Kristin Mishou is the office manager for Dr. Melanie Rabeni, a general dentist located in America’s Hometown, Plymouth. There are two hygienists in the practice and a few times a month, an endodontist and a periodontist treat patients in their office. Kristin stated that their team members are all there for each other and always willing to lend a helping hand, functioning as a true team. Dr. Rabeni’s team also prides themselves on staying current with all the latest technology and dental treatments, such as nasal spray anesthetic and Botox.
As many DMS members, Kristin began as an assistant. She joined Dr. Rabeni’s practice as an assistant eight years ago. She has been the office manager for the last five years. Kristin has been in the dental field for 20 years. She went to dental assisting school, then worked as a certified dental assistant. Her experience also includes working at the front desk over the next several years until she joined Dr. Rabeni’s team.
Kristin shared that the favorite part of her job is watching the practice grow and knowing that she contributed to that growth. Rabeni Dental started with a two and a half day work week in a shared location and now is open four full days, with intermittent endodontic and periodontic availability in their beautiful state of the art office in the industrial park in Plymouth. A true team player, Kristin will still occasionally assist Dr. Rabeni when needed, which she loves because assisting keeps her up to date with patient care. She loves that Dr. Rabeni always encourages her to better herself by taking any classes that pique her interest and to join helpful groups such as Dental Manager’s Society.
Like most DMS members, dealing with dental insurance companies is Kristin’s least favorite aspect of the job. She noted that “just when you think you have an insurance company figured out, they change their guidelines.”
Kristin’s biggest challenge is “juggling it all.” While it can be a little busy at times having a demanding job, a husband, and three kids, she says she wouldn’t change a thing. Rabeni Dental is like home to her and she’s excited about what the future holds.
When asked for words of sage wisdom to new practice administrators, Kristin offered this: “Keep learning and accepting new challenges. There are always things to do to better yourself and the practice. As you try new things and research new ideas or ways of doing things, you’re gaining knowledge that will stay with you forever.”
Kristin believes that DMS offers a great opportunity to network with other office managers in the area. DMS is a great group of people and Kristin thinks there is great value in learning how other people in the same situation handle issues that have come up in their practice, as well.
Thanks Kristin, for agreeing to be interviewed! We love having you as a part of DMS!
