Detailing the similarities between South African and U.S. dental assistants

For more than 20 years, I have focused many of my lectures at national and international meetings on dental assistants and the valuable role they play in building the business within the dental practice, including serving so often as a bridge between the practice and the patient.

Jeanné Oosthuysen and Kevin Henry in South Africa.

Last week, I was fortunate to speak at the South African Dental Association's annual session in Pretoria. Five of my lectures came during the dental assistant symposium, which was part of the meeting, while my other talk was delivered on the main stage as I tackled the 10 biggest mistakes that dental practices often make.

Among those mistakes that I detailed for the dentists in the audience was treating their team members with anything but respect and appreciation. It's often that this mistake causes team members to not enjoy their careers and leave the profession (or that dental practice in search of another one).

This is but one of the similarities I discovered between South African dental assistants and U.S. dental assistants. While each country's assistants face their own set of challenges, there are some core issues that bind them together. In fact, had I closed my eyes in Pretoria, what was being said about the challenges members of that audience faced could have easily been mistaken for what is said in Peoria, IL, or Pueblo, CO.

With that in mind, I want to share with you the latest episode of the "Dental Assistant Nation" podcast. Recorded during the SADA meeting, I welcomed back Jeanné Oosthuysen, the dental assistant champion of South Africa, to discuss what she sees from assistants in her native land and how there are so many similarities between how they feel on the job and the feelings of U.S. dental assistants.

In my opinion, this is a must-listen as a reminder that dental assistants are never alone in their struggles and joys. It's also a good listen for dentists to hear the other side of the story when it comes to their assistants and how they are feeling.