Tuesday May 05, 2026

What You NEED To Look For When Hiring An Associate (ft. Sari Schiff)

👉 Get the 7 checklists Alex used to keep her front office organized and in control Download them HERE!

We’re hiring an associate right now, so this episode is us working through it in real time.

Our current doctor is heading to endo residency, which leaves us needing to replace him. Instead of guessing, we brought on Sari Schiff from Office and Practice Solutions. She works with both owners and associates, so she sees where things actually break down.

We talked through what associates are like coming out of school today, what they’re looking for, and how that lines up with what owners expect. That gap is where most issues start.

We also got into what matters once they’re in the chair—how they make decisions, how they present treatment, and how much support they need early on.

In this episode, we cover:

  • What to look for when hiring an associate
  • Red flags during interviews
  • What associates actually care about right now
  • How to think about hygiene %, procedure mix, and unscheduled treatment
  • Why treatment planning confidence matters early

If you’ve hired before, you’ve probably seen some of this play out. If you haven’t, this will give you a better idea of what to expect.

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