Dentaide Spotlight:

This is the transcript from the Dentaide Spotlight program featuring Nicola Fry, the Dental Nurse on the Spotlight, and Gabriella Munoz is the interviewer.


Gabriella: Why did you decide to become a dental nurse?

Nicola: I became a dental nurse in my gap year in 2014 as I wanted to experience working in the Healthcare workforce before starting my Bachelor of Health Science.

Gabriella: Where were you working before becoming a temp?

Nicola: I was working at a General dental practice in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

Gabriella: Why do you prefer to work as a casual dental nurse?

Nicola: It is so flexible with my studies every week. The agency is so understanding for any changes in your availability. It also gives great variety of experience, I find myself constantly picking up new habits and better ways of dental nursing.

Gabriella: When and how did you choose to join Dentaide?

Nicola: I joined Dentaide at the beginning of 2017. I had heard of Dentaide before as they are the longest standing Dental nursing agency and seemed to be quite reputable.

Gabriella: What does your day look like when you have shifts?

Nicola: Busy! Every new place I work at I have to allow enough time to get there for my shift. Everyone at the clinics are usually lovely and very happy to see me when they’re short-staffed.

Gabriella: What do you like to do to relax or when you are not working?

Nicola: I usually spend my time studying or exercising on my days off.

Gabriella: Do you take or have you taken any continuing education courses?

Nicola: I am currently completing my Bachelor of Health Science.

Gabriella: Do you have a favourite Dentaide client? If so, can you tell us about your experience with
them?

Nicola: I’ve been lucky to be a regular temp at a couple of clinics, with both Vermont South Dental and the No Brace Centre being standout places to work. Every shift I work at both clinics everyone is so lovely and helpful to me.

Gabriella: If you could describe Dentaide using just three adjectives, what would those three words be?

Nicola: Friendly, reliable & accommodating.

Gabriella: Which qualities do you think make a good temp dental nurse? Why?

Nicola: A good temp nurse is someone who is flexible in new environments and has a great understanding of Infection control as it is universal among clinics.

A Case Study - Vermont South Dental

When a family opens the doors to a nursing agency good things can happen

About 20 years ago, Julie Neal was looking for a job. She was going through the classifieds section of the newspaper when she noticed that Vermont South Dental was seeking a practice manager. Julie responded to the ad and met Dr Mark Oblak, who took over the practice more or less at the same time.

A few days after the interview, she was in charge of the day-to-day operations of the practice. Since then, she has made sure everything runs smoothly, and guarantees that everyone feels welcomed and taken care of.

 This practice is a home away from home

The small practice has two dentists and two full-time nurses: Dr Oblak, Dr Trinh Du, Carmen and Denise. Alongside practice manager Julie they have been working together for years and they do it so well, it’s hard for any of them to imagine having things disrupted.

During peak times or emergencies, the practice requires a third nurse. Instead of hiring someone part-time and have them on call. They have decided to work with a recruitment agency. Finding the right one, however, was not as straight forward as they would have liked.

Trial and error

Before joining Dentaide, the longest running dental recruitment agency in Melbourne, Julie tried a different agency but she wasn’t thrilled with the results – the nurses weren’t a right match for the practice.

Three years ago, she decided to contact Dentaide. The friendliness, professionalism and 24/7 service have made a huge difference. Julie, like all Dentaide clients, know we will reply to all their queries within minutes and that all our certified nurses will hit the ground running.

 “Since we’ve been using Dentaide everything has been fine,” Julie commented. “I get responses very quickly and haven’t had a back experience.”

Through DentAide we’ve hired the ideal Dental Assistant

In a practice where everybody knows each other well, arriving five minutes beforehand, being nice to the team, asking if there is something else that needs to be completed during quiet times, and being friendly and polite to the patients are key to guarantee success when covering a shift – and that’s what Dent aide’s nurses have done every time.

Our nurse Nicola has joined Vermont South Dental’s team on more than one occasion. She has been with us for several years and we’ve always received glowing reviews of her work.

Julie describes her as “simply lovely” because of her positive attitude and hands-on approach.
Nicola, like all our nurses, is consistently on time and offers to help with other tasks when things are quiet. She has her own uniform and is not afraid of hard work – if fact she thrives on it.

Back to the basics: people

Just like our assistant nurses have a warm disposition and enjoy helping patients feel at ease, meeting people and helping them feel better about their smile or stop their pain is what Julie likes the most about the dental business.

And there is something else: “Interaction with the clients. Most of our clients have become friends. Some came as kids and now bring their kids”.

For us, just like for Julie, the dental business is about becoming family and helping them achieve their short and long-term objectives.

It is a pleasure for us at Dentaide to work with such practices and it fills us with pride to know we are contributing to making businesses run easily and helping patients get a smile back on their faces.

Five trends that will define the dental industry in 2018

By Gabriella Munoz

This year will see dentists opening more group clinics, investing in marketing strategies and outsourcing personnel.

With about 1,200 new dentists graduating every year in Australia and only 550 retiring in the same period, the competition is fierce. So, who gets the patients and why?

People will turn to social media to find established practices with great reviews that are affordable and close to home.

And as Australians age, they’ll also be looking at practices that offer plans for those who are about to or have retired and want to make sure they are still able to afford comprehensive dental care.

