VIDEO: How a dental practice should prepare for locum tenens

What would happen to you and your practice today if you broke your elbow, suffered a serious injury to your hand, or were suddenly hospitalized because of an injury? Have you thought about how another dentist would come into the practice and be able to function and keep your practice going?

In the video below, Dr. Wayne Kerr, a speaker and practicing dentist, gives you some advice on how your practice should be prepared for just such an emergency and locum tenens.

VIDEO: 4 steps to prepare your team for an emergency scenario

“Think about it. The incoming dentist wouldn’t know anything about the team’s skill sets or how the practice was managed as a whole,” Dr. Kerr said. “Worst of all, you don’t have a clue what the restorative procedures are or what materials are being used.”

INFOGRAPHIC: Dentistry and the emergency room

To prevent more chaos from occurring in an already chaotic situation, Dr. Kerr suggests contacting doctors ahead of time to ask them if they would be willing to cover your practice in a “worst case” scenario and making a list of exactly how the practice is run to share with the covering dentist. Additionally, make sure you tell your team who the dentist or dentists you have chosen to cover are in case you are incapacitated.

“Written treatment protocols are essential,” Dr. Kerr said. “Meet with your team. Write them down. You’ll never be sorry.”

ARTICLE: The top emergencies that happen in the dental practice and how to be prepared for them

Click below to hear more thoughts and tips from Dr. Kerr…

Editor's Note: Photo of "LAFD ambulance". Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.