Tara’s journey of impact and growth in the Dental industry

For Tara, her time as a Dental Assistant, and later, as an orthodontic Practice Manager, meant more to her than just a job.

Since her beginnings in the industry in 2008, seeing the improvement that dental could make to a person’s life and confidence was an incredibly rewarding part of her everyday – feeling like she was ‘part of something greater’, and helping her team.

‘There is nothing nicer to see than a patient who has struggled with oral health care their whole lives, walking out of the clinic feeling a million dollars.’ 

Throughout her thirteen years in Dental, she learned an incredible range of skills like dentistry techniques, implant and oral surgery, digital 3D scanning and x-rays. She credits her knowledge not just to operators and other staff, but also to her patients!  

That’s because the job didn’t just teach her technical skills, but also how unique people and their stories can be. 

‘No two days are ever quite the same,’ she says.

‘Each person you meet has their own story to share, and being able to help the Dentist engage with and change people’s lives is so endearing.’ 

Tara's move to Foundation Education

Eventually, Tara recognised that her favourite aspect of her role as a Clinical Manager was ‘training the staff and watching them grow and expand in their roles’. So, when eighteen months ago she saw a new opportunity open up, and she decided to jump on board as a Dental Trainer and Assessor at Foundation Education.

Now, Tara prides herself on being able to provide a comfortable learning environment, where she can talk Foundation Education students through their learning material and provide them with extra resources.

But she also loves that by relating with her students’ experiences, she can provide even better support.

‘It is such a wonderful feeling when someone phones in about the skills they are learning, and I know first-hand what they are talking about and dealing with in the clinic.’ 

‘...Even just providing a safe space for them to discuss their day-to-day work and what they have learned or are learning, and feel like they are engaging with someone else who just ‘gets it.’

And according to Tara, this feeling is present across the entire teaching team!

‘The Dental staff at Foundation Education are so dedicated at what we do. We love our students, and it really makes our day to watch them progress through their learning.’

She’s also a big supporter of anyone already working as a Dental Assistant or Practice Manager in getting qualified and updating their skills. She explains that learning the most up-to-date, standard practice procedures really provides ‘peace of mind to patients and other staff, that everyone working in a clinic has the appropriate skills and knowledge.’

But whether someone is brand new to the industry, or has already been working in Dental for some time, Tara encourages anyone considering a course in Dental to ‘just do it’! 

‘It’s such a challenging and rewarding career opportunity. You will also be surprised at what you might learn along the way.’

Think a career in Dental might be the right path for you? Check out our Dental courses here.

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