber:

It's really cool. And so for those of you that might not know Kevin, he has an amazing history in dentistry. Kevin is the former editorial director of Dental Products Report, and the former managing editor of Dental Economics, and currently is still tapping into his incredible gift in journalism for dentistry as the editor in chief of DrBicuspid.com. In addition to that, Kevin has really blazed the trail and his passion for supporting the dental assistants in our profession and has an amazing podcast, Dental Assistant Nation, that I encourage all of you to go check out and follow and subscribe to. 

But Kevin, you've not only been stepping out to support assistants, but you really have become a prominent figure in the speaking arena for dentistry. Our paths cross frequently on the lecture circuit. And so continue to be so happy and proud of the things that you're bringing to our profession. And I'm so grateful you're with me today, so thank you.

Kevin Henry:

I'm glad to be here. And I'm always glad when our paths cross out there no matter where that may be, even if it's online like this. So I think it's great.

Carrie Weber:

Thank goodness for technology, right?

Kevin Henry:

Amen to that.

Recognizing a Need for Support for Dental Assistants

Carrie Weber:

Today, I think, our conversation is probably going to veer in a lot of directions. We tend to do that when we're having conversations, but our primary focus is going to be maximizing the talents of dental assistants in our practices. I know that's where your heart really lies in our profession. 

I'd love to start with how that came to pass for you– 25 years in dentistry, 25 years on editorial teams of our most premier publications in media in dentistry. I'm sure you've been exposed to a great deal of insights and information. What landed you in this place of wanting to support dental assistants the way you do?

Kevin Henry:

I'll be perfectly honest. I fell into it. Back when I was managing editor for Dental Economics– I have such fond memories of working with John and Kathy during that time whenever they were right for dental economics, getting to know them, going down to the ranch, all that good stuff. It was about six years into my journalism there at Dental Economics that I realized we had Dental Economics Magazine, and we had RDH magazine, but we didn't have anything for dental assistants. And so I started a publication, it was all online. It was called Dental Assisting Digest, and it eventually turned into a weekly newsletter that we sent out to our dental assistants. I felt like that there wasn't really anything out there that was letting them know every day, or at least weekly, as much as possible, how important they were, how much that they're valued.

I got very lucky. You and I were talking before we went on the air about the Oregon meeting, and the Oregon Dental Association reached out to me in 2005 and said, “Hey, we need a dental assisting speaker. Could you put something together?” And I was like, “Yeah, that would be fantastic.” So it's been about 20 years of speaking to the assistants, and I love whenever I can do something online to remind them, but whenever I can get in a room, as you well know as a speaker, when you can really see it in their eyes that they get the message, that just makes a world of difference.

Carrie Weber:

Wow. You know, Kevin, I don't know if you remember this, but the reason our podcast is called The Jameson Files is that it’s named after my dad's old dental economics column, The Jameson Files. Do you remember that?

Kevin Henry:

I absolutely do. And I'll tell you, seriously, I came from sports, public relations into dentistry and I knew nothing about this, but John and Kathy were two of the first people to put their arm around me and say, “You know what? Let me teach you. Let me show you some things. Let me introduce you to some folks.” And so I will always be grateful to them for that. Your family has blazed such a trail, and Jameson Files held a special place in my heart too, for sure.

Carrie Weber:

I love that. And seeing the need among assistants, I think that is just such a tremendous gift that you've given because I agree. There's so much untapped potential and opportunity not only in the professional development of our clinical assistants but in them embracing another level in their roles in the practice and the power that they have in the health of the practice and in the relationships with the patients. 

Areas of Opportunity to Maximize Team Members

So with 20 years of speaking and really connecting to these assistants, I'm sure you have learned a lot along the way and have really honed in on some specific areas of opportunity to maximize these team members. Can you share a few of those insights that you've gained over the years?

Realizing your Value as a Team Member

Kevin Henry:

Yeah. It's funny, but the insights that I learned back in 2005 and early on, they're the same now, but they're so much more critical now that we have the staffing shortage, and then we have to make sure our teams stay together. And I think you hit something on the head when you were talking just a moment ago, they have to realize themselves how important they are. I have met countless assistants, and I'm sure you have as well with all that you do, that they introduce themselves as just an assistant. Or they see themselves as this person that doesn't matter in the practice. And let's be perfectly honest here, we're in a safe space here, The Jameson Files, right? They know they're the lowest paid person on the team. They know that, everybody knows that. And so we have to make sure that that elephant that's in the room kind of comes out. 

You know, what? Money's one thing, but the empowerment and getting them to really buy into the fact that they have this relationship with the patients, that they have this trust that they build with the patients, that the patients almost see them as an equal. And, I will tell you, if you can have your assistants understand the value that they bring to each and every appointment when that patient's in the chair, it's a game changer for them and for the practice as well.

Carrie Weber:

And would you agree, Kevin, that so much of that is the culture of the practice itself–what the leaders of the practice are doing to instill that sense of value into those assistants? There's so much trust that the patients have from long-term team members, so much trust that those patients are looking to those assistants to determine if they're making the right decision or if it's a decision that they even need to make. So I'm curious, in your presentations when you're speaking to assistants, what are the biggest pieces that you're encouraging them to do to level up their skills or lean in more to accomplish in their roles?

Taking an Active Role in your Career

Kevin Henry:

The biggest thing that I always tell them is to not be passive. They have to actually take control of their own career. And for a lot of dentists who may be listening to this, I know that that may sound a little scary, but what I'm asking them to do, and what I'm kind of pushing them to do is not sit back and wait on the dentist to say, you know what? I would love it if you did this. I want them to research their state laws. I want them to know what every dental assistant can do in every state, and then come to the dentist with a business plan and saying, if I'm able to be trained on this, and if we incorporate this into the practice, here's the bottom line impact. And here's what it can do for us. I think whenever they come up with a business plan on their own, they come up with a plan for their future on their own, they own it much more than somebody else saying, here's what I want you to do.

Investing in Team Members

Now they're saying, here's what I want to do. And so I think as a dentist, if you're listening to this, I hope that you'll encourage your assistants to come up with that map. Where do they want to be a year from now? And what's it going to take to get there? What do you need to invest in their learning, in their empowerment, whatever it is? What kind of resources do you need to put toward that? Because again, safe space here, these dental assistants, I hear constantly that they all want money. They want more money, they need raises. I will tell you, the vast majority of assistants that I talk to, it is not about the money. It is about going somewhere where they feel valued. And they feel like they're actually a part of the team. And if you can instill that in them, that's worth more to them than an x amount of dollars more per hour anytime.

Carrie Weber:

Yes. There was a study that the ADA Health Policy Institute did about the top reasons hygienists have left a dental practice. What are the top reasons hygienists are leaving? And it also gave a nod to responses that assistants gave of why they left.