Professional Courtesy Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD

I'd Rather Get My "Change" at McDonalds


Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD
Editorial Director,
Dentaltown Magazine

March was a particularly difficult month to be Dr. Thomas Giacobbi. It started in the early morning hours of March 3 when one of my hygienists called to tell me she was in the hospital – in labor with her first baby. Had I noticed she was pregnant? Of course. My discomfort was self inflicted because she was two weeks early and we were not prepared to cover her schedule. I had recently started to interview hygienists to cover her maternity leave, but we had not selected anyone yet. A call to our local temporary staffing agency took care of our short-term needs and a couple weeks later we found a terrific part-time hygienist. The other members of our hygiene team picked up some extra days as well. We have a great team.

Some of you might be wondering why I was so concerned about finding the right person to cover for a short period of time. The first reason is a simple matter of personal preference. I want to minimize the disruption to the practice and be certain that our patients receive the same great care they are used to when my usual hygienist is there. Second reason: another one of my hygienists recently announced her pregnancy with a due date sometime in September. This time I will be better prepared.

My story is not unusual. Many dental offices experience the joys and challenges of pregnancy and short-term leave. Since most dental staffs are small enough to know each other like family, a pregnancy is a time of joy for everyone involved. However, most people don't like change, and the momentary bump in the road can be challenging for both patients and staff. Lesson learned: nine months might seem like a long time, but it pays to prepare early for the transition.

On March 17, my non-pregnant, full-time hygienist pulled me aside to let me know the government program she was looking into might soon have a position available. We had a conversation two months ago, when she mentioned that she was considering an application to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program because her student loan debt was quite large. This program would provide a $50,000 tax-free bonus for student loans, with a two-year commitment. She had taken a board exam two weeks prior to increase the number of states she would be eligible to practice in, and we did not expect her to make a move until after her board results arrived. She went on to explain that this particular opportunity was local and they wanted her to start immediately. I had two weeks.

We placed a notice in the paper and began to interview hygienists. Within two weeks we had found a wonderful person to fill this position. I was relieved and looking forward to getting back into a boring routine.

Excuse me? Did you just say, "That didn't seem so bad?" That's probably because I only told you about March. I left out February, but I might as well include that little bit of information. On February 4, two members of our team started hygiene school. One front-office person and one dental assistant, who have both been part of our practice for many years, were accepted to the same dental hygiene class. We had their replacements hired a couple weeks in advance to allow time for training. We are very proud of our soon-to-be hygienists, and they frequently check in with progress updates. School is going well, but their dental anatomy teacher is very tough
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