Onboard New Dental Employees Like a Badass Boss 😎 Six Tips for Success

Onboard New Dental Employees

Prep Your Peeps

Before your new hire’s start date, make sure existing staff members are prepped, ready, and will have the time they’ll need for their roles in onboarding and training. The right advanced preparations can go a long way toward making sure your new hire’s first few days are productive for them, and not disruptive to everyone else.

Assign various parts of the onboarding process to different people, if possible, so that no one team member is overburdened. Outside of direct training, onboarding tasks may include creating a work email address, social media announcements about the new hire, preparing forms, and setting aside a personal space for them to have as a basecamp.

Follow a Checklist

Here’s an easy one to get you started!

• Papers 

First things first — before you onboard new dental employees — have your new person fill out tax forms to avoid payroll delays.

• Getting Acquainted Period & Tour

Show your new people the parts of the office that concern them the most. Familiarity will help them to be more comfortable and confident once they’re off and running.

• Timesheets & Pay

Discuss the frequency of paychecks, offer them direct deposit forms, and review any time tracking systems. Make sure they clock in for their first day! Walk them through it. Many folks will settle in faster once they know that their time is being valued right away.

• Insurance and Benefits

Give them the run-down on vacation days, sick days, insurance options, and workplace policies.

• Team Welcomes the New Hire

Make your new dental or medical assistant feel more welcome by asking your entire team to find your new employee on their first day and introduce themselves!Instead of doing a general introduction with everyone at once, take the time to introduce them to each member of staff individually.

Expectations for Onboarding New Dental Employees

Set expectations early by providing them with the training and information they need to be successful in your practice. Let your new person know what you expect from them, like how many patients you want them to treat, the quality of service they should provide, or the way they should talk to patients.

After setting your expectations, give them the opportunity to let you know what they expect from you. This allows both parties to get everything out on the table and focus on getting the job done!

Give Them A Partner

Your people aren’t gonna use the training manual to find the best parking spots, good local lunch spots, or what’s available to anyone in the staff kitchen.

Partners, or mentors, are a great way to communicate that kind of information while giving your new assistant someone to turn to with questions they might not want to bother you with. They also get an instant friend while they settle in and find their place around the office.

Probationary Period

Establish a probationary period to gauge how well your new dental assistant meets expectations. Tell your person when their probationary period will be over and what they can do to meet your expectations for the role once they’re past the initial training period.

A thoughtful, successful onboarding routine with clear expectations is an important part of running a functional office. Once your onboarding process is firmly established, explain it to your staff and ask for their input.

Avoid Onboarding New Dental Employees Can Have Long-term Downsides

Taking the time to properly onboard and train new people can make a world of difference between a powerful, productive dental team that makes you money — or a clunky, uncoordinated dental team.

After your first couple of onboardings, the process will become second nature to you and you’ll be able to do it with minimal time and effort.

Hey, are you looking for a way to automate your compliance and training programs for onboarding new dental employees? Done Desk is an active approach that powers hundreds of clinics to keep everyone trained and in compliance; and our parent company, Practice Secure, is the strategic healthcare partner you need. We saw an opportunity to provide a service for doctors and medical providers that’s more active than what you’re receiving from trade associations.