Elizabeth Levesque is one of our newest members of the Dental Managers Society. She is from Avalon Dental Center, a multi-office practice servicing Somerville, Cambridge, and the surrounding area. Avalon is owned and operated by Dr. Michael Ofir. The practice is multi-specialty, offering general dental procedures, endodontic care, periodontal care, and oral surgery. Their expertise includes implants, bone and tissue grafting, osseous surgery, and extraction of third molars. Their aim is to provide the highest quality dentistry possible with the best patient experience. In addition to being the office manager at Avalon, Elizabeth also does dental practice consulting. Her consulting work entails helping practices improve their collection and production numbers by training their staff and implementing proven policies and procedures.
Elizabeth joined the Avalon team in October 2017. Although she has been with the practice a fairly short time, she considers it her family and home. She has over 15 years of practice management experience. Her first foray into the dental field was 28 years ago in a large Air Force Clinic in Minot, North Dakota, and it is that experience and rigid training in all aspects of management and leadership skills that she credits for building a strong foundation for her success.
Prior to entering the dental field, Elizabeth worked in the hospitality industry as a front desk clerk. That experience laid the groundwork for her dental industry success, because she learned about customer perceptions and service. She acquired necessary skills in public relations and problem solving.
Elizabeth stated that her favorite part of working as an office manager is her impact on the lives of others. She works with the Avalon staff on both professional and personal development to improve quality of life, including teaching them how to find the positive in a negative situation. She considers this an investment in the staff, enabling both her and the staff and to positively impact their patients. Her goal is to treat them all like they are the most valuable people on the planet. Elizabeth considers every little step she takes as an attempt to better the environment and improve people’s outlook on life, and she believes that teaching respect is the key to success.
We can all relate to Elizabeth’s least favorite thing about practice management: staffing. She finds it difficult to find dedicated staff members who want to work in a positive manner.
Elizabeth also found it challenging to make changes to an established practice. As we know, not all practices are willing to change or implement policies. Fortunately, Avalon Dental Center has been open and receptive to making small changes to better the patient experience and enhance staff camaraderie.
Asked for words of wisdom for new practice managers, Elizabeth offered this: Stay true to who you are and never compromise your values. Be respectful to everyone and listen closely to what people say. Do not take things lightly, be strong but rule softly. Remember that you are dealing with lives. She observed that the road is tough and you will be pushed, but always put yourself in the other’s shoes before you react. The job of a practice manager is to protect the practice and your team, while creating the image and culture you’d like your team and the community to see.
Elizabeth thought most people would be surprised to hear that she has been in the dental field for most of her adult life. She loves the field and said she would honestly never leave dentistry. She finds great joy in helping practices improve.
The biggest benefit that Elizabeth identified in joining the Dental Managers Society and other managers networking groups is to learn from others. She believes that our group has a great deal to offer. She enjoys sharing experiences with others that are experiencing or have experienced similar issues. She feels that we learn from and help others to face challenges. Elizabeth understands that our members have a wealth of experience and wisdom.
Please join us in making Elizabeth feel welcome. We appreciate her willingness to be interviewed and look forward to learning from and with her in the future!
