In Dentistry, Ghosting is not a victimless crime

by | May 4, 2021 | Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienists, Dental Job, Dental Professionals | 0 comments

I really wanted to avoid this post.  And please understand that I am not saying all dental professionals ghost, but it is getting rough.  

If you are reading this and you don’t know what ghosting is I can explain. 

In the dental field, ghosting is when a dental assistant, hygienist or front office staff either

  1. Schedules a interview
  2. Schedules a working interview
  3. Accepts a position and agrees on a start date
  4. Accepts a temp shift

And then… THEY DON’T SHOW UP!  They don’t reply to phone calls or text.  They just vanish… like a ghost. 

These last few months have been some of the worst months of ghosting I have ever seen.  And I am just baffled by it.  I truly don’t understand why anyone would accept a shift or an interview and then not show up.  

I am not here to bash or nag you guys about ghosting.  And certainly not EVERYONE is ghosting.  There are many wonderful applicants and temps that show up everyday and rock it! 

But for those that have ghosted or are planning to ghost, I want to let you know who it hurts and give you tips on how to cancel on a temp shift or interview.  

Who does Ghosting Hurt?

For starters it hurts you. 

Just like “The North Remembers” – dental offices remember and they talk.  If you start no showing interviews and temp shifts, they will let other offices know and suddenly your resume won’t be getting as many call backs.  

If you accept a temp shift through DirectDental, offices are able to rate you*.  We follow those rating very closely and if we see enough office marked you as a no show, we will remove you from the site.  We hate to do it, but it doesn’t benefit anyone to continue to let people ghost their shifts.  

*You are also able to rate dental offices you work at. Look for an email from DirectDental at the end of your temp shift asking to your review the office.

It hurts the patients.

Dental assistants and hygienists take an oath.  Those oaths are below. 

Dental Assistant Oath:

“I pledge to continually improve my professional knowledge and skills, and to uphold the highest standards of professional competence and personal conduct in the interests of the dental assisting profession and the public I serve.”

Dental Hygienist Oath

“I pledge continually to improve my professional knowledge and skills, to render a full measure of service to each patient entrusted to my care, and to uphold the highest standards of professional competence and personal conduct in the interests of the dental hygiene profession and the public it serves.”

As you can see, both mention the “public I serve” which are your patients.  When you don’t show up to an office, it is often too late to cancel those appointments and the rest of the team is now scrambling to do everything.  This can cause a lot of stress on the patients.  

It hurts the entire dental office.  

Yes, in theory, you don’t owe these dental offices anything.  But we are a family in the same profession and we should be kind and courteous to one another.  

When you have a temp shift and don’t show up, it cause the entire team to stress out.  Or when a doctor carves time in his day to interview you and you don’t show it is lost production which could cost the team their bonuses.  

The worst is when someone accepts a position, selects a start date and then never shows.  The office, most likely, cancelled other interviews and amped up production in excitement that you would be starting. 

Basically everyone involved is a victim when you ghost.

Reasons it is acceptable to Ghost an interview, temp shift or work.

Oh look… there aren’t any!

Had a family emergency? – call the office and let them know.

Accepted another position? – call the office and let them know.

Feeling sick? – call the office and let them know.

Double booked yourself? – call the office and let them know.

Decided the commute is too far? – call the office and let them know.

Just not feeling it? – call the office and let them know.

How do we avoid ghosting 

I’m not sure why people ghost jobs.  My strongest theory is that they want to avoid the awkward conversation of telling someone “no”.  Which seems fair.  Another theory is people no longer know how to use calendars.  

If you are ghosting to avoid awkward conversations, I urge you to stop.  Take 1 minute out of your life and make a quick call to let the office know you wont be coming in BEFORE your shift is to start.  I will even give you some simple scripts to use. 

If you scheduled an interview but no longer want to go:

“Hi Dr. John, I scheduled an interview with you on Monday.  I really appreciate the opportunity but I am going to have to pass at this time.  I hope you find someone great!” 

If you scheduled a working interview but no longer what to go:

“Hi Dr. John,  thank you for the opportunity to do a working interview wit your practice on Tuesday.  However, I am going to have to pass on the opportunity to work with you and your team at this time.  I hope you find someone great!”

If you are scheduled for a temp shift… please actually have a reason for not going.  And call the office and let them know.  But if you don’t have a valid reason and still want to cancel say:

“Hi Dr. John, I am scheduled to temp with your practice tomorrow.  I am very sorry for the short notice, but I won’t be able to come in.  I hope this gives you enough notice to try to find someone else.”

If you accepted a position and scheduled a start date but no longer want to take the job:

“Hi Dr. John,  thank you so much for the opportunity to work with your office.  I know I am supposed to start in a few days, but I am going to have to pass on the position.  Your office is wonderful and I know you will someone great! “  

In almost every case, the person you are speaking to will simply thank you for notifying them.  

The only instance where they might get upset is when you cancel on a temp shift.  So again, please only cancel if you have a valid excuse!

Now that you know that ghosting is not a victimless crime AND you know how to cancel your interviews and temp shifts with ease, hopefully we will see less people ghosting jobs.  

Well… a girl can dream, right?  

Smiles, 

Holli Perez
DirectDental

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