AME: Burnout in Dentistry

The Very Dental Podcast Network

Recently I got a terrific query from a dental student. I decided to put it in the Very Dental Facebook group for discussion and here are some of the answers we got! "For my final in our program I’m doing an academic enquiry/ presentation on high rates of burnout in dentistry. As a dentist have you ever felt burned out? If so what did you do to overcome it? If you haven’t, why do you think that is? If you were to give advice to young students/dentists on how to manage a career in dentistry and to avoid burnout what would it be."

One answer worth highlighting was from Dr. Deanna Snitzer:

1) the faster you learn to stop caring about the teeth more than the patient cares about them the better. 2) find the type of work you like to do: do more of that 3) don’t tolerate people treating you like shit. (Patients, staff, anyone really). No one is irreplaceable in your life but you.. not a patient, not a hygienist, not anyone. 4) delegate. If there’s something you don’t like to do - allow someone else to take care of that for you. This may be professional or personal. 5) you can’t (and shouldn’t) be everyone’s dentist. 6) if you ask 10 dentists the best way to do something you’ll get 11 answers. Find a way that works for you and do it that way. 7) you’ll never regret firing someone - you’ll just regret not doing it sooner. This applies to basically anyone in your life… 8 ) take vacations. Believe it or not people will survive if you’re gone for a few days. 9) “Dentist” is what you do for a living. It isn’t WHO YOU ARE. Spend equal amounts of energy developing your life outside your office as you spend inside it. 10) don’t forget they’re really just teeth. Pretty much no one is dying in our chair.

Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!"

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