Well here we are arriving at what would be the most important part of your working day… your patients. Regardless of your role, whether you are on the phone, in the back, dealing with insurance, cleaning teeth, or anything else, your awareness with your patients is the most critical aspect that serves as the glue to hold all things together.
The obvious measures for paying attention to people is with eye contact, attentive listening and being present; all of which we have talked about before. The question is, on a scale of one to ten, how do you stack up every single day with every single patient?
I can tell you this – the best analogy I have for your ability to be aware of and with your patients is like going to the airport in the TSA Line (assuming you don’t have Global Entry or Pre-Check) and having to remove everything and put it in the bin.
That should be your brain when you walk into the practice. Put everything in the bin for later. Regardless of what’s on your mind (problems, challenges, plans and celebrations), because in order to do a great job everyday you have to be completely clear minded.
Now, I’m not saying it’s easy or even reasonable, but I can tell you that the best practices do it. Champion teams discipline themselves to be where they are in more than just body but mind.
This goes far beyond just dentistry to any aspect of life.
Here’s the good (or possibly bad, depending on the day) news… when you walk back out of the practice that bin will still be full. You can pick up all your ‘stuff’ and put it back in your head.
Funny things will happen though if you do this. You’ll find that some of it you won’t want back in there. You can leave it and by tomorrow it will have dissipated, if not already. This whole clearing the mind thing has a greater impact and meaning to people that embrace it than just for being aware with your patients.
By the way, people know when you aren’t really there. Your eyes, attitude and expressions tell the story. That doesn’t even include the worse offense of checking your phone.
I hear a lot of people who wish others would take them seriously. I’m sure you feel the same way. Well, the only way to make that happen is to actually value more what you do by being immersed in it.
Imagine heart surgeons checking their phones; one hand on the knife and the other trying to text someone back. The point is: if you held your work as sacred as those who had no choice, otherwise risking death, then everyone else would take what you do more seriously too.
Of course, I’m sure you are focused every day, totally aware and completely present with your patients. None the less, sometimes a little reminder doesn’t hurt.
Finally, I would say, in your practice it is important to know what ‘being aware’ means in your position and with what you do. Whether that’s knowing every detail about every insurance claim or balancing the reports at the end of the day or owning every phone call with great effectiveness or chart reviewing your patients beyond just the obvious so you can help them today.
There is an awareness that is in front of patients when you are with them directly and that is usually best achieved with the other awareness by doing the work that is required behind the scenes before they get to you in the first place.
I’m sure that’s enough to get your discussion going today. We’ll pick up here next week with the flip side of the awareness you owe to your patients.
