PSILENT PRODUCTIONS
Dr. Greg Psaltis
5925 Sleepy Hollow Lane N.E.
Olympia, WA 98516
Phone and FAX: (360) 413-5760
Website: www.psaltis.info
E-mail: drpsaltis@orcalink.com
Live Your Dreams
(Cures for common practice headaches)
I. Introduction
A. What are your dreams?
B. What qualifies this speaker?
1. I am
in private practice-- I do what you do
2. Each concept discussed is
something I actually do
3. My partnership has created a
dream schedule for me
4. A five month sabbatical in
Salzburg, Austria was the culmination of my
biggest dream
5. I have identified
and can provide solution for the four areas that I
feel
keep our work from being enjoyable, based on my own experience as
a
practicing pediatric dentist
We will discuss:
1. Parents (or: Allies, not the Enemy)
2. Demands, conflicts and special requests of employees (or: How
to
stop being the Sheriff, the Judge and the
Jury)
3. Having to handle "everything" at the office (or: Tapping into
the
most vital resource you have)
4. Money matters (or: Do you go to work to serve your debt or to
serve your patients?)
We will then discuss realizing some Dreams
II. Parents (or: Allies, not the Enemy)
A. Prepare them and set guidelines-- teach them
positive behavior
1. Prepare them for
their
children's visits
a.
Explain your philosophy and style of empowering their children
b.
Outline the procedures that are to be done
2. Be clear about
upcoming appointment for the child
a.
Be optimistic, but realistic
b.
Acknowledge potential areas of difficulty
c.
Discuss strategies
d.
Make agreements regarding their role
3. Set clear guidelines
around operative appointments
a.
Be a silent observer only
b.
Do not over prepare the child
c.
Support our terminology
d.
Leave operatory when asked (must be agreed upon in advance)
B. Parents in operatory
1. Advantages
a.
Never really know exactly what they want-- I am not a psychic
b.
They will be astonished and appreciative of what you do
c.
No more guessing about "how hard to push" ("stop" buttons)
2. "Difficult" parents
a.
Prepare them in advance
b. Tell them directly if they are
not helping
c.
Make clear boundaries about leaving the room if child is acting
out
d.
Be OK with asking them to leave your practice
3. Feedback from parents
a.
Listen to understand what the issue actually is
b.
Act
on only things that you can change
c.
Don't expect an immediate response or change from parent
C. Model appropriate behavior at all times--
"do as I do"
III. Staff demands, conflict and special requests (or: stop
being the Sheriff, the Judge and the Jury)
A. Three scenerios
1. Kathy wants to come
in
15 minutes late each day
2. Jane thinks Holly
isn’t doing her job
3. Trish wants to miss
the office retreat because of daycare problems
B. Conditions of Employment
(Conditions
of Employment may be purchased from Dr. Psaltis by writing him)
1. Regular work
schedule
a.
Definition of workday and workweek
b.
Required
programs, such as meetings
c. Check
with attorney for legalities
2. Personal
appearance
a. This
may
include requirement for uniforms
b. Hair
length, nail polish, etc.
3. Probationary
period
4. Regular
period of employment
a.
Define at what point and how this becomes the case
b. What benefits only begin with this employment status
5. Wages
a.
Hourly or salary
b.
Define bonuses
i. Payment dates
ii. How one qualifies
6. Holidays-
list which ones your office observes
7. Vacation
benefit
a.
Can it be accrued or not
b.
How much time in service earns vacation time
8. Medical
insurance benefit (if applicable)
9. Definitions
of full-time, part-time and temporary employees
10. Leaves of absence
a. Very
important to spell out how long you hold positions open
b.
Consult with an attorney regarding legal obligations
11. Continuing
education benefit
a.
Define which expenses the practice covers
i. Tuition
ii. Housing
iii. Food (specify amounts)
b.
Required
course versus employee-selected courses
12. Retirement plan
(if applicable)
13. Infection control
training
14. Termination of
Employment
a.
Define what constitutes "automatic" termination
b.
