Heather Edson is practice manager for South Shore Dentistry. Dr. Larry Burt and his team members have the main prerogative of providing their patients with a comprehensive, comfortable, and convenient experience. They want to help their patients achieve optimal dental health in the most comfortable manner possible, in addition to educating them on how to maintain that health. They utilize the latest dental technologies and strive to further their own dental knowledge to benefit their patients in any way possible. Dr. Burt has practiced at South Shore Dentistry for over 15 years. He is a general dentist, specializing in IV sedation and pinhole surgery. However, they also offer a variety of treatment such as veneers, implants, bone grafting, and even orthodontic treatment. Recently, they have begun to offer Botox and fillers.
Heather has been at South Shore Dentistry for one year. Her pre-dental background was in retail management. She was a store manager for CVS pharmacy for six years. Heather started as an assistant manager, became a store manager, then progressed to train and develop new store managers. She opened a new location, took on challenged and underperforming stores, and was responsible for multiple locations. Heather emerged as a leader and began the training process to become a district manager. From there, she accepted a new and different challenge at BJ’s Wholesale Club, working for a ‘big box’ retailer. After two years, she decided she needed a change from retail and she decided to look for something completely different. Heather landed an office manager position at a high volume corporate general pedodontic office and she loved it! She said that this change was the perfect one for her. After two years, she decided to advance herself with something more challenging. She joined Dr. Larry Burt at South Shore Dentistry.
Outside the office, Heather likes to have fun! Everything about working in a dental office is different than retail. Among her favorite things about practice management are the work/life balance, stress level, work load, patient interaction, and the satisfaction of helping patients become compliant and improving their oral hygiene. She enjoys being able to work closely with my staff in helping others either meet their goals or improve their health and self-confidence.
Her least favorite thing about being a practice manager is “anything clinical” (laughing). With her retail background in retail, she wasn’t prepared the first time she attempted to watch a procedure in the pedodontic practice. Before long, her stomach started to turn. She confided that she has a naturally weak stomach and doesn’t handle blood well.
Heather stated that while she loves the fast pace, she finds that her biggest challenge is always feeling behind and never caught up (we can probably all related to that). She has learned that when you expect a normal day with no surprises, the exact opposite happens. She consoles herself with the fact that this gives her job security.
The sage advice Heather offers new practice mangers is: Be patient with yourself! Getting into the groove of things takes a long time. Often times, you are simultaneously learning things yourself and training others as you go. Feeling comfortable can take a while, so give yourself time to develop. Stay in close contact with your staff. Ask questions and pick their brains. Heather reminded us that you can learn a lot just by listening.
Outside the office, Heather enjoys playing cards and says some people would be surprised to know she’s a bit of a card shark. Growing up, she loved to pay Spades and Rummy (Holly also plays Spades, do we have a third and fourth?!). Today, she loves to play Poker and Black Jack.
Heather really enjoys and looks forward to the monthly Dental Managers Society meetings. She recalled returning to her office from her very first meeting. The meeting was a lot of fun and gave her a lot of laughs. The topic was Human Resources, right up her alley and it was intense. She also lauds Pam’s breakfasts! She has even taken home one of Pam’s recipes to make and then bragged about it to her friends. Going to the meetings “is just a good feeling.” Heather says the meetings are fun, inviting, and she loves the fact that you can ask or say anything. Hearing that many people share your same challenges is comforting and it’s nice to hear their stories. The more Heather attends DMS, the more comfortable she feels in becoming acquainted with others. She also finds it to be a great networking resource. She loves meeting a variety of vendors and sponsors that can help you and your office improve and stay on the cutting edge.
Thank you Heather for letting us get to know you a bit better!
