How Not To Fail Miserably in Clinic

I shared the quantity of questions that rain in daily asking how to best succeed as a dentist, I’m pretty sure you’d fall over. That said, the answer ties to the title above, and the “why” behind the C in igniteDDS’s CRUSH acronym. Your Clinical Education is THE foundation to your success! You and I have to walk our clinical talk or all the brilliant business moves in the world become one-hit wonders … and let’s face it, VH1 aside, none of us care about one-hit wonders.

So how do you not fail miserably in clinic? Here are three simple and simply critical rules:

1. Come Prepared Set yourself up for success with your faculty and your patients by studying up on whatever it is your patient is coming in for. When a faculty member asks what you’re doing today and you don’t know … YIKES!

As a former faculty member, nothing made me feel better about you than knowing you did your homework. And nothing put you further behind the eight-ball than when I knew you were winging it. Seriously, all these years later, I can name the top 10 and bottom 10 students I worked with based on how prepared or unprepared they were. It matters!

2. Ask, Don’t Tell Remember this. You may dominate a conversation by telling, but you control a conversation by asking. So when you want to understand the inner workings of your faculty’s brain, once you’ve showed them that you are 100-percent prepared for the day, ask them a question that shows you get it. Now I’m stoked that you prepped, and I’m excited you are, too.

To that same point, if you want your patients to say YES to your treatment plans, stop telling them about their dental problems and start asking them about how you can best help them accomplish their goals. Then do yourself a solid—stop talking, just listen. I promise you they’ll tell you everything you need to know to help them to YES. And I don’t know about you, but yes sounds so much better than no.

3. Trash the YouTube Videos What????? Oh yes I did. Seriously, how many hours are you spending searching through hundreds of busted videos to find

Ione winner? Well, if you’re anything like the 5,000-plus who emailed us over this last year, I’m guessing you have better things to do.

So here’s the scoop. I get it—watching a short video is king compared to reading textbooks.

Would you like the best clinical videos in dentistry? From the international leader in dental clinical CE? And the top clinicians in the country? Yeah,, me too. In fact, so much so, I pay $3,000 a year for access.

But, because you’re reading this in Dental Entrepreneur, I have a HUGE gift for you. Go to the link below. It’s your golden ticket … your dental Wonka Bar of sorts … to FREE CE from our friends at Spear Education. We’re so pumped to gift this to you!

https://ignitedds.com/app/clinical/ Oh, and if you do the same with this link [https://ignitedds. com/app/ebooks] there’s even more content in ebook fashion. Our treat.

If you want to be a true dental entrepreneur, remember that it starts with the clinical foundations you’re learning right now in school. Be prepared. Ask don’t tell. And trash the YouTube. Until next time …

Together We Rise!

D5 is here to help you:

• Start and manage your own private practice
• Receive tips and guidance from practicing dentists
• Find freedom and flexibility in creating your schedule
• Control your dental career — and your future

Subscribe today at D5byPatterson.com

Follow us on

Dental Trade Shows

Yankee Dental Conference January 25-29, 2017 Boston Convention Center

2017 Mid-Winter Meeting of the Chicago Dental Society February 23-25, 2017 McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois

Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting March 23-25, 2017 Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia

DeW.Life Launch Party Hinman Dental Conference Thursday, March 23, 2017 3:00 – 5:00 in the Marketplace on Exhibitor floor Join us for an opportunity to toast the women in our profession and to receive a copy of the inaugural issue of DeW.Life magazine.