Episode #426: The Truth Behind the Shortage of Dental Assistants, with Shannon Pace Brinker, CDA

If you've got a great dental assistant, you'd better not let them go — especially now, more than ever! And for insight on what you can do to keep them in your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Shannon Pace Brinker, founder and CEO of Chairside Assisting. Even without the shortage, your assistants are valuable — so make them feel valued! To learn how, and for other ways to earn their loyalty, listen to Episode 426 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Find ways to make your assistants feel important.
• Invest in your assistants with continuing education.
• Know what your assistants are best at and love to do.
• Believe in your assistants and give them your trust.
• Thanking your assistants will go a long way.

Quotes:

“I feel like now, with the loyalty the older assistants have, we’re so much more valued. And now, more than ever, the opportunities are endless for what we can do in the practice. And a lot of times, all we want is just recognition, recognition that, ‘Oh my gosh, thank yo

  say is, hug them. If you're not touchy-huggy-feely, thank them. A little thank you, even some chocolate bar, something to say, ‘Hey, thank you so much. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you. I haven't said that in a very long time,’ it goes a long, long way.” (42:24—42:56)

Snippets:

• 0:00 Introduction.
• 1:53 Shannon’s background.
• 3:41 Loyalty during the pandemic.
• 4:48 It’s not about the money.
• 7:23 Invest in your assistants.
• 9:29 The value of a great assistant.
• 12:53 Give assistants titles.
• 17:22 Give assistants your trust.
• 19:02 Believe in your team.
• 24:21 Advice for photography training.
• 29:00 How to find assistants.
• 32:20 Advice for dental assistants.
• 36:06 Train your assistants with Chairside Assisting.
• 40:06 More about Chairside Assisting.
• 41:41 Last thoughts.

Reach Out to Shannon:

Shannon’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chairsideassisting

Shannon’s social media: @chairsideassisting

Resources:

Chairside Assisting website: https://chairsideassisting.com/  

Shannon Pace Brinker, CDA Bio:

Shannon Pace Brinker, CDA, is a national and international speaker and published author of over 300 articles for various publications. She has been a practicing dental assistant for over 25 years and works for Dr. Robert Korman in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

She has taught over 2,000 classes on dental assisting techniques and over 60,000 dental assistants over the last six years alone. Shannon has taught at the Nash Institute, Dawson Academy, and Spear Education, instructing through both lectures and hands-on programs.

She has written over 300 articles regarding Clinical Application and has a current column in Dental Product Reports for the team evaluation of dental products and materials. She has her own publication for dental assistants with partnership of Schein Dental called "Side by Side". She has started one of the first online platforms designated for dental assistants called the Academy of Chairside Assisting.

Shannon is an active member of the AACD. She was the first auxiliary to sit on the AACD Board of Directors and was awarded the Rising Star Award. Shannon has also been recognized as one of Dentistry Today’s Top 100 Clinicians for the last 10 years, Dental Products Report 25 most influential women in dentistry, the Lucy Hobbs Award, Sunstar Butler achievement award, and Dr. Bicuspid’s Dental Assistant Educator of the year.