Dental students with poor communication skills

[redhotchiligochu]

I've noticed that 30-40% of the dental students that I've met (not just from the program I'm attending, but also from other dental schools) have extremely poor communication skills, have bad bedside manners, or are terrible at explaining things.

Out of all the healthcare professions, I feel like dentistry is the one profession where saying the wrong thing to a patient has a more devastating effect to one's career than if one was simply a GP at a large hospital or a retail pharmacist.

Do any of you have classmates who are socially awkward AF?

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[oralcare123]

Don’t worry about them. They would make bad dentists, you will be a good one with more patients

 

[Str82th]

I have seen quite a few of those, I fear for how they will service their debt.

 

[2TH MVR]

Being in dental school and being in the real world are two different things. Once you become a dentist ... you will have time to work on your communication skills. It takes time and practice. I've noticed as you become more proficient at dentistry ... you will have more confidence in what you say and how you act towards your patients.

 

[amariesa]

Some people are socially awkward around peers but are cool around patients. Some people come into themselves at 30 and it takes time. Some people never lived life (love+loss+humility...etc) so 'gunning' is all they know and may rub people the wrong way. Some people like to bitch about others behind their backs or online. Everyone has areas to work on. Service your own debt and dont worry about other people. If they bother you, stop talking to them or call them out to their face (nicely of course). If you really pity them and want to help (I doubt this is the case), then let them know that they way they explained something was not effective for you...etc.

Its a pet peeve of mine when people talk **** behind others. I gravitate to those people that dont. If someone is different from you, then know that they got there because thats how their life shaped up (parents forcing them to be gunners, or maybe they have social anxiety, or so many other reasons). If their personalities dont mesh with yours, then you dont need to interact with them, just be generic and move on. But to "pity" their future and success, it says enough about you.

 

[321931]

Finished in the bottom 5% of my class (pretty sure even worse then that)...but of all my friends and classmates...I'm pretty sure I make more then 95% of them. Dentistry is a people business...and a business business. It has nothing to do with how well you can actually do dentistry, nor lab skills, nor lab competency, nor actual procedure skill sets, nor grades in classes, nor how nice your preps are whatever.

It has nothing to do with actual dentistry. Just a people business and a business business. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[TanMan]

I've noticed that 30-40% of the dental students that I've met (not just from the program I'm attending, but also from other dental schools) have extremely poor communication skills, have bad bedside manners, or are terrible at explaining things.

Out of all the healthcare professions, I feel like dentistry is the one profession where saying the wrong thing to a patient has a more devastating effect to one's career than if one was simply a GP at a large hospital or a retail pharmacist.

Do any of you have classmates who are socially awkward AF and you worry about/pity their future as a dentist?

Edit: TBH I had to post this because I was triggered twice this week by 2 different classmates who didn't know wtf they were talking about, both of whom are self-centered gunners who seemed to be jealous of my waxup practical result. You know, those students who study 24/7, don't party, complain using false humility about a 98% on the midterm, but have terrible hand skills and can't get above 70% competency in lab....

Is that a new term that people use these days... "triggered"? I don't remember my generation using that term at all, and it's almost as annoying as the term "microaggression".

Rainee is right though, patients don't know what quality is, as long as it doesn't fall apart, doesn't hurt, and looks ok when it matters. The primary variable is how you talk to your patients and sell your services. You could be one of the worst clinicians, but if you meet the above 3 criteria and you're the best smooth talker, you'll probably be the most successful among your colleagues.

 

[redhotchiligochu]

Is that a new term that people use these days... "triggered"? I don't remember my generation using that term at all, and it's almost as annoying as the term "microaggression".

Rainee is right though, patients don't know what quality is, as long as it doesn't fall apart, doesn't hurt, and looks ok when it matters. The primary variable is how you talk to your patients and sell your services. You could be one of the worst clinicians, but if you meet the above 3 criteria and you're the best smooth talker, you'll probably be the most successful among your colleagues.

