10 Things To Consider Before You Say “Yes” To Your Next Clinical Position (Part 1)

Part 1 of 2

Seasons of change are all around. Flowers are blooming, trees are full and green, and newly minted dental hygienists are joining the workforce. While there is beauty in all this change, it can bring uncertainty, especially when stepping into a dental clinic and beginning the journey of employment.

Questions about where one should work or how to know if it’s the right office sprout in almost every new graduate’s brain (and even the seasoned hygienist’s). What can be more daunting is understanding what kinds of questions are asked in an interview or which ones the candidate should ask.

For you to make an informed decision, I’ve put together a two-part series covering what I think are the top 10 considerations to evaluate before you say “yes” to that job offer. Here are the first 5 to help you get started with the process. 

1. Compensation

Compensation for the work you perform comes in a variety of methods. The most obvious is your pay.  One of the first questions I ask is whether the position is an hourly rate or a set monthly salary and if there is commission pay.  And we can expand further into what is considered commission pay and what services are a part of this package. Understanding how often you are paid and which day is payday is important too. I have to say the topic of pay structure and how it’s evaluated can be very stressful. It can be its own stand-alone article.

Benefits

Other aspects of compensation must be considered as well. Things like personal time off (PTO), health benefits, retirement, stipends for continuing education, uniforms, and association membership.

PTO is something I consider a high-value item. Having paid time off is genuinely beneficial. Knowing I have sick leave or some vacation hours I can take reduces some stress from missing a day of work. Plus, having paid holidays is a gift I’ll take!

While adding these additional benefits may impact the dollar amount of your regular paycheck, they are valuable aspects to consider.

Where to Find Compensation in Your Area

I encourage you to understand what compensation looks like in the geographical area you plan to work in. Talk with some clinicians in the local hygiene groups (this is a great way to find a mentor). Also, grab a copy of the DentalPost’s 2023 Dental Salary Report. This survey evaluates clinicians nationwide and provides great insights into what compensation looks like in your state.

For more information:
4 Tips to Discuss Salary During a Dental Job Interview

How to Leverage Salary Data to Get a Higher Starting Dental Salary

2. Infection Control / OSHA

Touring the entire facility is a great way to get a feel for an office. One place to take a detailed look is the sterilization room. Can you easily see the difference between the clean and dirty sides? While there is so much more to a properly functioning sterilization room, looking to see if the room is well organized and clearly marked allows for an excellent first impression. Additionally, I encourage you to learn about room turnover, instrument processing, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

It doesn’t hurt to ask if there is an infection control coordinator at the office. If not, perhaps that’s a task you can take on. Also, the office you plan on working with may ask when you last participated in a blood-borne pathogen and/or an infection control course and ask to have the completion document on file. If not, you can also ask if this information is completed together as a team.

3. Onboarding

Onboarding is a crucial and often missed opportunity in many dental practice settings. This step allows the new employee time to “onboard” or understand the standard operating procedures of the office. Even if you are proficient in the type of charting software the office uses, they may use it differently than you are used to. Other operating procedures to review are patient transition, instrument processing, and medical emergency protocols just to name a few.

Using onboarding activities helps you and the office successfully start your employment. Each office may have a different way of implementing this. You might come in for a few days to learn the systems and help with patient care before going 100% solo. Others might spend an hour with you before your first patient and slowly integrate training into your first month of employment.

Either way, you and the office must understand what onboarding looks like. This sets everyone up for success and to meet understood expectations.

4. Employee Supervisor and Reviews

Speaking of expectations, knowing who your supervisor is will be critical to your success. Of course, the dream is that you will never have any problems that need to be addressed. But we are all people working with people, which means we are flawed and have imperfect moments. So if you have an issue, who do you talk to? Is it the office manager, doctor, or practice owner? Understanding the chain of communication aids in your ability to handle challenging moments. 

Along those same lines knowing how often employee reviews are conducted is extremely important. It’s not unheard of for an office to conduct a 90-day evaluation and then transition to annual or bi-annual reviews.

Before you say “yes” to that next job, you might ask how often employee reviews are conducted and who you would talk to regarding any concerns or issues you experience.

5. Instruments, Equipment, and Technology

If I have the opportunity, learning what kinds of instruments and equipment the office has available for dental hygiene therapies would help me. Additionally, I like to know if there is an ultrasonic device available, and if so, what kind and what kind of tips or inserts are used? Same with lasers, if they are used, what kind is used, and how often is it currently implemented with dental hygiene care? What about intra-oral cameras or scanners? Find out if these are used regularly in the dental hygiene department. This is also a great time to share any additional certifications you have.

If you genuinely enjoy using technology to enhance your patient care, but the office hasn’t been set up for this type of practice, you must evaluate if you will thrive in that environment. The same is true in the opposite direction. So if the office has implemented technology and you don’t want to go down that road, you may not be the best fit.

Preparing to Take a New Clinical Position

As you experience this season of change, reviewing these first five items are an excellent place to begin when looking at how you and the prospective office will match together. I encourage you to ask yourself what type of practice you want to work in. Then go to your interview prepared to ask and answer what kind of compensation you are looking for. After that, evaluate if the office has employee safety protocols in place. Learn what type of onboarding procedures, if any, they have and how employee reviews are conducted. Finally, start looking into the instruments and technologies available to provide quality patient care successfully.

Read part 2 here!