The right staff members can reduce missed or canceled appointments, saving the practice money. But, finding and hiring an excellent dental assistant can be expensive.
Avoid “basement” temp agencies that hire their temps as independent contractors and pay no benefits or wage taxes. Select a staffing company with a track record of providing top-notch talent and customer support.
Saves You Time
Few types of businesses need temporary workers more than dental practices. Hygienists, assistants, and administrative staff all play critical roles in ensuring patients get the best care, from booking appointments to scheduling procedures to billing insurance. When any one of them is missing, everything slows down. And if you’re short-staffed, every minute counts.
A reputable temp agency can save you time from reviewing resumes, screening candidates, and conducting background checks. Plus, they’ll help you find a qualified worker quickly to fill an unexpected vacancy.
It’s also important to remember that not everyone is a perfect fit for your practice, especially regarding work-life balance. Many experienced dental professionals, especially those in the millennial and Gen Z generations, want to do good work but have other commitments outside of their jobs. Working with an agency can allow them to step up and deliver their best work at the most convenient times. This means less absenteeism and more efficiency in your practice.
Saves You Money
In addition to boosting morale, a dental assistant staffing agency allows your practice to save money. It reduces lost revenue due to canceled appointments and helps you avoid unnecessary expenses like supplies, equipment, and overhead costs.
When an EFDA handles insurance billing and other administrative tasks, it frees your in-house employees to spend more time on patient care. This improves office efficiency and reduces mistakes that can cost your practice up to 30% of your revenue, according to the International Journal of Healthcare Management.
However, not all temp agencies are created equal. Many basement agencies send you a temp quickly, but their quality and stability could be better. These temps may need to be more skilled in navigating your practice software, have proper licensing or certifications, and are often paid far less than market rates. In some cases, basement temp agencies even re-negotiate the wage after seeing your desperation—a practice known as hostage pay. A top-quality temp agency will vet their applicants for you and provide a dependable workforce.
Saves You Stress
When you partner with an agency, you don’t have to spend time combing through resumes and finding professionals with the specific outlook and expertise you seek. Instead, you can get right to work, connecting with pre-vetted dental hygienists and assistants ready to go when needed.
For many dental professionals, the flexibility of temporary jobs allows them to balance their professional and personal lives. They can decline a job call if it’s inconvenient for their schedule or take vacations or other work opportunities without coordinating their time off with the dental office.
The flexibility of temp positions also helps many dental hygienists and associates build more robust professional networks and learn to work with multiple teams. This experience makes them more adaptable in the workplace and can help them in future staffing situations where they may be tasked with taking on new team members. Moreover, agencies make it easy for clients to transition temp workers into permanent positions if desired. That saves both parties time and money on recruitment, training, and salary expenses.
Saves You Energy
As a dental practice owner, you know that patient care and office efficiency are top goals. Having the right staff members in place is essential for meeting these goals. A poorly staffed practice can lead to rescheduling patients, lower productivity, and even higher turnover.
Adding a new dental hygienist or assistant to your team takes interviewing, screening, and onboarding time. That’s time that could be spent serving your patients or generating revenue. You may quickly access a pool of dental specialists through a temp agency, which enables you to adjust staffing levels and demands more quickly.
Plus, a temp agency can help you reduce the number of canceled appointments due to unforeseen circumstances, like a sick day or an accident. That’s good for your business and your patients, who expect a certain level of service from you. You can learn more about Edge’s recruiting and workforce management solutions here. And if you’re a dental professional, you can create your profile and connect with practices in our online community for free at Cloud Dentistry.
Saves You Money
The process of hiring dental assistants or hygienists requires time and resources. Advertising a job opening, screening applicants, conducting interviews, and performing background checks add up. Partnering with a dental temp agency reduces these costs by providing immediate access to qualified candidates for an hourly fee.
Dental professionals also benefit from the flexibility of temporary jobs. They’re no longer confined to a single practice, so they can explore new locations and build their resumes with diverse work experience. Working for different offices allows hygienists and dental assistants to meet the needs of their patients and their personal lives.
For dental practices, proper staffing is the key to reducing patient wait times and increasing revenue. Staffing issues can lead to unhappy customers, which costs your business money and reputation. Working with a staffing agency ensures you have the correct number of employees to meet patient demand. This way, your team can continue to provide quality service, and you’ll be able to keep your revenue stable.