The Great Resignation

CDA will continue to identify the potential moments for us to bend and bow and help our practices endure as we deliver excellent oral health care to our patients.

Ruchi K. Sahota, DDS, CDE

In one of Aesop’s fables, a mighty oak tree stood tall in the middle of a forest. Next to it was a brook. Daily, the oak tree would admire its reflection in the water and beam with satisfaction. Around the periphery of the water were tiny reeds. They would bend and move as the wind blew, while the mighty oak stood tall and strong. The mighty oak was proud that it did not need to bend. It did not succumb to the wind. The mighty oak would direct the reeds to do the same. The reeds would politely decline. The mighty oak would still scoff at this and tell them to be “strong” like it. This went on for years. One day, the reeds grew tired and piped back. They warned the mighty oak that its ego would get the best of it one day. Soon thereafter, a strong windstorm blew through the forest. The oak tried and tried to fight through the gusts but was ultimately toppled and landed next to the reeds. The reeds survived, proving that flexibility and a willingness to find a solution would help endure the toughest storm.

The pandemic proved to be quite the storm for our dental offices. Many realized that they could shut down for six weeks and still have a very productive year. Many survived because of government funded grants. Some dentists retired. And others grappled with the added pressures the pandemic presented to our profession. Some became nimble. Some fell.

During the early shutdowns, many offices laid off personnel. Offices reopened. They rehired employees. Many months later, offices revved up their schedules to match pre-pandemic times. The storm was starting to weaken, but many of the roots of the offices had been shaken. If trees did not fall, many of their branches did. Staff members began to resign.

A high number of resignations did not plague only dentistry. In fact, our nation hit a 20-year high in the “quit” number last November when 4.5 million workers left their jobs. Schools are seeing teacher shortages. Hospitals are enduring nursing shortages. Help-wanted signs are browning as they weather the storms of the many months since they were posted.

The Great Resignation is upon us. After the stock market crash of 1929, our country endured the Great Depression. After the subprime mortgage crisis in 2006, our country suffered through the Great Recession. Small businesses are now braving through an incredible shift in the labor market labeled the Great Resignation.

Data elucidates that the labor issues had started to spark even before the pandemic. But the fireworks went off more recently in our dental offices. Not only are hiring and recruitment more difficult, but retention is also challenging. CNN Business notes that employers are increasing wages but still struggling to find staff.

Historically, local dental society executive directors have helped with staff shortage issues. For many years, they teamed up with local dental assisting and hygiene schools. The dental societies housed graduates’ resumes. They were the hub of connection — creating a network of internships in member-dentists’ offices for the schools. However, just before the pandemic, a heavy storm hit. Budget cuts shut down many of the local dental assisting and hygiene schools or decreased their enrollment.

Early in the pandemic, CDA identified helping fill staff shortages as a priority. For many years, local component executive directors had proven to be like the reeds of the forest. They had nimbly and patiently aided in connecting dental assisting schools with member-dentists. In 2021, the component executive directors connected pathway programs like the Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) and CDA.

The Smile Crew of CA bootcamps, in partnership with JVS and local workforce boards, has been rolled out in locations in Northern and Southern California regions. The online self-led didactic program, in-person training and local internships are a conduit for new dental assistants to go directly into CDA members’ offices. The Smile Crew CA campaign was marketed to specific service workers who had resigned from other industries. An expanded online career center was launched to connect CDA member-dentists to job-seeking auxiliary staff.

How else can we be nimble and bend like the reeds in the forest? CDA’s practice management analysts have pointed out a few key strategies to add glitter to a help-wanted notice: Consider a hiring bonus, extra vacation days or even paying for C.E. and licensure fees. A recent CDA online article notes, “The Society for Human Resource Management estimates that employers spend an average of $4,425 per job in hiring costs.” Perhaps many of us can attest that we have spent an aboveaverage amount of time stressing about hiring and training new employees. The stress is often much more costly than dollars spent.

A trophic cascade occurs when a series of indirect interactions ultimately impact an entire ecosystem. For example, in the mid-90s, there was only one beaver colony in the Yellowstone ecosystem. After the grey wolf was introduced, nine beaver colonies emerged. How? When the wolves disappeared in the 1930s, the elk had a chance to breathe. One of their major predators was gone. The elk multiplied. And because of their newfound freedom, the elk grew lazy and loitered around willow plants. The beaver depends on the willow plants to survive. With less willow to feed upon, the beaver colonies dwindled. Once the wolf was reintroduced, the elk spent less time in one place. Vegetation started to return, The beavers got their willows back and the ecological system of Yellowstone was rebuilt.

What will be the tipping point of the trophic cascade in dentistry? Will former restaurant staff who sought benefits and more predictable schedules fill the employment holes in dentistry? Will former teachers who thrive with human connection find their way to dentistry? A recent Pew Research article noted that over half of adults who quit their job last year switched professions — especially those who were younger and did not have a postgraduate degree. In fact, this mixing is so common that some economists say the Great Resignation may be a misnomer; the Great Reshuffle may be more accurate. The millennial and Generation Y populations seek purpose at their workplaces. They desire autonomy. They want to see a path to promotions before starting. Dentistry has a chance to weather this storm. Not only does our profession provide purpose and a sense of service toward the greater good, it also features various channels of certifications that provide various stages of autonomy.

Where will dentistry end up on the other side of the Great Resignation? Will we be able to bow and bend through this latest economic era? Perhaps more of our staff’s day-to-day activities will become automated. A superbly intuitive virtual assistant may be able to navigate phone calls, reimbursement follow-ups and schedule management. A robot may be able to suction, assist and take X-rays, while a drone completes pickup and delivery of sterilization of our instruments.

While we move through the Great Resignation, CDA will continue to identify the potential moments for us to bend and bow and help our practices endure as we deliver excellent oral health care to our patients.

Ruchi K. Sahota, DDS, CDE, practices family dentistry in Fremont, California, and serves on the Southern Alameda County Dental Society Board of Directors. She is a certified dental editor, a consumer advisor for the American Dental Association, past president of the Southern Alameda County Dental Society and a fellow of the American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists and the Pierre Fauchard Academy.