I am 6 months through my one year contract for my part time job as a dentist in private practice. I have gotten into the groove and become familiar with the office, the team, and the systems. Now that I have a routine down and I am part of the office, I am of course looking around and thinking about whether or not this is what I truly want. This opportunity has been perfect as a way for me to continue to work while I recover from burnout. I have been able to work on my skills as a dentist, but shed so much of the job that caused me chronic stress and unhappiness. The answer that my heart is telling me is … maybe. I consider this progress though because one year ago, I was expecting to leave dentistry completely in my past. I am open to working in dentistry, but I am also open to pivoting and entering an entirely new field. I don’t know exactly what type of work I would be good at or would want to do, but this time has given me a lot of input on what I expect and need from a future employer or workplace.
Here is my wish list for what I want out of a job:
I want to know why I am there
I think that the foundation for any job would be to understand how I fit into the big picture. I don’t care what the work is, every person involved in a company or team needs to know how their work supports the overall goal. I want to be able to clearly see my role as a team member and how that impacts and interacts with the roles of other people. Right now, I know that my role is to provide dental care, but it isn’t clear to me if I am there to retain and attract the patient base I brought with me or if I am growing the practice and participating with the team. It feels like an in-between role. I am there, but I almost feel like a substitute teacher- there to do a good job and fill a certain role, but not necessarily a piece of the whole.
I want to have access to the tools I need to do my job
I want to know that I am respected and supported to accomplish whatever role I am hired to do. I have a feeling that this one is a sticking point for a lot of professionals. Many times, we know what we need or want to do, but don’t have what we need to accomplish it and sometimes do not have leaders who are responsive or supportive in providing the tools. At my current job, I do not have a computer of my own or dedicated space where I can look at patient information or work on my treatment plans. I am able to float around and use an open area here and there, but I feel that I don’t have what I need to really accomplish my goal. I don’t know that I am being set up for success.
I want to know that my leadership is active, not just relying on momentum
When I had my own private practice, I know how easy it was to get through every day and feel like each individual day was a success. Momentum kept us going, but over time, we needed to be dynamic and stay ahead of success instead of trying to play catch up. I want to work in a job where the goals are known, progress is evaluated, and different approaches are welcome and tried. I think there is a balance between routine and fluid systems. Too much either way is not good, I just want to know that my work will not become stagnant. Being stagnant leads to boredom and reduced work quality. Boredom and reduced work quality is an express train to burnout.
I want space to learn, question, discuss, and experiment
I want to be able to learn by trying. I want room to make mistakes and ask for the input of others. I want to feel comfortable discussing things with my co-workers and not feeling insecure or shamed for having questions or seeking out input. In dentistry, we are supposed to know it all, but I have benefitted greatly in my current job by sharing experiences, both technically with procedures and with patient management in general. It has been really nice to be able to talk through approaches and cases and hear other points of view. It isn’t always this way in this profession due to egos, but I have that now and would expect that in any work I do in the future.
I want space for being a human, but with boundaries
We all have those times in our jobs where our humanity just cannot be denied. Some days your personal life butts in or you are just having an off day. I want to know that my workplace is empathetic and supportive of these human moments that will happen, but I also want boundaries. I do not want to be the keeper of anyone else’s problems or emotions. I want to also provide empathy and support, but I have definitely been over invested in my co-workers in the past and it only ends up in a load of stress that I am have no control over and always interferes with work.
I want security
I know that nothing in work is ever promised or forever, but I would like to put down roots in a job that I am expecting to be my future. It is sometimes difficult to invest in the job I am at now, knowing that I have a one year contract. I would love to land somewhere and start building towards a new routine and life.
What would you add to my list? What are your needs in a workplace?
I hope you are having a great day!
-Jackie