Staying Ahead In The Dentistry Business: An Interview With Dr. Louis Bourget
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Dr. Louis Bourget has been a leader in the medical field of dentistry for over 30 years. Based in Atlantic Canada, Dr. Bourget is a practicing oral and maxillofacial surgeon. With an extensive education, Dr. Bourget received his dental degree from McGill University and continued his surgical training at Dalhousie University. Since starting to practice oral and maxillofacial surgery, Dr. Bourget has prioritized staying up to date with the latest treatments and technology. He has completed over 1200 continuing education courses across the world. Dr. Bourget’s work extends to annual mission trips to areas of Brazil and Africa to serve communities in need of dental/medical treatments.
Today we sat down with Dr. Bourget to discuss what has led him to a long and successful career as an oral surgeon.
Q: What is your secret to balancing more than one medical/dental practice?
LOUIS BOURGET: I don’t know if it is a secret, but I really trust in my team. If you surround yourself with good people it will take some of the pressure off of your shoulders. I think the toughest part of building your own business is finding others who will be as passionate and committed to it as you are. This process can take a lot of time, and people can often become impatient and frustrated if they don’t find the right fit at the beginning. Building and maintaining my practices has been a lifelong journey.
Q: What is the benefit of continuing your education as a professional?
LOUIS BOURGET: For those who know me, it is a well-known fact that I am a huge supporter of continued education. For me personally, I’ve decided to take a multitude of courses, because I want to provide the best service to my patients as possible. The medical/dental field is developing at a rapid pace so I believe that it is our duty as doctors to stay up to date with the latest research, treatments and technology. What we have access to today is incredible. I have seen so much change and development in just a 10 year span alone.
Q: How has technology impacted the dental field in the last 30 years?
LOUIS BOURGET: It is quite incredible how much technology has developed in such a short amount of time. The medical/dental field as a whole is able to provide treatments, surgeries and solutions that we could only dream were possible when I first started out. To name just one example, the creation of 3D printing has had a pretty big impact on dental practice. We can create highly detailed models of our patients’ teeth, facial skeleton which can be used to create proper rehabilitation, plan our implants in a more ideal way before we operate on the patient. This provides us with both work that is precise and time-effective.
Q: What advice do you have for young professionals about time management?
LOUIS BOURGET: What I have discovered throughout my career is that it is okay to ask for help. As you can see I have a lot on my plate. I have learned to focus on prioritizing my workload. For items that I know are better suited for someone else, I am happy to delegate. For example, it became clear early on that I couldn’t also manage the books by myself for my business. I am not an accounting professional, and I had other priorities that needed my expertise. So the logical solution was to hire someone to overlook that aspect of the business. I would also say, make sure you are not taking on so much that in 5 years you will burn out. Take the first couple years of your career to figure out what a sustainable workload feels like for you.
Q: You talked about staying up to date with the latest in the medical field. As a business owner, how do you apply this new knowledge and innovation to your practices?
LOUIS BOURGET: Some things are really easy to add and others take a longer time because certain certifications are needed or it is a very large purchase for the clinic. When I look at adding something new to my practice, the first question that I ask is ‘Will this directly benefit our patients’ care’? If the answer is yes, then the next step is creating a timeline and setting aside the resources needed to implement it. One of my most recent additions is actually our medical scent service dog who provides patients with comfort to ease anxiety before and after treatments.
