As an orthodontist, you’re always looking for ways to improve your practice and provide the best care for your patients. One of the most effective ways to do this is through deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is a special type of practice that is purposeful and systematic, requiring focused attention and conducted with the specific goal of improving performance. Let’s explore the principles of deliberate practice and how you can apply them to orthodontics.
The Challenge of Deliberate Practice
The greatest challenge of deliberate practice is to remain focused. The human brain will often transform repeated behaviors into automatic habits. We call this habituation, and it helps us to adjust to our environment. We decrease our response to a repeated and harmless stimulus over time. This process allows people to filter out irrelevant information and conserve energy by not responding to outside or threatening stimuli. When we gain competence, we often gain mastery and shift from conscious to unconscious competence. Unfortunately, it’s easy to fall into the trap of mindless repetition, assuming that experience alone will lead to improvement. To avoid this, you must focus on each repetition of the task.
Examples of Deliberate Practice
An example of deliberate practice in orthodontics is breaking down the overall treatment process into parts, identifying weaknesses, testing new strategies for each section, and then integrating your learning into the overall process. Doing this can continuously improve your technique and provide better patient care, integrating our profession’s latest best practices. We can become complacent in reaching good results and finding a comfortable way to practice. After all, once you become satisfied with your results, it’s easy to plateau as you hit your stride. Why repair what is not broken? The deliberate practice intends to institute continual, perpetual improvement even if our actions are already satisfactory.
Another example of deliberate practice comes from Benjamin Franklin, who used deliberate practice to improve his writing skills. He would study the works of the best writers of his day, writing down the meaning of every sentence, rewriting each article in his own words, and comparing his version to the original. His efforts allowed him to identify and correct his weaknesses, significantly improving his writing.
Applying Deliberate Practice to Orthodontics
To apply deliberate practice to your orthodontic practice:
- Start by breaking down the overall process of treatment into parts.
- Identify the areas where you could improve, such as clinical systems, business initiatives, or marketing campaigns.
- Test new strategies for each section, such as updating your clinical protocols, digital workflow, financial policies, or digital marketing tactics.
- Integrate your learning into the overall process, continually refining your technique.
Another way to apply deliberate practice to orthodontics is by seeking training opportunities. Attend conferences and workshops to learn from other orthodontists and industry experts. Seek mentorship and feedback from experienced practitioners to help you identify your weaknesses and develop an improvement plan.
Conclusion
Deliberate practice is essential for improving your orthodontic practice and providing the best patient care. You can continuously improve your technique and provide better care by breaking down the overall treatment process into parts, identifying weaknesses, testing new strategies for each section, and integrating your learning into the overall process. Remember to remain focused on each task repetition and seek opportunities for training and feedback from experienced practitioners. You can take your orthodontic practice to the next level with deliberate practice.
