A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking at the annual session of the American Association of Dental Office Managers-AADOM. This is the 4th year we’ve been an exhibitor at the conference and we love meeting so many dental professionals that are dedicated to running and growing healthy practices. It’s always fun to see Practice Managers from our IH client practices and celebrate them. Jamie and I had fun visiting with them.

I had one manager ask me how she should interview hygienists and I was immediately reminded of an article I wrote in the past for this newsletter. I emailed the article to her and realized it may be helpful for you too. Scroll down to check out the list. I’m happy to share this with you and would love to hear some creative questions YOU ask potential team members.

What Questions Should You Ask When Interviewing Hygienists

Besides the routine questions you might ask…full-time or part-time, compensation and so on, here are a few questions that will give a little more insight into how a hygienist might fit into your practice.

Tell me what’s most important to you in a dental practice. What about in the team and doctor(s) you work with?

How many CEU credits did you earn in the last 2 years?

Are you willing to attend regular continuing education courses, including those that require travel with the team?

What dental technology have you used in the past?

In your past position, what did you do when there was an opening in the hygiene schedule?

How involved have you been in the scheduling and administration of the hygiene department?

Have you ever worked with a hygiene assistant?

What are your feelings about production goals and how you will contribute to the success and growth of the practice?

Tell me about your past involvement in patient education and enrollment of restorative dentistry and periodontal therapy.

Share with me your experience treating periodontal disease. Tell me about the protocol you used to detect and treat perio.

Have you ever been employed by a practice that worked with a dental consultant? Tell me about that experience.

What is it about you and your hygiene experience that you feel makes you stand out from other applicants?

Aside from traditional duties of a hygienist like performing prophies and perio therapy, what other duties do you consider your responsibility as a team member?

*Always ask to do a working interview and to have the hygienist spend time with the team.