Can you imagine baseball without any rules? Or, driving in rush hour traffic with no laws or guidelines governing what to do when the lights turn green or red?

The obvious result would be confusion and chaos. This same logic applies to every organization. 

If there are no guidelines and rules for employees to follow they will not know what is expected of them. Frustration, confusion and unnecessary disagreements then happen. 

For these reasons, it is vital that you have both a general policy manual as well as individual manuals for each position in your dental practice.

In addition to achieving your goal of improving your patient’s dental health you want to maintain a comfortable and fun environment. This can only happen if everyone knows the specific expectations and procedures for their jobs.

Policies should cover such things as staff bonuses, time off, uniforms, benefits, etc. You may decide to change these policies as necessary in the future. If a change occurs your staff should be notified in writing of the policy amendment or cancellation. If you or your staff discover no policy exists to cover a specific situation you or one of your staff should propose a policy to cover that particular situation. Any proposed policies should be provided in writing to the office manager or doctor who will review and then forward (when appropriate) the proposal to the doctor for consideration.

Concerns regarding a specific policy should be taken up with the office manager or doctor for clarification. If a policy is not understood, the employee needs to get it clarified.

Kevin Tighe, Cambridge Dental Consultants, Senior Consultant, got bitten hard by the business and marketing bug during long summer days working at his dad's Madison Avenue ad agency. After joining Cambridge as a speaker in the mid-1990s, Kevin went on to become Cambridge’s senior consultant and eventually CEO. Cambridge Dental Consultants is a full-service dental practice management company offering customized dental office manuals. Frustrated? High overhead? Schedule a chat with Kevin at