Having little or no training in the business of dentistry doesn’t make you a bad dentist, but possessing those skills would make you a better dentist.
As part of its corporate social responsibility, Henry Schein Dental has been running the courses at King’s College for the past two years, free of charge. To date, approximately 40-50 per cent of students at King’s have enrolled on the courses, demonstrating their willingness to acquire business, as well as clinical, skills.
As dentists, we possess some business skills, but knowledge of the real in-depth business acumen needed to run a successful practice is not something that we have immediate access to. Henry Schein Dental on the other hand has the right people, with appropriate skills who can transfer this knowledge to our students.
At King’s College Dental Institute, we look at our provision of healthcare from an ideal perspective. We’re a bit altruistic and idealistic perhaps, because we want to clinically train students in the best way possible, and an unintentional consequence of this is that we do not focus on the business side. But the reality is that once students leave us, they enter a business environment where bottom line profitability is very important.
Dentistry is a business
Dentistry is a business and effectively you are paid for what you do - the more treatments you complete, the more income you generate and that’s where being business-savvy can be a great benefit.
We teach a wide range of students, many of which do not come here at the age of 18. Some students are married and have children; others have worked in business prior to entering the institute. Every student has their own perspective and many already understand the topics taught and it’s just the skills they feel they need to acquire.
As a nation, we need to get out of the mind-set that it’s unethical to discuss money when it comes to healthcare; in my opinion it’s unethical not to. Providing healthcare costs money and that’s the message we need to be able to communicate.
Money is not a dirty word. But it’s something you have to introduce into the equation in a gentle way. At graduation, students are already thinking about how they are going to start paying back their tuition fees, so they understand that the whole healthcare system is predicated on finance.
Future
Looking forward, I believe there is an opportunity to extend the business courses to other year groups within the dental institute.
In year one, students should already have an appreciation that healthcare has a bottom line, whether it’s provided in a hospital, or on the high street. Students need to understand that if the balance sheet doesn’t balance, it affects the care they provide to patients.
An official qualification in the business of dentistry may yet come. One of the new GDC guidelines within dental education refers to communication and management, and good business is about good communication. Like other qualifications, these will have learning outcomes, which could be addressed by the provision of courses, such as those offered at King’s.
I hope that once students graduate, they will continue their education and not just limit this to the clinical aspects of dentistry, but also in regards to their management and business skills.
Planting seeds
The business courses offered at King’s, which are currently optional and allow students to build up a portfolio over the year, have been largely well received. Those who have embraced the topics have an appreciation of the bigger picture and are finding that, the skills learned are an excellent foundation for use throughout their professional lives.
It’s hard for students when they leave us, and part of our remit is to plant the seeds so they can flourish as professionals and business people, showing them how to not only survive, but thrive. Those who choose not to take part in these courses will soon realise that business skills are a prerequisite for running a successful practice.