Some Helpful Tips for Dealing With a Busy Clinical Hygiene Schedule

Ann Cote, RDH, MSHA, a clinical dental hygienist who has been working in the dental field for more than 17 years in private practice, and also teaches part-time at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, Connecticut, shares how she manages a hectic hygiene schedule.

ORGANIZATION IS KEY

As a dental hygiene student, new graduate, or a seasoned hygienist, it is important to always be organized. Some helpful advice from my experience as a dental hygienist is to make sure you make time to do some sort of a chart review the day before so you can become familiar with your patients. Over the years, you will develop relationships and familiarity with your patients and when you see their names in your schedule you will remember their faces, places of employment, etc. Many patients you will see anywhere from 2 times to 4 times a year so after a few years, you will get to know what your patients’ needs are, like a neck pillow for their neck pain, or application of anesthetic gel prior to periodontal probing.

WORK AS A TEAM

Another helpful tip is to make sure you work as a team with your fellow coworkers. When you have downtime, you can help the assistants break down a dirty treatment room or help catch up with instruments in the sterilization center. Many times, we will have a slammed schedule at 8 am but end up losing a patient here and there throughout the day. Helping others and working as a team can help you and your fellow dental assistants, and even front desk staff can help you chart for your periodontal assessment. Dental assistants or other dental hygienists with downtime can help you break down your room and prepare for the next patient. On occasion, when the dentist makes me run behind (it happens all too often), I either perform a patient’s periodic exam in the dentist’s chair or have another clinical staff member take my next patient’s radiographs if applicable.

WATCH THE TIME

The final tip I can share is to do your best to stay on time. Punctuality is our number one priority; being respectful of others’ time and our own is important. You will come across patients who show up when they want to for their hygiene appointments with no respect for our time. At this point, you have to make the appropriate judgment call to have the front desk reschedule the patient so you can stay on schedule and make sure you aren’t rushed through an appointment.

You also want to respect your patients who are on time for their appointments. Accommodating a late patient could create a domino effect for the rest of the day. Making sure you have your lunch break and get to leave work at the end of the day are also important.

Whether you are a recent graduate or still in dental hygiene school, it is important to make sure you are prepared for anything when it comes to your hygiene schedule. As a dental team member, we follow a schedule but let’s face it, this is not a perfect world. Like I mentioned before, patients can be late, treatment can run over into the next appointment slot, and the dentist may make you run behind. Never be afraid to ask for help from fellow classmates or coworkers. We are a team and are all achieving the same goal: great patient care and a safe work environment.