Employment trends in dentistry

Survey examines the hiring and job-seeking process

The results of a recent survey reveal that both hiring managers and job seekers share similar sentiments about the state of the employment process. Below we take a look at some responses from a pool of over 1,000 respondents from the headhunter and job seeker perspectives.

Who Is Really Doing the Hiring at a Dental Practice?

The office managers tend to do most of the hiring at dental offices, with most of the rest done by the dentist. Nearly half of all respondents -- 45% -- said that the office manager does most of the hiring compared to that of the dentists, who take charge of hiring only 38% of the time. The other people who might be the ones sorting through the talent pool are dental consultants (5%) and dental hygienists (2%). The final 10% falls into the "other" category according to the survey.

Perhaps most revealing about the hiring process are the resources dental employers use to find good employees. An overwhelming 70% of employers indicated that they found 1-3 of their employees on dental staffing website DentalPost.net, indicating the popularity of the dentistry-specific job platform.

Where Are Job Seekers Looking for Jobs?

Unsurprisingly, most job seekers look online (72%) when seeking opportunities. Not limiting themselves to one resource, job seekers are also turning to existing relationships (53%) as well as industry events (9%) with the goal of finding a potential hiring practice.

Of those job seekers who found employment, a staggering 87% said that they successfully found a job using DentalPost.net. This gives evidence to the fact that both hiring managers and job seekers utilize the site as a reputable resource for their job placement needs.

Many Employees Working at Multiple Jobs

As highlighted in a post on DentistryIQ.com ("Dental Hygiene Salary Survey, part 1: Reduced hours? Maybe not"), many employees work at more than one practice. This survey revealed a large percentage of employees (41%) work at two or more practices. This is likely because of the trend cited in which 25% of employees "prefer to work an additional one or more shifts a week" and are looking for outside opportunities in which to do so. The survey results reveal that the likelihood of simultaneous practice employment could be attributed to the lack of full-time positions available, or to the trend in which more dentists are taking over the hygiene role within the practice.

Tonya Lanthier, RDH, began her career as a dental hygienist in 1995. Her love for dentistry was a driving force in the founding of DentalPost.net in 2005, as an easy-to-use platform to help dental professionals and dental practices connect. Tonya is a delegate for the Atlanta Dental Hygiene Society, serves on the planning committee for the Gala for Smiles, and volunteers for the Georgia Mission of Mercy and the Ben Mansell Clinic. Tonya lives in Atlanta and is the mother of twin girls.