Many hygienists are excited about new research and products, and they want to update the standard of care in their dental offices. Unfortunately, some hygienists become frustrated when their dentist isn’t on board with the changes they’d like to make. Here I’ll share a roadmap for how to professionally and successfully advocate for change.
Step 1: Conduct research
Before presenting practice leaders with the new product or service you’d like to use, become thoroughly familiar with it and its benefits. Read articles and studies to learn the capabilities, limitations, and uses of the product. Read reviews and speak to those who have experience with the product to gain firsthand information and find out how the product is performing in a practice setting. This way you’re able to get unbiased information so that you can make an objective decision.
Step 2: Schedule a meeting
Inform the leaders that you’ve found something you think will benefit the practice, and you’d like to schedule time to discuss it with them. With advance notice, they’ll enter the meeting with openness and be mentally prepared for the discussion. They will have had time to review the budget so they have an idea of what they can say yes to.
Step 3: Have a positive mindset
Enter the meeting with a positive mindset, where you can trust that everyone in the meeting wants what’s best for the practice and patients. When you enter the meeting optimistically and excited for a positive outcome, you increase the likelihood that you’ll reach your desired outcome.
Your leadership will make the decision by weighing many factors such as cost, time needed to train staff and implement the new product or service, cost vs. benefit ratio, the demand from patients, capability of the entire team, how this aligns with other office goals, and more important factors. By showing them that you trust and respect their insights, you enhance the professional relationship.
Step 4: Be prepared
Help make their decision easier by having answers to their questions ready ahead of time. Having the contact information of the product representative will be helpful to get answers to questions and to facilitate ordering and training. They’ll need to know how much the item costs, and it’s wise to get a price comparison from a few different distributors. They’ll want to know what kind of training the team will need to start using it, and how long this will take. They’ll want to know what other offices in the area are charging for this service.
It’s helpful to select a few patients from your office who could benefit from this product and review their charts with the dentist. Don’t be afraid to show your enthusiasm about the product's benefits. It may be helpful to volunteer to be the leader for implementation, such as offering to schedule training, ordering, and set-up.
Step 5: How to respond to a negative answer
It’s possible that leaders will not be on board with this change, and that does not mean you failed or that they do not value your input; it may just not be the right time for the practice. Try not to take this personally or get downhearted but ask questions to get more insight. Some example questions include: Can you share what led to your decision? What goals would the practice need to reach to implement this change? What would be a good time for us to revisit this discussion?
Hygienists are in a great position to advocate for change, as they’re thoroughly familiar with the needs of patients, they know what they can realistically manage in their scheduled appointment times, and they know what their team members are capable of.
We can use the same communications skills that we use to effect change with our patients every day to effect change in our offices. As champions of systemic health, we’re always searching for ways to improve our patients’ health and care.
