How a Dentist Can Create an Effective Internship Program

Some people see interns as college students who are only good for getting coffee and completing a host of other mundane and insignificant tasks. This is especially true when it comes to working for big corporations, doctors or lawyers. This isn't to say that this perception is necessarily true. However, this is the way these students are portrayed on movies, television shows and even some novels. Because this is the way they are portrayed, some business owners tend to believe that they are only good for these types of tasks. The good news is that this doesn't have to be the case. If you are a dentist, for example, there are several things you can do to create an effective internship program that can help your business and make an impact on your interns.

For instance, you could allow your interns to assist you while you work on a patient. Of course, they shouldn't be doing anything that requires them to actually perform dental work. However, they could hand you certain items or even prepare each room before you go in. These things may not seem very important, but at least it allows the student to be around you while you perform your work. So, they will get to witness firsthand, the daily duties of a dentist.

Another thing you could allow your interns to do is set appointments. Although you most likely have a receptionist, this idea could still work. It would free up your staff member's time. This will allow them to focus on other tasks. If there aren't many other tasks that need to be handled at that time, it will at least give them a much needed break.

Not only does allowing interns to set appointments help the receptionist, but it will benefit them as well. This will allow them to see all of the things that go into running this type of establishment. It's about more than just working on people's teeth. However, there are a lot of behind the scenes activities that must also be taken care of.

Lastly, interns can also work directly with patients and visitors by holding short workshops during business hours. You could allow them to set up a small table in a corner of the office. The table could include pamphlets and other information about the importance of dental health. The intern would hand out the information to visitors and talk with them about different ways they could improve their dental lifestyle. This would allow the students to get used to communicating with others, which is an important aspect of being a dentist.

Contrary to what some may believe interns aren't useless nor are they to be used as servants. However, they are able to give help while getting help at the same time.