Proverbs for the Aspiring Dentist

Who would've thought that going from stay-at-home wife to 40 hours a week at the school would leave me with so little time?! I'm not complaining--because I'm definitely loving my job--I just feel so bad that I have been barely getting in one blog post a week!

Snapped this on my phone today. You can see the lovely Dental supplies in the background.

Like I said, I am absolutely loving my job! My supervisor and I get along really well and she's incredibly knowledgeable about Dental materials so I have been learning a lot from her. I am also really beginning to see why Dental School is so expensive. The sheer volume of materials required is astronomical and those supplies carry a hefty price tag.

My main tasks throughout the day include checking out instruments to the students, stocking treatment rooms, and sterilizing small things like x-ray rinns (the instruments get sent down to the sterilization department). As I mentioned in my first post about my job, I love working with the Dental Students. I'm starting to learn a lot of their names and they always wave at me when I see them around campus.

In getting to know them a little better, however, I'm realizing that Dental School can only prepare the students so much for being Dentists. Having the head knowledge of how to do dental procedures is only half the battle. If they don't learn how to interact with and care for people--whether that's their patients, their peers, or their future staff--they will struggle as a Dentist. There are a few students who come off as demanding and unappreciative and I can almost guarantee that they will have a high turnover rate of staff in their office someday if they don't change their behavior soon.

I am constantly telling Robbie how important it will be for him to show appreciation to his employees down the road. My childhood Dentist has had the same assistant and hygienist in his practice for over 20 years while another Dentist I know can barely get an assistant to stick around for 2 years! I doubt there is much difference in pay/benefits between the two; however, my childhood Dentist is pleasant to be around and makes a clear effort to take care of his staff while the other Dentist is often cranky and fault-finding. Some of the benefits of having staff long-term include that you aren't wasting time/money constantly training new employees, your staff will get to know your patients and build rapport with them, and your staff will be more likely to grow together into a smoothly functioning team (making your office more efficient and harmonious).

One of the best resources for knowing how to interact with others in a wise and life giving way is the book of Proverbs. It has recommendations on all kinds of situations that could come up in a Dental practice. Here are just a few examples:

1) How should I respond when a patient loses their cool and starts cussing out my staff?

A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger. -Prov. 15:1

 2) Is it okay for me to recommend a more expensive procedure to my patient so I can make a little more money, even though the less expensive option would work just as well for them?

Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it. -Prov. 13:11

The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death. -Prov. 21:6

3) I have a patient here in horrible pain and desperate need of treatment but he has no way to pay me right now.

He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered. -Prov. 21:13

4) My wife feels I'm working too many hours. She says when I come home, I don't have enough energy to play with the kids. Working this many hours has enabled me to bring a lot of revenue into my practice though!

Don't wear yourself out to get rich; stop giving your attention to it. -Prov. 23:4

5) I really need to add another Dental Assistant to my staff because my office is growing, but the people who have applied don't seem like that great of a fit for the position. Still, isn't hiring someone better than not having anyone for the job?

The one who hires a fool or who hires those passing by is like an archer who wounds everyone. -Prov. 26:10

6) I overheard some of my staff gossiping about another Dentist. The conversation sounded really interesting and I want to join in to hear more details. As long as the Dentist doesn't know we're talking about her, what could it hurt?

A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much. -Prov. 20:19

A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends. -Prov. 16:28

7) My office manager just told me about a way we could bill the insurance to get more money by using a slightly different procedure code. We would be fudging the rules a little bit since it's not the exact procedure I did, but we would get payed more in the end.

Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. -Prov. 20:17

Better a poor man who lives with integrity than a rich man who distorts right and wrong. -Prov. 28:6