Yeah, I'm approaching my 30's and I used to teach high school and work in sales before I started D1 so I hear "youthful" terms like "triggered" which is pretty much like "microaggression" haha.

I'll just wait it out, pass my classes and boards, until I actually get to utilize my real-world skills. It's pretty damn frustrating to operate at a 30-year old level when most of your classmates are physically 22-24 but mentally stymied at 14....

 

[Localnative]

Regarding your socially awkward AF classmates... I'm no oracle, but I foresee a successful OS career for them. Sounds like some of my close friends/colleagues!!

 

[yappy]

It's really no big deal. Just make sure to make the correct hirings in your office. It's more profitable for the dentist to be completing treatment than talking treatment. No matter how poorly someones social skills are they can always fake a good introduction and good manners. Having personable front end/hygiene/assistants and business office staff is more essential.

 

[Noice]

People don't usually choose to have poor social skills. They are probably just doing the best they can. I'm sure they'd rather (try to) be at the 1st quartile of OMS than be at the 1st quartile of general dentistry.

It's really no big deal. Just make sure to make the correct hirings in your office. It's more profitable for the dentist to be completing treatment than talking treatment. No matter how poorly someones social skills are they can always fake a good introduction and good manners. Having personable front end/hygiene/assistants and business office staff is more essential.

Hey! That's my plan. I think patients don't mind talking to most of the staff, but when it comes to the dentist a lot of them just want to get in and out as fast as possible (with the least pain and the smallest bill).

 

[Incis0r]

Some people are socially awkward around peers but are cool around patients. Some people come into themselves at 30 and it takes time. Some people never lived life (love+loss+humility...etc) so 'gunning' is all they know and may rub people the wrong way. Some people like to bitch about others behind their backs or online. Everyone has areas to work on. Service your own debt and dont worry about other people. If they bother you, stop talking to them or call them out to their face (nicely of course). If you really pity them and want to help (I doubt this is the case), then let them know that they way they explained something was not effective for you...etc.

Its a pet peeve of mine when people talk **** behind others. I gravitate to those people that dont. If someone is different from you, then know that they got there because thats how their life shaped up (parents forcing them to be gunners, or maybe they have social anxiety, or so many other reasons). If their personalities dont mesh with yours, then you dont need to interact with them, just be generic and move on. But to "pity" their future and success, it says enough about you.

100% agree with this. Everyone has their own life experiences. My method is- Just run my own race/stay in my own lane, try to be helpful to others, and learn as much as I can.

 

[Bernie Sanders]

Some people are socially awkward around peers but are cool around patients. Some people come into themselves at 30 and it takes time. Some people never lived life (love+loss+humility...etc) so 'gunning' is all they know and may rub people the wrong way. Some people like to bitch about others behind their backs or online. Everyone has areas to work on. Service your own debt and dont worry about other people. If they bother you, stop talking to them or call them out to their face (nicely of course). If you really pity them and want to help (I doubt this is the case), then let them know that they way they explained something was not effective for you...etc.

Its a pet peeve of mine when people talk **** behind others. I gravitate to those people that dont. If someone is different from you, then know that they got there because thats how their life shaped up (parents forcing them to be gunners, or maybe they have social anxiety, or so many other reasons). If their personalities dont mesh with yours, then you dont need to interact with them, just be generic and move on. But to "pity" their future and success, it says enough about you.

Amen. 100% Agree.
It's so alarming how so many people just want to b*itch about what they perceive to be their classmates' "drawbacks". This exactly how divisions in the class start, and then people start to work against each other in dental school instead of working together. And working together in dental school is an absolute MUST, particularly when you hit clinic

 

[deleted696582]

I think everyone will get better with patient interaction and social skills throughout dental school. Some people are just introverted and would rather not make small talk, but the more practice they get dealing with patients, the better they will become at communication. My first mock patient interview was awkward, but I tried to take note of where I could have improved. As far as the gunners you mentioned... sometimes you just learn to deal with frustrating people.

