Hi, I’m Christa from Christa Nes LLC. I started in dentistry 15 years ago. My first job in the dental field was working in the back helping assistants sterilize instruments and set up rooms. From there I moved into working in the front office and eventually after graduating from college I became the office manager. Today I work as a consultant for dentists and dental teams helping them reimagine their vision and showing them the road to get there.
In my 12 years as an office manager I found a single common factor that was hindering dental offices from reaching their true potential. That factor is limiting beliefs. In reality, this issue is affecting offices in multiple negative ways.
These limiting beliefs came in many forms, from thinking it was not possible to eliminate late night appointment hours and keep patients happy to believing it was not possible to retain patients and become an out of network provider. These beliefs prevalent in all areas of the practice. The beliefs were held by the team and many had been engrained in the team from predecessors who had passed down outdated or incorrect information.
Some limiting beliefs stuck with the team from previous failed attempts prior that were internalized as, this such thing is not possible, when in reality it was simply the process that had not worked. I realized these limiting beliefs were being passed as truths from the staff to the dentist, and had just become pure facts for the office.
I began to question these beliefs that resulted in the decisions being made. Why were we still believing these things? Why did my predecessors think this was true? Was it true years ago and now it was just outdated information. Was this just what they personally had thought and it was incorrect information? I started to ask myself and everyone around "why”. When I found there was no good answer as to why, I started to change the process and change the systems. The results were positive change in the practice.
In my consulting work, I found the same to be true. Limiting beliefs were the main reason dental practices weren't reaching their full potential. This was affecting a wide variety of practices including those just hitting the million dollar mark as well as those at the multi-million dollar level.
The limitations practices had put on themselves was creating stressed out teams, stuck in a repetitious cycle of overwhelm from not being satisfied with certain aspects of the practice but feeling that change was not possible. Subsequently, doctors were frustrated and unsatisfied. Doctors were starting to give up on their once exciting vision for their practice. The office managers were capable, but lacked time, knowledge, and the tools to implement new projects.
This is where I found my passion, by helping doctors renew their original vision for the practice, the one that made them open their doors in the first place, and empowering their teams to believe change and improvement is possible. You do not have to come to work and be stressed out! You do not have to compromise on the vision you once had for your practice! You do not have to limit your financial potential. It is all possible! Now I find myself on a mission to help dental practices break through their limiting beliefs, renew their vision and start living it!