This article originally appeared in Dental Assisting Digest e-newsletter. Subscribe to this informative monthly ENL designed specifically for the dental assistant here.
Seven years ago during my first tenure as the editorial director for Dental Assisting Digest, I worked on a survey with more than 1,000 dental assistants around the country.
The survey asked two simple questions. The first was, “What is the nicest thing a dentist has ever said to you?” and the second was, “What is the meanest thing a dentist has ever said to you?”
While we often focus on the negative side of the practice (and have shone some light on this in our recent bullying series), we also want to focus on the positive side of what goes on in practices. There are many, many dentists out there who are raving fans of their assistants, and we want to promote these men and women.
As an aside, far and away the most frequent answer we received seven years ago for the nicest thing a dentist ever said to an assistant was, “Thank you.” I have told this story several times at my talks around the country and assistants always tell me how important it is to know they are appreciated.
As for the meanest thing, there were some real doozies, including assistants being called “dog meat” and “no better than a spider monkey.” Assistants were also called these things and other demeaning names in front of patients. I’m not kidding.
So, seven years later, what’s the meanest and nicest thing a dentist has ever said to you? We want to know! You can tell us anonymously by clicking here and filling out these two questions. Short answers are just fine!
We will publish some of the most eye-opening answers in an upcoming edition of Dental Assisting Digest, so keep your eyes open for that. Additionally, we’ll be sharing advice from a professional on how to deal with discouraging words when they’re aimed at you.
Again, to fill out our quick survey, please click here. Your responses should take less than two minutes.
Thanks in advance for your help! I can’t wait to see your answers!