Include an "all-inclusive" statement
C. Commitment to positive behavior
1. Guidelines for
positive behavior
2. Specific steps for
resolving conflict
a.
Confront other person directly
b. If
unresolved, ask for a mediator
c. If
still unresolved, bring to Team
d.
Finally, doctor becomes involved
D. Let's return to the three scenerios
IV. Having to handle "everything" at the office
(or:
Tapping into the most vital resource you have)
A. Team building
1. Is this merely a
popular buzz-word?
2. Long-term commitment
B. Mechanics
1. Meetings
a. Daily
huddles-- morning and noon
b.
Monthly half days meetings
i. Scheduling
ii. Preparing parents
iii. Office philosophy and values
c. Annual
two-day retreats
i. Away from practice's locale
ii. Builds Team morale
iii. Discuss future focus
iv. Long-term planning
2. Use of facilitator
a. Takes
doctor out of role
b. Can
see everything more objectively
3. Benefits
a.
Ownership
of actions
i. Hiring committee
ii. Scheduling committee
iii. Office standards committee
b.
Freedom for doctor of all responsibilities
i. Provides continuity in doctor's absence
ii. Allows doctor to concentrate on the most critical things
iii. Takes doctor out of janitor, personnel manager and
other roles
c. In my
practice
i. It has enabled our partnership time-sharing to function
ii. It allowed my sabbatical to happen without a glitch
iii. Substitute doctors can come in and step right into a
role
C. Power
1. The traditional pyramid
of power
2. The flattened power
structure
a. This
doesn't mean the doctor has no power
b. This
does
mean the Team has a say
c. With
"say," comes responsibility
d. With
responsibility comes innovation
V. Money (or: are you at work to be in service to your
patients
or to your debt?)
A. The role of debt in our lives
1. Undue pressure to produce
2. Stretches career beyond
reasonable time frame
3. Creates fear when "the
times" slow down
B. Catching up to the power curve
1. Spending is addictive
2. Are you just trying to
keep up with the Joneses?
C. How do you feel about retirement and college
funds for your children?
1. How time works for you
2. How time works against
you
VI. Realizing Dreams
A. Recognizing what you want
1. Must make your own
personal list
2. Make list with your
spouse/family
B. Determine what are the resistors to
achieving your dreams
1. Is it time?
2. Is it money?
C. Act on whatever is needed to get to your
goals
D. Solicit the help of others around you
1. Your Team can be
incredibly helpful
2. This is not a show of
weakness
For a more expansive look at some of the details of these topics,
please check my website at www.psaltis.info for "Published
articles." On the website are the entire texts of several Dental
Economics articles that deal in greater detail with many of these
subjects, including:
"Are You Healthy Enough to Provide Health Care?"
Dental Economics, Volume 88, No.
5, May, 1998
This article deals with four areas that may
affect a dentist's ability to enjoy work.
"Rules of the Game"
Dental Economics, Volume 90, No. 8, August,
2000,
pages 110-117
The importance of a Conditions of Employment
document in a dental practice is detailed.
"The Big Picture"
Dental Economics,
Volume
91, No. 3, March, 2001, pages 80-84
A clear vision is a critical element to guide
a practice's successful path.
"Are You Treating the Tooth or the Patient?"
Dental Economics,
Volume 91, No. 9, September, 2001, pages 44-48
This article deals with how listening to one's
patients can enhance a practice.
"Big Benefits Package"
Dental Economics, Volume
91, No. 19, October, 2001, pages 50-53
In this article, the importance of an
attractive employee benefit plan is outlined.
"Mission Statement-- the Core of a Practice"
Dental Economics, Web exclusive,
December 27, 2001
The step by step procedure for developing this
critical document is explained.
"Building Your Dream Team"
Dental Economics, Volume 92, No. 5,
March, 2002, pages 112-117
Vital aspects of building a genuine dental
Team are
detailed.
"The Best Insurance Money Can't Buy"
Dental Economics, Volume 93, No.
11, November, 2003, pages 98-104
The concept of a Mutual Aid program for
protecting injured dentists is explained.
©PSILENT PRODUCTIONS, 2020
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