We
have awesome jobs. We see multiple publications touting “dentist” as one the
best jobs in America, year in and year out. We really do have awesome jobs, and
we work our butts off.
But
we couldn’t do it without a lot of people. No matter how frustrated you get at
an assistant, hygienist, or patient care coordinator, our lives would be miserable
if we didn’t have these teammates. And not to mention the warm bodies who fill
our chairs. Holy cow, do we need to give thanks to our patients who entrust to
us their oral health and emotional well-being and sometimes dip into life
savings to get that Invisalign or those veneers they’ve always dreamed of.
Too
often, we (I) go through our (my) day without thanking those around us who make
it all possible. My days in dental school trying to do four-handed dentistry by
myself—asking the patient to hold the suction at times—is not something I want
to return to anytime soon. And I certainly don’t want to be practicing dentistry
on myself to make money. Seriously, have any of you watched the YouTube videos
of foreign dentists anesthetizing themselves and extracting their own wisdom
teeth?! Seriously, if you haven’t, stop reading this blog post right now and look
it up on YouTube. You won’t be disappointed!
Back to my story…
We
(I) can get so entranced in the grind that is our daily routine of crown
placement, hygiene checks, treatment planning, and shaking hands with new patients
that we (I) sometimes just forget to stop and give thanks. I got to thinking
about this topic when I was writing Christmas cards for our staff last night
and realized that I can’t remember the last time I sincerely complimented or
thanked some of them for their efforts. To say it made me feel empty and
depressed is an understatement. What kind of person am I?! These individuals
drop their kids off at school, make it to work with a smile on their faces, and
are dedicated, hardworking, eager-to-learn team players. And usually when I
speak directly to them outside of the doctor-patient-assistant conversations we
all take part in, it is to correct them or offer stern advice on how they
should do something that they’re currently doing differently.
Well,
I’m off—headed to our staff Christmas party. I will enjoy the company, laugh, and
chat, but most of all, I plan to give thanks. Thanks to the ones who make my
job easier and more enjoyable. And who make it all possible. Won’t you join me?
Donald
Murry III, DMD
No comments:
Post a Comment