While the holiday season is a time for joy and celebration, it can also bring stress and staffing challenges for dental practices. Many employees take time off to be with their families, leaving a staffing shortage. Plus, many families schedule their dental appointments over the holidays, knowing they’ll have time away from work and school. This is where temporary dental staffing solutions come to the rescue. In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of using temporary dental staffing during the holidays—including different types of temporary dental staffing—and how it can help you maintain quality patient care and satisfaction during this busy time of year.
The Importance of Dental Staffing
A fully staffed office is crucial for the smooth running of any dental practice. Whether you have a general practice or a specialized clinic, having the right amount of skilled dental professionals is essential to providing quality patient care. However, many employees may request time off to spend time with their families during the holiday season, leaving dental practices shorthanded and struggling to meet demand.
Benefits of Temporary Dental Staffing
Some of the key advantages of utilizing temporary dental staffing solutions include:
- Flexibility: Temporary dental staffing allows you to choose exactly how many employees you need and when you need them. You can post shifts that meet your practice’s unique needs during the holiday season.
- Access to Qualified Professionals: Professionals on the temporary staffing platforms are vetted and verified, ensuring they have the necessary qualifications, experiences, and skills for your office.
- Maintain Patient Care: Utilizing temporary staff can help you maintain the quality of your patient care and minimize disruptions.
- Cost-Effective: Temporary dental staff can be more cost-effective than hiring full-time employees, especially for short-term needs. You don’t need to provide benefits, which can lead to significant savings. In addition, having a full staff means no empty chairs, increasing your ROI.
- Reduced Stress: Managing a dental office can be extremely challenging during the holidays. Online dental talent marketplaces can help reduce the stress on your permanent staff and ensure everyone gets the time off they need and deserve.
Approaches to Temporary Dental Staffing
Traditional Temp Agencies
There are countless options for traditional temp agencies, from local to national options. Typically, these agencies connect professionals with dental offices but do not handle scheduling, payment, and any other issues. This means that offices have to take a more hands-on approach to filling shifts, taking time away from other important operations.
Online Talent Marketplaces
Dental skill sharing, which allows qualified dental professionals to work flexibly across practices, provides an excellent solution for staffing gaps during the holiday season. Online talent marketplaces like GoTu (formerly TempMee) specialize in connecting dental professionals with dental offices for single- or multi-day coverage related to expected or unexpected staff shortages. Quickly post shifts and review applicants on the app or the website. GoTu has more than 32,000 verified dental professionals ready to peruse open shifts.
How to Choose a Dental Staffing Marketplace
Choosing the right marketplace is essential to getting the best experience from temporary dental staff during the holidays. Here are some tips for choosing the right marketplace for your practice:
- Research and Reputation: Find a marketplace with a strong reputation in dental staffing. Read reviews, ask for recommendations, and check their reputation within your local dental community. GoTu is a respected and well-known staffing marketplace in the dental community.
- Credentials and Qualifications: Make sure the candidates from the marketplace you choose have the correct credentials, licenses, and experience. All professionals on the GoTu platform go through a rigorous verification process to ensure you get only the most qualified and experienced candidates.
- Customization: Find a marketplace that allows you to be in control. Every practice is unique, and your staffing requirements may differ from others. GoTu users can choose from half-, full-, or multi-day bookings to satisfy their staffing needs.
- Communication: Strong communication is key. The dental staffing marketplace should be responsive and willing to promptly address any questions and concerns. GoTu offers live customer support to ensure you are always in the know.
Maintaining Consistency and Quality of Care
One of the main issues for dental offices during the holidays is a potential drop in the quality of patient care due to staffing shortages. Patients rely on your practice to provide high-quality and consistent services. Temporary dental staffing can help maintain consistency, but it’s essential to take steps to ensure there are no hiccups.
- Onboarding: Having a strong onboarding process for temporary dental employees by showing them your practices, procedures, policies, and technologies can help integrate them seamlessly into your team.
- Clear Communication: Ensure that your team understands how to effectively communicate with temporary staff regarding patient expectations, scheduling, and other office norms.
- Training and Orientation: Provide any necessary training or orientation to your temporary team members, including a tour of the practice and team member introductions.
Thanks to temporary dental staffing solutions and talent marketplaces like GoTu, you can maintain your practice’s high standards while also ensuring your team has time to enjoy the holiday season.
