Jumping ship

I'm noticing an irritating trend - people joining dental practices and leaving again soon after.

When I say people, what I mean is front of house, nursing, managers, TCOs, hygienists, therapists and associates. a.k.a. every category of team member.

Those who exit after a short time do seem to have one thing in common - a tendency justify their decision by submitting lists of all the things that are wrong with the practice or the practice owner.

I've had to reassure bewildered owners that these accusatory emails are frequently as accurate as Trump's claims of election fraud (and for the same reason - an inability to accept their own reality - a need to make others responsible for their own shortcomings).

I don't claim to have an explanation for this phenomenon. It may be that those who are entering dentistry for the first time underestimate the demands that are going to be expected of them.

When discussing clinicians, however, I'm at a loss to understand why, for example, an associate would go through an extended interview process (including work experience) and then exit, stage left, within days of starting?

There's an untold story there, for sure and "it's the right decision for me" is most likely a smoke screen for deeper issues.

One thing is for sure - those employing and hiring have to do more due diligence in the recruitment phase to avoid a huge waste of time and effort.