NEWS _M_~ssage From Our President

Where have all the flowers gone?

You know that a problem is reaching crisis proportion when you overhear its discussion among participants during a game of golf. Usually, golf allows you to get away from problems, to forget your worries, to be absorbed with the game.

i:! ~ Not so the other day as I listened to two L . ,, dentists talk about how tough it's becoming to get "good help" for their practices.

One dentist pointed out that it's really uncomfortable offering entry hourly wages to prospective new employees as you explain the need for protective glasses, masks and gloves; you then continue with information relative to the dangers of airborne bacteria, and hazardous waste disposal, escalate to cares to be taken with sharps and needle sticks, and top it off with the demand that the new employee be willing to submit to Hepatitis B vaccinations at "your own ex- pense."

Small wonder there is a problem. The other dentist pointed out that he solved the problem by repeatedly placing ads in his local paper, increasing the hourly wage until appli- cants started calling. Of course the callers were presently employed by his colleagues in other offices, therefore shifting the problem - not solving it.

The difficulty in hiring and retaining staff for dental offices is becoming acute for many of us, as if we aren't already confronted with enough challenges to our very survival.

We're told that the pool of young people looking for work has taken a dip. Restrictions have been removed that once worked to our advantage by keeping women in certain role- type jobs such as assistants to health care providers.

Unemployment is at an all time low and there is terrific competition for the entry level person who was once so available for us to hire. McDonalds, Wendys, Arbys, Burger King all get their share now!

Quite a problem! What to do? To the rescue, hopefully, rides the American Dental Association with a National Conference on Recruitment and Retention of dental team members this month in Chicago.

The objective of the conference is to identify and share recruitment and retention tools that have been used suc- cessfully in various areas of the country.

Participating in the conference along with a representa-

tive of each dental specialty will be leaders in the practice and education arenas including the American Association of Dental Schools, American Dental Assistants Association and others who can influence and implement solutions for our mutual problems.

Some of the workshops appear to hold promise for the beleaguered employer with subjects such as employee benefits, salary trends, employee leasing, cafeteria plans, statistics, strategic planning, and practical solutions.

The AAE will be represented at this conference and we will do our best to get the message back to you. Until then my President's message to all of you employers is: If you want to hire and retain good helpers, stick with conventional wisdom:

Evaluate your current standards - Change if you are too rigid. The new breed is different! Phrases like "You will" and "You must" should become "Would you like to"; "Why don't you"; "Let me show you" and "Let's work together."

Allow your staff to grow - Teach them to diagnose, let them make decisions, get them involved. Take them high tech - in the operatory - at the desk - computers are exciting! Develop a sense of pride, be state of the art.

Communicate - The open door policy is terrific but even greater is to hang around so that someone's behind that open door. Make time to be available, show you care. If you can't share the problems, at least understand their problems.

Know your labor pool - Hire a person who will be happy with what they can grow into.

Be sensitive to the humanity of your employees. Young women shouldn't be forced out of your employ by their circumstances, and situations do change with family considerations over time.

Dental offices are perfect places for student workers, young mothers, empty nesters, young singles, never marrieds, and grandmothers with part-time, full-time and flextime possibilities.

The flowers are all around you - - look for them!

Gerald C. Dietz, Sr, DDS, MS President

Indian Endodontic Society launches new Journal

The Indian Endodontic Society (IES) recently published the first issue of its endodontic journal, Endodontology. The IES was formed in January 1988 and has 50 members. In its first year, the organization has sponsored three successful continuing education courses and is now fulfilling its second objective of publication of a journal to share and exchange knowledge about current trends in endodontics. Dr. Naseem Shah will serve as editor of the biannual publication.

Endodontology, although still in its infancy, will be shaped by the interests and contributions from its members and will welcome the active participation from members of the profession from abroad. Those interested in obtaining more information about Endodontology may contact Dr. Naseem Shah, Editor, Dept. of Dental Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India.

501