Running a dental practice – how to combat stress

Rodericks explains how it can help you to reduce the stresses involved with running a dental practice.

Stress, it rarely appears overnight, yet most of us are so used to being stressed we often do not notice to what level until we reach breaking point.

Whether we are engrossed in trying to ensure our NHS contract targets are met, or that compliance is adhered to the standard expected, a lot of what causes stress at work is often out of our control. From staff sickness, patient cancellations to broken equipment, it is hard to monitor individual matters when so many aspects of a dental practice require attention.

Running a practice is what many dentists dream of. However, in reality, the responsibility means many favour the reliable income and work/life balance an associate position entails.

The stresses involved in running a dental practice are frequently overlooked by its staff or patients. What they see as a secure job or a service they expect can pass tremendous strain onto the person(s) responsible for delivering this. The stress of running a practice can often be reduced by ensuring you have a reliable and experienced practice manager. A great practice manager will take care of costings, staffing, HR issues, patient complaints, broken machinery, stock ordering, and contract delivery.

However, need we not forget that practice owners are responsible for the core running of the business, and need to ensure enough money is generated to pay all overheads before they can draw a salary for themselves. This pressure, to deliver month by month, can be relished by some, and hated by others, and can be a contributing factor to why some seek to sell their dental practice.

How can you combat stress?

Experts tell us that the best way to combat stress is to remove yourself from the situation, but what if that is not possible? Being realistic about your abilities and managing your time will be your first focus. Reaching out for help or stepping back and understanding what priorities require your attention over others can help to refocus the mind on what is required to run a successful business.

Handling stress on your own is never healthy and you may be surprised where help can come from. Have you thought of asking members of your staff if they would like to increase their job responsibilities? This can help you to remove some of the mundane administration tasks you complete. Have you thought of changing your contractors, ensuring you are surrounded by more reliable companies that provide the practice with day-to-day services? How about looking at the productivity of your associates and distributing the practice’s UDA target more evenly?

In light of all of the above, if running a dental practice has become too much of a burden, and you desire to either return back to dentistry or remove yourself from it altogether, selling to a group like Rodericks Dental, whose ethos for patient care is at the heart of everything it does, could be the answer. With a support centre, training department and dedicated operations team, Rodericks is here to support the practice in all aspects of today’s dentistry.


For more information, please visit www.sellyourdentalpractice.net.

Please contact Rebecca Bird at [email protected] or on 01604 602491 (option 5).

#wearerodericks

 

Favorite
Get the most out of your membership by subscribing to Dentistry CPD
  • Access 600+ hours of verified CPD courses
  • Includes all GDC recommended topics
  • Powerful CPD tracking tools included
Register for webinar
Share
Add to calendar