Dentists are on islands. What this means is that in many cases, unless you work at a practice with multiple dentists, you’re likely isolated by the inherently individualistic nature of dentistry. It’s difficult to refresh your mindset in this environment.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut or forget the value of communicating. It can be incredibly helpful and reassuring to speak to others in similar situations about how you feel on everything from job satisfaction to marketing. Here are two ways you can cast aside the island effect to see gains in your professional life:
Refresh Your Mindset Beyond the Practice
One of the ways to inspire yourself and revitalize your drive is to seek out other perspectives. Connect with dentists in your area, take CE where you get the chance to interact with new ideas and people, text or phone a mentor who you haven’t spoken to in a while.
It’s healthy to see how others work and how their methods compare to yours. Even if they have a completely different business model or philosophy, you may find yourself learning more about an unexpected approach or gaining a better idea of what makes you passionate about your career.
Reach Out Within the Practice
You can see benefits by being more communicative within your practice as well. Besides meetings and the usual daily encounters and discussions, have you asked your team members to give suggestions for improvements they think could occur? What’s their take on where things to stand?
You could have each person share their top recommendation for the office. Even if none of their ideas are ones you’d want to implement, it will give you a better sense of their impressions of the practice.
What makes you realize you need to get a new perspective on dentistry or work life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!