What brought you to Canadian Medical?

My first experience at Canadian Medical was as a patient when I was still a student at university. I had a pretty severe case of tonsilitis, and our school doctor just gave me a painkiller, a cold compress and sent me home. So my friend took me to Canadian Medical where they took good care of me and gave me the antibiotics I needed. Back then I wasn’t so sure that I would like to work at a clinic like this. After all, it is a job that has its particularities due to the more demanding clientele. But in the end, it all kind of fell into place on its own. After graduating, I started working at a classic polyclinic where they promised me the moon, but they weren’t able to keep to their word, so I left during the trial period and went to a private dental clinic. I wanted to work under a chief dentist from whom I could learn from but unfortunately that didn’t work out either. I had to fight through it all on my own because my chief doctor didn’t pay much attention to me. When she left after three years, I became the chief dentist. However, the owners eventually decided to sell the clinic and they made a deal with Canadian Medical. I took on the position of the chief dentist and head of the whole dental department at CM and was able to build my own team here. Long story short, it wasn’t my intention, more a series of fortunate coincidences that got me to where I am today.

The Department of Dentistry at Canadian Medical is looking for new colleagues. Can even recently qualified dentists apply?

Without a doubt! We welcome dentists with one or two years of experience who have good communication skills and eagerness to learn. I am ready to provide them with professional guidance, consult with them on anything that will be needed, explain how to proceed in the treatment, or perform treatments with their assistance. They can count on my suppor. I can promise that they will not have to go through what happened to me at the beginning of my career where I was thrown into the deep end and had to learn how to swim myself. But this does not mean that we are not interested in more experienced colleagues as well. We need skillful reinforcement to the team and we are open to various possibilities.

If you compare a regular dental office with Canadian Medical, how is the job different? Apart from dentistry, what can one learn from it?

We take care of a clientele who are used to taking good care of their teeth, so it’s not often that you encounter the extremes here. In addition, patients are used to regular dental hygiene, so we no longer have to explain to them what it's good for. That makes it easier for us. On the other hand, the communication side tends to be more demanding. Our patients are very educated and they want to have control over their treatment, and therefore, they ask a many questions. Sometimes it happens that my patient comes for an hour of treatment and I spend the first thirty minutes answering their questions and explaining treatment options. It therefore requires good communication skills to ensure the patient leaves us satisfied. At the moment, I would say that communication is the most demanding aspect of my work. I know how to drill a tooth, but you can never predict how a person who just came to your clinic is going to behave or what kind of needs they will have. In addition, a lot of foreigners come to us, so cultural differences come into play. There are some who don’t react to a smile and a handshake at all. I have even noticed that different nationalities react differently to pain. But it also has its advantages. One learns to communicate well and is constantly practicing their English. And working with people from all over the world is fun.

Why did you not set up your own practice?
I want to be able to maintain a healthy balance between my work and my private life. Having your own practice means lots of worries and a large initial investment. I don’t want to be going to sleep at night thinking about how I’ll pay off my mortgage. For me, life is not so much in the material things as in experiences and making memories. Working at Canadian Medical allows me to travel a lot- it's a great way to turn off.

What can Canadian Medical offer to a new colleague?
Of course, we can offer a decent financial renumeration, access to modern equipment, reception services, personal medical care at our clinics, a beautiful working environment with excellent transport links and various other employee benefits, but I do not think that is the most important thing. Ultimately, it’s about if a person feels good at work and if they fit into the team. That is why we try to maintain a pleasant atmosphere and take a problem-solving approach to any issues that arise our department. I want to have a job that I love going to every day, so if not for anyone else, I do it for myself.