Treatment Coordinator, Kayleigh Robinson, offers advice to aspiring Treatment Coordinators (TCOs) and charts her career path to date.
There are many different types of TCO and I suppose in some ways we all do the work of a TCO every day. If we’re booking an appointment or talking about a treatment, that’s treatment coordination for me.
I do a lot of selling. I’ve been on Ashley Latter’s course and that covers all the psychology behind selling. However, I’m not a pushy salesperson because I understand the patient psychology and their personalities. So, I know who will buy from me there and then on the day and the people that will need to go away and have a think about it.
Although a TCO’s job is to ‘sell’ treatment plans to patients, we need to be mindful that we work in healthcare. We’re dealing with people’s health, not selling them a car because they like the look of it. We’re trying to look after their overall health and get their mouth healthier. But for me it’s also about education. I love explaining to patients why their mouth has become unhealthy because often patients are uneducated. They don’t know what gum disease is or that it’s a preventable disease. In fact, it’s one of the only preventable diseases.
Accidental career
I am someone who stumbled into dentistry. However, I stuck with it because I realised I really love it. I qualified as a dental nurse in 2007 and then I went on to do my radiography qualification. After a while I was looking for what I could do next. At that time, Treatment Coordination wasn’t really a thing, but I was working in a practice that was very forward thinking. That was when I got a chance to be trained by Laura Horton. I was the first person in Scotland she trained. It was two days role play, but it was all about the fundamentals of the patient journey and the psychology involved in the work of a TCO.
Then I moved on and started working at a practice that did a lot of restorative dentistry. This is where I started talking to people about things such as full arch implants. So, instead of amalgam or composite fillings I was dealing with treatment plans costing £16,000 to £20,000.
Job satisfaction
The thing I love most about my job is seeing the end result. When the treatment’s finished and you see the patient change. Quite often they’ll come to me and give me a hug. I just love being part of that journey because I can remember them when they came in originally and I met them. They may have been nervous or upset and then to see them at the end is great.
The glue of the practice
What does a TCO do? In simple terms we coordinate appointments, present treatment plans to patients and work closely with the dentist. They’re the obvious things we do. But, in actual fact you’re the font of knowledge in that clinic. You’re the one that brings everything together. Some patients may feel reluctant to ask the dentist questions as they feel there’s a bit of a barrier there. So, I’ll handle their questions. I’ll never go out of my depth or give them information I’m not confident is accurate. If I’m not sure about something, I will tell the patient that I will get back to them about it. I never just wing it.
I also speak to nurses daily about things like lab work, I speak to patients about their needs, and I make sure that everything comes together so that we can give the patient the treatment they want and a great experience. As a TCO, you’re the person who handles the patient’s expectations when they come in and you follow them from when they’re about to start the journey right the way through until they’ve completed it.
I tell patients that they should treat me as their main point of contact. Some of them take that literally and I have had calls late at night on my mobile from patients who are worried about something! And that’s fine. For me it’s not just about presenting the treatment plan, it’s about walking them through every step of the journey so that they’re confident to go ahead.
It’s not just about working with the patients, though, as the dentist has a lot of trust in me. That’s not something that just happens overnight, it’s taken years and it’s about learning how to work together.
Emotional intelligence
A big part of being a TCO involves using your emotional intelligence. You’ll need to do this with all patients but especially when you’re dealing with a nervous person. Emotional Intelligence is important from a patient perspective, as is understanding a patient’s personality. It’s also important when you’re working with your colleagues too.
I have learned over the years to spot the four different personality types. Now, within 30 seconds I can tell what personality a patient is. Knowing the way the different personality types like to be treated and how they absorb information or the level of detail and explanation they need is a great help, as different types of people need things presented to them in certain ways. For example, some people really like an informal approach, whereas others are turned off by touchy feely things and just need the facts. You can also tell whether they’re going to be someone who will sign up for a treatment plan there and then, or whether they’ll need to go away and think about it. By knowing how best to explain things to someone, you achieve a better result for them and for you.
Even after 14 years, I still love my job and I learn something new nearly every day.
