Short staffed? Learn to prioritise critical appointments!

Staffing shortages in a dental practice is one of the most stressful situations front desk and practice managers face.  Whether it's one day due to an illness or weeks until one or more roles are filled with new staff, it all takes a big toll on the team who remain. 

The ones who suffer the most are the team members who are expected to pick up the slack and end up doing 2 or more person's roles. 

We know what happens. The manager goes to front desk, front desk goes chairside or into steri, dental assistants go to front desk - or any combination of these.  Most of us would be agreeable to do this for a day, but for some it can go on for days and weeks.  It becomes untenable and the bad situation ends up much worse and may lead to staff dropping days or resigning.

Your team are not work-horses who must do whatever it takes to keep the business going.  That approach is no longer acceptable.

How you got into this predicament is another much larger topic for discussion. In this blog, I want to give you a strategy to minimise the fallout.

Do you know what your break-even dollar figure for the day is?

If you do, that's all you need to accomplish today. Today, we only need to do what is necessary to maintain minimum production, cause minimum stress and frustration, maintain good workflow and continue to provide good patient care and service. Follow these steps to achieve these objectives:

1. Critical, high value and long appointments are prioritised and remain in the schedule

2. Non-critical, no/low value, short appointments are postponed

3. At your morning huddle, you will discuss your plan of action for the day - who will do what, what are the priorities, what can be delayed to another time

4. Discuss how to be more efficient, how to utilise spare rooms, how to manage changeovers/steri/front desk, who has the skills to cross-over into other roles or support

5. Allow time for steri, returning calls, admin and....breaks

6. At the end of the day, debrief and applaud each other for pulling together and creating a pleasant day for everyone!

Attempting to continue on with your scheduled day could be disastrous for your team and business. Running late, feeling rushed, negative experience, lack of service or inconveniences may upset your patients as well as your team. 

Running a practice/front desk is a marathon and you need a long-term view.  In the short term, generating 70% of your usual production in good conditions while short-staffed is better than 100% in toxic conditions. 

Staff shortages are undeniably challenging, but with thoughtful planning, and a focus on appointment prioritisation, you can maintain a positive and productive environment. By taking control of the schedule now, you are creating a stronger future with a happier team.