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The four-part series explores the crucial stages of finding qualified candidates, successfully integrating new team members into the dental practice and retaining top talent.

A new state law will increase wage transparency for California job applicants and current employees beginning Jan. 1, 2023, with resulting new job-posting, pay scale disclosure and records-maintenance requirements for covered employers. 

In-office dental assistant training has arrived for the many CDA members who continue to have challenges finding and hiring qualified dental assistants for their practice. The curriculum provides 12 weeks of supportive online learning for use alongside in-office training.

Dental staffing shortages may make it tempting to offer a position to the first person who turns in an application, but a measured approach to hiring is recommended. Time and planning invested in your practice’s hiring process will save you money, maintain consistency and reduce risks of bad hires.

The current hiring market is very competitive, with a shortage of candidates to fill open positions. CDA Practice Support analysts offer their expert guidance to help guide dental practice owners through the process of recruiting, hiring and retaining employees.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on April 16 signed a bill that requires employers in certain industries statewide to rehire employees who were laid off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dental practice owners who hire and employ an individual janitorial staff member to clean their dental office are considered covered employers and must comply with the new obligations. 

Practice Support and Risk Management are receiving calls from member dentists concerned about how the pandemic is affecting daily business operations. To ensure all member concerns are addressed, CDA has compiled the most recent, commonly asked questions from member dentists about reducing employee hours and wages, managing delinquent accounts, patient dismissals and more.

Dental practice schedules and production have certainly been a rollercoaster in 2020. As we near the end of the year, many practices are reporting a slight decline in patient volume compared to the third quarter. 

With an increasing demand for dental assistants throughout California, CDA is encouraging member dentists to consider transferable skills while recruiting and hiring. Smile Crew CA aims to create a pool of qualified candidates by targeting job seekers who have been displaced from service roles with adaptable skills that would make them a viable dental assistant.