In the dental industry, time is money. And the hiring process takes up a lot of time, especially during staff shortages. This can negatively impact patient care and practice revenue.
Dental staffing agencies provide a valuable service in these times of need, connecting dentists with temporary hygienists, assistants, and administrative staffers. But how do they do this?
Access to a Large Pool of Qualified Candidates
When a practice is short-handed, it can cause patient anxiety and lead to lost productivity and revenue. This is why it’s so important to have a staffing plan that enables you to meet demand and provide patients with the care they deserve.
Professional dental staffing agencies can help you promptly find qualified candidates for your open positions. They can assist with screening applicants, preparing interview protocols, and conducting background checks. They can even create job descriptions and administer skills tests.
In addition, an excellent dental staffing agency will visit your office in person to understand the unique needs of your team and culture. This allows them to better match temp workers to your open roles and ensure both parties are happy with the arrangement.
Dental practices must carefully screen temp workers to ensure they are safe, competent, and capable of handling the job demands. This can be a time-consuming process. Staffing agencies can save you a lot of time by screening candidates, checking their professional licenses, and running background checks. They can also conduct interviews and administer skills tests to ensure they have the experience to succeed in your dental office. This frees you up to focus on other tasks and increases the efficiency of your practice.
Saves Time
Creating a dental staffing plan is essential to the success of your practice. Not only will it help to ensure you are adequately staffed to meet patient demand, but it will also allow you to expand your scope of services, improve employee satisfaction and increase revenue.
Inadequate staffing can lead to problems for your business, including inefficiency, lack of productivity, and a dip in revenue. This is why it is essential to take the time needed to interview candidates thoroughly and only onboard a dental professional that will be a good fit for your office.
If you are using a temp agency, it’s worth noting that the temps they send out will have been carefully screened to ensure they meet your practice’s standards. This can save you much time otherwise spent interviewing and training temporary workers.
While there are some benefits to working with a dental temp agency, it is essential to note that agencies frequently charge markups on their hourly rates. Additionally, many agencies require contracts and W2 classification and charge permanent placement fees for their workers. This can be a turn-off for some dental professionals. However, dental-specific staffing platforms now provide hygienists with control of their hourly rate and do not require any contracts or permanent placement fees.
Saves Money
There is no doubt that hiring new team members can be costly for a dental practice. The costs of advertising, interviewing, and training new employees can be significant. But, there are several ways that a dental practice can save money during the hiring process.
One way to save money is to use a dental staffing agency. Staffing agencies can provide a more cost-effective option than traditional recruiting methods, as they will handle all the work involved in finding and screening candidates. In addition, they can also offer a range of benefits that may not be available to traditional recruits, such as a flexible working environment and access to professional development opportunities.
Another way to save money is to hire remote workers. A dental practice can save on office space, equipment, and other overhead expenses costs by employing remote workers. In addition, studies have shown that remote workers are more productive than their office-based counterparts.
However, it is essential to note that it is crucial for a dental practice to select its temp agencies carefully. Many dental offices have experienced problems with basement temp agencies charging exorbitant hourly rates. These fees are not only expensive for a dental practice, but they can also create downstream problems with employee happiness and morale.
Flexibility
When dental offices face staffing shortages, they must devote considerable time to finding and hiring workers. This takes away from critical day-to-day tasks and negatively impacts the practice’s ability to serve patients and generate revenue.
Dental temp agencies can help to mitigate these problems by providing temporary workers to fill critical roles. The agency is responsible for vetting the worker’s qualifications, and the office can book them for a few hours, days, or even weeks at a time to help with various duties such as restocking supplies, cleaning and sterilization equipment, assisting dentists during procedures, and completing healthcare support tasks.
Ultimately, flexibility is the best part of using a temp agency to meet staffing needs. Life events and other factors often cause employees to leave their jobs and rely on staffing agencies for work. The reassurance that comes with knowing that there are temporary workers on call to fill gaps in the workforce can alleviate stress and anxiety for patients and other employees, making workplaces more enjoyable and productive.
