Confidently Follow Your Passion with Mary Jane Hanlon – 047

Dentists! Lesson #1. Surround yourself with people smarter than you.

Lesson #2 – repeat lesson #1. Maybe add in a little floss and deep root scaling.

Check out my interview with Mary Jane Hanlon – one smart cookie. Listen in on her tips on how to REALLY grow your practice!

Our podcasts are interviews between Justin Krane, Krane Financial Solution’s President, and various professionals, one or more of which are or have been Krane Financial Solutions clients. However, nothing stated within the podcasts should be considered a testimonial or endorsement of Krane Financial Solutions or Justin Krane, and the professionals have not been directly or indirectly compensated for being interviewed.

Our podcasts are interviews between Justin Krane, Krane Financial Solution’s President and various third-party professionals. Noting stated within the podcasts should be considered a testimonial or endorsement of Krane Financial Solutions or Justin Krane, and the professionals have not been directly or indirectly compensated for being interviewed.

Mary Jane Hanlon, RDH, DMD, MBA has an extensive and varied background in the ﬁeld of dentistry. Since 1997, Dr. Hanlon has been active in the dental industry and owned and operated her own practice for 15 years. In 2014, she became Assistant Dean of Predoctoral Clinical Education at Tufts where she works to revamp the overall clinical environment. In 2016, she became Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs overseeing all of the undergraduate and postgraduate clinical operations for the school. Mary Jane is a member of the American Dental Association, the American Dental Education Association, Academy of General Dentistry and many other dental organizations. She is licensed to practice dentistry in Massachusetts.

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Resiliency Through the Pandemic

There is a challenge for older dentists to get through the hit on their business because they already took a hit during the recession of 2008.
During an unprecedented event like a major pandemic, it is important to stay in tune with the emotional side of the struggle and come together as a community.
At the time of this recording the genome was known but no vaccine was available. It is amazing to see how hard scientists worked to be able to deliver a solution.

The ABC’s of Communication

Communicate with transparency about what your practice has to do to manage COVID safely.
Be sure to not shy away from asking questions of patients to feel confident they have not made contact or are at risk of spreading the virus.
The “human touch” of communication with patients, especially during social distancing, is extremely important.
The astuteness and expectations of patients are affecting practices. Make sure you educate them enough so they feel comfortable that appropriate care will be provided.

Marching to Your Own Beat

As a highschool student there were naysayers who said Mary Jane couldn’t become a dentist.
The best advice she got was to go experience it and shadow, and she immediately fell in love.
Mary Jane’s defining moment was when a guidance counselor told her plainly that she was not smart enough to be a dentist. She decided then that no one was going to tell her what she could or couldn’t achieve.
While mentoring new graduates or residents, Mary Jane has heard about not ideal circumstances, especially in the pandemic.
When facing a crossroad it is time to ask the questions of true goals and desires, then figure out the financial steps to get there.
There is more than enough to go around in dental services so do not make decisions based on fear of scarcity.

Best Quotes:

“I think that they [dentists] have to watch what’s happening in their communities. I think it’s critically important that we support one another.”

“I call it my defining moment. And I think we all have these in our lives. And in that one moment in time, I decided that nobody was ever going to tell me what I could or could not do.”

“Anybody that thinks with a competitive mind is thinking scarcity, right? So they’re keeping their mind small. And I think there’s more than enough to go around and you just have to provide the service that patients are expecting.”

“The astuteness of patients and the expectations that are coming from patients are really affecting our practices. And we have to make sure that we’re educating them enough so that they feel confident that we can provide the care for them.”