The Missing Puzzle Piece

Statistics indicate that 20% of the workforce in dentistry quit during the pandemic,” said Dr. Terry Watson, who owns Midtown Smiles in Nashville, TN. That’s what he and practice manager Dana Watson were dealing with in the midst of and the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Every position was hard to replace,” continued Dr. Watson. “Front office, expanded function, regular dental assistant.”

Dana agreed, “There was probably a year and half, if not more, where that struggle was huge and on the daily.”

However, that struggle ended when the Watson’s learned about GoTu, an on-demand staffing resource dedicated to connecting dental professionals and practices. But first, let’s take a look at how Midtown Smiles filled open positions before they started working with GoTu.

Before GoTu

Before the pandemic, Midtown Smiles had 2 or 3 people they could always turn to when they needed to fill an open position if an employee called out sick or planned a vacation. The Watsons were familiar with these dental professionals and trusted their clinical skills. “Temping was what they did, and our office was familiar to them,” explained Dana. However, with the pandemic, this option fell through for various reasons.

“We were very limited an would depend on social media hygiene groups,” said Dana. “There would be a list that we could download with phone numbers, areas where people wanted to work, and what days they were available. It was a constant struggle to call, text, or email sometimes 20 people for one position for one day. To fill a schedule was like putting a puzzle together every day without all of the pieces.”

Dana, Dr. Watson, and the rest of the team were left feeling frustrated. They didn’t always know if the person who showed up to work that day would have good standards or if they were even licensed for the role. “It was a gamble,” said Dana.

After GoTu

Midtown Dental is now fully staffed, but they regularly turn to GoTu when an assistant or hygienist plans time off. “I have an employee who’s going to be on maternity leave, and we have some vacations and family trips coming up,” said Dana. “I know we can depend on GoTu to send certified, verified, prescreened, and dependable professionals. They’re also covered with their own malpractice insurance. And I don’t have to take on a W2 every time a temp comes into the office.”

How GoTu Works

The process of working with GoTu begins by setting up a free account, where practices can enter their address and post the positions and shifts they need. When dental professionals apply to the posted shifts, the practice reviews those professionals’ profiles and makes a selection. After confirming acceptance, the practice and professional can communicate directly through the app to discuss specifics.

GoTu automatically manages payment for the dental professional. “I love that GoTu tells me what the average pay is for a role in our area,” said Dana. “When I post that I want to schedule a hygienist for Tuesday, August 5th, the app tells me what the average offer is for that position in our area. I can select that rate or offer less or more. GoTu provides direction but leaves the choice up to me.”

“It also makes payroll cleaner for us,” Dana continued. “It doesn’t skew my numbers. Before, if we worked with 20 temps, we had to complete 20 W2s, which made it look like we had 20 employees, which we did not.”

After working with a dental professional, the practice can rate them through the app. “I know I’m going to get quality dental professionals,” said Dana. “Out of 30 or more different professionals we’ve been connected with through GoTu, only one didn’t really work out. Basically, all have been high-quality candidates. I don’t have to worry if they’re licensed or if they’re going to even show up. I’ve never had a no-show, which was common before.”

A Completed Puzzle

The various individuals who work in a dental practice should fit together like a puzzle. Each person should have the knowledge and expertise to perform in their role with ease so that patient needs are met and the office runs efficiently. Ultimately, you want to reduce stress for your staff, enhance clinical care for your patients, and increase revenue for your practice.

Teaming up with a partner like GoTu helps ensure you can easily complete that puzzle by connecting practices with high quality candidates. “Every temp from GoTu has been very professional and very kind to my patients,” said Dr. Watson. “And that’s all you can really ask—just get in there and do your job and make people feel comfortable. They’ve done that every single time.”