 

[PaulS]

we actually had a communication course where we had to go through scenarios dealing with patients and some of my classmates were absolutely horrible! But they improved as time passed by so its definitely possible for people to improve on their communication skills and be comfortable around patients so it just takes time and practice

 

[TanMan]

It's really no big deal. Just make sure to make the correct hirings in your office. It's more profitable for the dentist to be completing treatment than talking treatment. No matter how poorly someones social skills are they can always fake a good introduction and good manners. Having personable front end/hygiene/assistants and business office staff is more essential.

Although this can help with retention, being personable in dentistry helps when you screw up or make mistakes. There's plenty of offices out there that have great support staff, but horrible dentists, and in the end, the personality of the dentist still wins the patient over or keeps them. However, you shouldn't be nice to all patients, just the ones you want to keep.

 

[resiliens]

And working together in dental school is an absolute MUST, particularly when you hit clinic

What's the reason for the latter part of your statement? Would you please elaborate?

 

[TanMan]

Make sure you learn to trade patient procedures to finish faster. Hoard your patient procedures even if you don't need it (but don't do them), then trade them off for what you need. I remember that our high value patients were RPD's, especially single tooth RPD's. I'd go as far to say that you should pay for the single tooth RPD's just so you can finish that requirement fast or trade them for a bunch of other things you need to graduate or want to practice on. That way, you won't have to scramble for patients in your 4th year and you can cruise on by.

 

[DrJeff]

An "average" dentist with great communication skills is more likely to have what is viewed as a "more successful" practice than a "great" dentist with average communication skills.

One has to remember, and for many in the dental profession we seem to forget this at times, that there's an actual person, with a personality and feelings, attached to the teeth we're working on in our operatory chairs. And the ability to communicate, and not just about the procedure you're doing or the diagnostic findings that you see to the patient in a way that your patients can relate to, and then actually be able to carry on a conversation if needed about other things (the weather, whatever holiday is coming up, some random event in the town/city you practice in, etc) is huge in building patient trust and a positive perception of you and your practice. It's like if you, yourself are out in a social setting and meet/interact with someone. Do you view them more favorably if they can make a conversation interesting, or if their conversation skills are at best dull?

Learning to be comfortable talking with people about a whole slew of topics is a GREAT life skill to have both professionally and personally for sure!

 

[AmpedUp]

No one is perfect. You'll be "practicing" dentistry until you retire 🙂. The first couple years of "practice" is like the first 10 plays of a football game. You start to figure out what people like and don't like. A lot of dentists make a good living from being average. I think if you nail down the communication from all angles (e.g. staff, patients, suppliers, lab, etc), you'll be very successful -- just make sure you don't get divorced or follow bad financial advice haha.

 

[charlestweed]

When I was a 3rd year student, I lost a patient to my classmate because the patient didn’t like the way I communicated with her. After my ortho residency, I’d worked for someone else for 4 years before I finally had the courage to set up my own office. That’s because I didn’t think I had the necessary skills to succeed.

Neither my office manager nor I have good communication skills. The first thing my manager says to the patient when he/she signs in is to ask for the monthly payment, instead of saying hello or asking how the patient is doing. Unlike many of my colleagues, who usually set aside 30-60 minutes for each new patient consultation, I only spend 3-5 minutes because I don’t know what else to say to the patient. My manager then comes in and spends another minute or two to tell the patient the tx fee. And the patient will decide whether he/she will start tx with us. No sweet talking TC…no selling...no fancy marketing folder…no bargaining.

I guess the reason I can get away with this is I treat mostly low income Hispanic (50%) and Asian (30%) patients. These patients usually respect and trust their doctors more than the higher income earners. They don’t google stuff on the internet and then come in and ask a bunch of silly questions. I usually let my chairside and front desk staff handle all the questions from the patients so I can focus on what I do best… and that is making treatment decisions.

As someone here said earlier, a lot of patients just want to get in and out as quickly as possible. Keeping the patient on the chair longer tends to increase the anxiety level.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

People like this are everywhere. Blows my mind but not my problem at the end of the day

 

[babykk]

When you enter into business, you understand how important it is. Most of us have not noticed that yet