These trends will define the industry in 2018 and beyond—so read on.

The rise of the group clinic

Although it seems there are enough patients for everyone, the truth is that there is an oversupply of dentists in most Australian cities. And given that not everyone has the means to go to the dentist for an annual check-up or receive treatments, what will happen with the 1,200 dentists who graduate every year? Chances are they will join forces with other specialists to open group dental practices offering a wide range of services, including cosmetic procedures. The trend has been seen in other countries, such as the United States, where graduates have been forced to join group practices because they finish university with a massive amount of debt and they can’t afford to fly solo.

Stepping up the game to retain an older clientele 

If you have your own practice, developing affordable dental wellness plans for people over 60 might be the way of the future. People over 60 have changed their approach to retirement and continue to work until their early 70s. This means they remain independent for longer, have more income, and are more aware of their overall health and well-being. By 2030 many Australians will be over 60, and they will require quality dental work. Dr. Joanna Gray, from Momentum Management, told Bite magazine that “smart practices have started to talk to their roughly 60-year-old patients about how they want their teeth to be when they’re older and looked at how to plan for that now, clinically and financially”. Developing affordable plans for people over 60 that include annual check-ups and cosmetic procedures, can get you many new patients—it’s just a matter of thinking outside the box.

Partnering with a dental Staffing agency to reduce costs

Having your practice is costly, according to the Australian Taxation Office up to 73 percent of a practice’s total income is spent on staff, set-up costs, consumables, insurance, and rent. To lower this percentage, it’s time to consider outsourcing your staff. Melbourne’s most reliable dental agency, DentAide, offers a 24/7 booking system and a pool of nurses who have completed a Certificate III in Dental Assisting as a minimum and have at least two years of experience in Australia, all of them have their uniforms and are ready to hit the ground running. The agency is well-known for adapting to their clients’ needs, making it a great choice for busy practices and those who have just started in the business.

Finding alternatives for those who lose their extras cover

In the past five years, private health insurance coverage has stimulated industry growth. Since 2013 industry revenue grew 3.1 percent annually, and the trend is expected to continue this year. People are more likely to visit the dentist if they know their insurance company will pay a part. But with the rise of the ‘freelance economy' and the middle class losing financial stability, the trend won’t last forever. Think of creative ways of ensuring your patients stay with you even if they have to let go of their extras policy. Offer payment plans, loyalty bonuses, and other incentives.

Not being afraid of social media

Good-old word of mouth is not enough to get new patients. Today you need to be out there, actively looking for clients and researching what your competitors are doing. Not having a website is the equivalent of career suicide these days. Patients expect optimised websites where they can book an appointment in seconds, but they also look for information about the dentist. So, invest in your social media and put yourself out there. People want to connect with others, so including your bio and links to causes that are close to your heart can make a huge difference.

2018 is all about quality and service for DentAide

Last year the Melbourne-based company committed to becoming the best dental nursing agency in Victoria. DentAide made service a priority in 2017 and put together a friendly team who understands that everyone needs to go above and beyond the expectations to support the needs of their clients and staff.

A few days ago, I stopped by DentAide HQ to chat with James Perera, their recruitment consultant, and discover a bit more about the transformations that have turned the dental nursing agency into a leader in the field.

DentAide and its team have always prided themselves on being a reliable and approachable agency, but in this day and age, as James explained, that is not enough. Besides offering a pool of capable, friendly and qualified dental assistants and reception staff, DentAide is now one of the very few recruitment agencies that offer a 24/7 nurse booking service.

But what else does DentAide have in store for 2018?

It’s all about qualifications, qualifications, qualifications

James is a firm believer that practice makes perfect and as a recruitment consultant he is aware that only those who are committed to success are qualified, try to gain as much experience as possible, and are always ready to hit the ground running. So starting in 2018, all DentAide nurses will have as minimum a Certificate III in Dental Assisting and two years of experience in Australia.

Easy, fast and secure

Very few professionals have the luxury of time. Most businesses can’t afford to–and shouldn’t— spend hours on the phone trying to book a service. That’s why DentAide worked with some of the best developers in Victoria to create a new mobile app designed to help clients book their services quickly and securely.

After signing up, clients can request staff, update facility details and check nurses’ qualifications.

The app, which can be downloaded on Google Play and the App Store, was also designed with the nurses’ needs in mind. They will be able to update their availability, pick up shifts and submit time sheets in minutes.

And all with ISO 9001 certification

DentAide has established super-efficient workflows, communication policies and time-saving processes that reduce costs and improve quality and service. This, as James explained, “translates into a right attitude, improved quality and service, and results in zero complaints”.

And the good news just keep coming!

Better quality, more qualifications and great costumer service also mean competitive rates for DentAide clients, and time to take care of its nurses and support staff needs.

James mentioned that DentAide is also trying to make sure their nurses and staff are taken care of and has developed an exciting rewards program that includes bonuses for loyal staff and family experiences for the employee of the year. After all, James emphasised, the agency is just as good as its best nurse. DentaAide’s care for its staff even extends to wardrobe comfort: they invested in designing a good-quality uniform that is comfy and smart.

Visit www.dentaide.com.au and discover the DentAide difference today.