Emily Bovaird on the Gifts of Experience
In this post, Emily chats about how she chose a career in dental, and what has kept her in the field this whole time. She talks about the experience she has gained along the way, and she has learned to give back to her patients and her team.
It’s my birthday today. So far, so good. I got my free Starbucks. Dan is getting me a Whoopie Cookie from the Toasted Walnut for my birthday. They’re delicious. Ever since we went in there a week ago, I was like, that’s what I want for my birthday. That giant cookie right there.
I wanted to be a teacher when I got older. In grade twelve, I took a co-op in a grade two class. I was in my first semester of grade twelve and was like, no, there’s no way, absolutely no way I can do this. – I quickly realized that teaching most definitely was NOT for me. I went to my guidance counsellor at the time, and said I can’t do this, I have to change my courses, I don’t even know what I want to do, but it’s not that. It’s definitely not teaching children. We went through the list of job options, and dental was one of the things that popped up.” She said, “Dental hygienist is a great job, there’s great demand for it.” And I was like, “Okay, I’ll be a dental hygienist. How do we sign up?”
You’re never bored as a Dental Assistant. I started as a Level II assistant, so I even got to do more of the independent stuff. Like seeing kids, polishing, fluoride. I used to make my own temporary crowns for the doctor. I would do suture removals. I worked with an amazing dentist who took me under his wing and taught me everything I needed to know, plus some! I was very independent a lot of the time. I really liked that aspect of it.
To be totally honest, Emily ten years ago would have never guessed she would still be in dental. After about two years of being a Dental Assistant, I decided that it wasn’t what I wanted to do anymore. It was around that time that I realized there were other opportunities in dental. I didn’t have to be an assistant, I didn’t have to go back to school to be a hygienist, I don’t have to be a dentist, I don’t have to be chairside at all, as a matter of fact. There was a whole administrative aspect to it that I didn’t know anything about until I was working in a clinic in Millbrook. It opened my eyes to a whole other side of dental. There’s treatment coordinating, there’s administration, there’s management, there’s lots of other avenues in dental that don’t involve you sitting beside a dentist, or your boss all day.
One of the biggest things for me was I wanted to be able to have my own schedule, and my own drive to do things. When I was put in a fully administrative position, I found that freedom of being able to do things in the flow that I wanted. I wasn’t at the mercy of a schedule and following exactly what that schedule said. I really liked that and realized that administration was where my heart was.
I remember coming to Longworth Dental and meeting the receptionist here at the time. She was so bubbly and so happy, which is not something I was used to compared to other offices I had worked at. All the receptionists that I worked with were friendly, but she was so bubbly, so full of personality. I remember Dr. Sharon walking in with her mom and her daughter Aria. They were walking in, and I remember working in operatory three, on Sharon’s mom. We did some type of filling. I don’t even know what the word is, but I was so relieved. I felt like this weight just went whoosh, off my shoulders. I remember thinking, if I work here, I will never leave.
Now, I am in more of a leadership position. This definitely is my calling. I love being that one who has knowledge to share with everybody. Being here for so long, and being in so many different positions within the office, I feel like I have that wide variety of knowledge for our team. I feel like, forever, I have been that go-to person anyways. But now, it’s official, where the team knows I am that go-to person. I’ve said before, at this point, I don’t feel like I manage people. What I do is I manage the tasks that are associated with a management-type role. I struggle with even calling myself a manager, because I don’t feel like a manager. I don’t. I just feel like a part of the team.
I love the hustle and bustle of being in the clinic. I want to be part of that, I like helping, I like problem-solving, I like being busy, I like implementing things that will make the operational flow better, and I like being that traffic director person, to say, “Let’s go here, or go over there.” I like coordinating the schedule so that it makes sense operationally and so that it flows, so both our team and our clients have a smooth experience through the whole visit.
Yes, I care about how our clients are treated too, and I care deeply about the experience they have here. I want everybody to have a good experience, both our team and clients. I want our clients to come in and leave saying, “That was the best appointment I’ve ever had.” I want our clients to see that we are just all humans, were not robots. We’re humans, and we care, and we’re funny, and we can have fun while still working and being busy. Laughter is a big thing, I love hearing laughter in the clinic.
“I get to lead, coach, mentor. I get to share my knowledge [...]. I wouldn’t be in this position without having gone through everything that I went through.”
It’s crazy to think that I have totally changed my career without actually changing my career. It’s unbelievable, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to do it. I have everything that I ever wanted in a career. In a job. I have the freedom of choice. I have decision-making abilities. I get to hang out with awesome people every day. I get to lead, coach, mentor. I get to share my knowledge and to do all of those things. I wouldn’t be in this position without having gone through everything that I went through. And I wouldn’t be able to lead, coach, mentor, and share the knowledge I have without having gone through all of that. So, I’m so happy that I stuck with it, because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here. And who knows where I would be?