States and local officials are slowly lifting shelter-in-place orders, allowing dental offices to open their practice doors. This is the moment that team members and dentists alike have been anticipating for weeks. As you already can imagine, life after COVID-19, including how you carry out your duties at work, will not be the same as before. Our dental trainers at Bryant Consultants want to share the top five team member tips for returning to work post-pandemic. Today’s blog will be a valuable resource for dental hygienists, assistants, and front office managers as you prepare to get back to work.
Keep a Positive Attitude
Think of this opportunity as a fresh start. Put all office gossip behind you and maintain your focus on growing together through this pandemic. This means keeping a positive attitude. Be patient with each other because navigating the dental practice post-pandemic is new for everyone – you, your colleagues, the dentist, and even the patients. So, remember to stay positive, and it will rub off on everyone else in the office. Ways to help center your mindset are to take time each day to exercise, eat nutritious food, and surround yourself with positive reminders of what is going right in life. Instead of being consumed with the news, spend time with family, read a good book, relax, or focus on your spiritual growth.
Get Educated About PPE
Let’s get real for a second, there is a lot of misinformation on the Internet, especially on social media. Be sure to read factual information, backed by science, to educate yourself about PPE – what you need, and how to use it correctly to keep yourself and patients safe. Don’t believe Facebook. Believe science. Do your research! If you do have a concern about PPE, Bryant Consultants recommends that you discuss this directly with your owner-dentist, instead of talking behind their backs to your co-workers. Understand that your owners want to get back to work too, and they have probably done more research than anyone.
Get To Work Early
This is a new routine, and it will require extra time to prepare for your patients. It may require that you develop a new routine or process for how you and your team will work together to prepare and clean operatories. Rushing into work late will leave you unprepared and could cause you to make mistakes that jeopardize the health of you, your team, or the patients.
Pack A Bag
You are exposed to various types of bodily fluids each day at work. Keep your family safe by bringing a bag packed with a change of clothes and shoes. Hopefully, your practice has the capability to launder your uniforms for you so that you never have to even put them in your vehicle or wash them at home. But, if you have to wash your own uniforms, bring a disposable bag with you to store your scrubs in until you arrive home. Dump your clothes directly into the washing machine as soon as you walk into the house, and throw the bag in the trash. Wash your hands immediately afterward. Leave shoes at work or in the trunk of your car if necessary. Avoid wearing your work shoes at home or around your house.
Participate
Heads up! There will be lots of changes at work. Keep in mind that these changes are to protect you, the team, and the patients. You may not like all the new guidelines and processes. However, it’s new for everyone. Participate and comply! Before you know it, these new guidelines will feel normal. Be open to sharing your ideas with the dentist if you believe they could help improve processes. But, don’t take it personally if your ideas are not implemented. Remember, this is new territory for everyone, and the doctor will ultimately decide what is best for the team, which includes you!
Bryant Consultants has been providing training and consulting services to dental practices for more than a decade. Our goal is to help practices reach their full potential and thrive past the pandemic. If you would like to learn more, please call (877) 768-4799 for a complimentary one-hour consultation. Are you on social media? We are too! Please connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.
