A dentist asked an interesting question.
They noticed that working consistently with the same nurse makes them more efficient but that their practice manager prefers to rotate the nurses to maintain flexibility. They asked what my thoughts are. The dentist works in a corporate practice.
When you boil it all down, there are two types of practice and each has different needs. Therefore, the answer depends on the type of practice you work in.
Corporate practices: the dentist is an employee
In this type of practice the needs of the dentist are secondary to the needs of the organisation.
The dentist is just one of the inputs into the operation of the practice. The aim isn’t to maximise the productivity of the dentist. The aim for corporate practices is to maximise return on invested capital. The practice wants to keep every surgery working for as many hours per day as possible. Staff are rotated to boost flexibility even if it costs productivity.
Dentists who choose to work in this type of practice need to accept the fact that this is how things are. You can’t work in a corporate practice and then demand to have everything your own way.
By way of compensation corporate dentists have fewer things to worry about. They don’t have to hire or fire staff. They don’t have equipment leases, rent or bills to pay. Their lives are simpler but the trade-off is less control and reduced productivity.
Private practice: the dentist is the owner
In this type of practice the dentist can, and should, have everything their own way.
Sadly, however, I’ve seen some practice owners run their practice as if it was a corporate practice. That’s such a wasted opportunity.
The plan in a well-run private practice is to make the dentist’s life as easy, comfortable and productive as possible. Equipment, staffing and management are all secondary to the needs of the owner dentist. Optimisation of the dentist is the game. If the dentist can be made more productive by adding equipment or staff then it makes sense to do so.
This is why a fully-optimised dentist in private practice can be 3, 4 or 5 times as productive as a dentist in corporate practice. The downside is that the dentist takes on the financial and management responsibilities involved in running a practice.
Which game do you want to play?
There’s no correct answer. Depending on what you value and your life situation either form of practice could be the right choice. If you have no interest in management then “corporate” dentistry may suit you. If you want to do your own thing and are prepared to take on the responsibility then owning a private practice can be wonderful.
