Planning An All-Staff Day For A Medical Or Dental Practice.
You closed the schedule for a day. Doctors, assistants, hygienists and the front desk are in one room. Here is how to make that day pay for itself.
A practice that closes for a team day gives up a day of production. That is a real cost, and the day should earn it back in how the team works together and how patients are treated afterward. The best team days are built around one clear outcome, not a full agenda.
Start with the outcome
Before booking anything, decide what you want to be different the following Monday. Common answers:
- A better patient experience. Every role sees how the first call, the check-in and the chair-side conversation shape what patients and parents remember.
- Stronger leadership. Office managers and lead assistants learn to lead people, not just run schedules.
- A team that wants to stay. Staff feel invested in, which matters in a tight hiring market.
A simple agenda that works
Open with the doctor or owner
Ten minutes on why the practice is investing in the day and what the team should expect. Keep it personal and short.
An interactive workshop
Sixty to ninety minutes of guided discussion and real scenarios gets people talking to each other, not just listening.
Lunch together
Mix departments at each table. Front desk and clinical staff often have the most to learn from each other.
A keynote for the whole team
Forty-five to sixty minutes on the patient experience or personal growth, so every role hears the same message.
Practice-specific work
Use the energy for your own priorities: workflow fixes, new protocols or team goals for the year.
One commitment each
Every person names one thing they will do differently. Revisit them at the next team meeting.
Pair a workshop with a keynote and every role hears the same message on the same day.
Choosing the speaker
For a practice team day, the speaker should not be teaching clinical content. Look for someone who speaks to leadership and the patient experience, who will customize to your practice, and who can run both an interactive workshop and a keynote so the day holds together. Ask what they need to know about your team beforehand.
Keep it going after Monday
- Revisit the commitments. Five minutes at the next huddle keeps the day alive.
- Give everyone something to keep. A book or a one-page guide works better than slides no one reopens.
- Recognize the moments. When someone puts the day into practice, say so in front of the team.
Questions practices ask
Is a full day too long?
Should we bring in a speaker or run it ourselves?
Does this work for dental, orthodontic and medical practices alike?
How far ahead should we plan?
Chris Sund led the Omaha Orthodontics all-staff day with You Are Capable of More: Leadership and The Power of Small Moments. See orthodontist speaker, dental speaker and medical group speaker.
Chris Sund
President and COO of Uniti Med, GQR Healthcare and Nebula, and bestselling author of You Are Capable of More. He led the Omaha Orthodontics all-staff day in November 2026. Based in Nebraska. Thinkers360 ranks him a Top 10 Thought Leader in Healthcare and a Top 100 Thought Leader in Leadership.
Make your team day count.
Send your date, your team size and what the day is for. You will get availability and a plan back within one business day.