We caught up with the team at Grasslands Dental Care to discuss their close-knit culture, what makes their practice so successful, and their commitment to exceptional patient care.
Grasslands Dental Care has proudly served families in the Kamloops community for over 24 years.
What makes Grasslands Dental Care a great place to work?
Abby (Dental Assistant): Grasslands is a great place to work because we’re a large family. We all work together closely as a team to deliver quality care to our patients.
Trina (Treatment Coordinator): The people and the atmosphere are truly special. We are all a part of a big, friendly, caring team that supports one another, and you feel valued every day.
Shannon (Patient Coordinator): We’re a close-knit group with an abundance of respect and appreciation for our team members and patients. From Dr. Karl to Carla, through to our newest additions, we are all passionate about our work and the people around us. This has created a very positive team environment.
What are some of the ways your practice supports a positive team culture?
Carla (Practice Manager): Every team member is included in our practice. We constantly seek each other’s opinions, ideas and feedback on what will make our practice more successful, and we continually strive to create an environment where everyone genuinely enjoys coming to work every day.
Trina: We have a very high level of team support, encouragement and communication. I can honestly say our team is happy to be together.
Abby: We all help each other and do what we can to make the day run smoothly and have a little fun while we do it.
Shannon: Our leadership also allows us the room to do our jobs and fully supports us working things out together as a team. That’s really important for our continued growth and development.
Tell us about some of the charitable organizations/initiatives you support and what giving back means to your practice.
Trina: We care deeply about our patients and want to help increase access to care, especially in vulnerable populations. We recognize that the elderly are limited on their dental plan, so we offer our services to them at a discount.
Sue (Dental Hygienist): Our team also annually collects for the Christmas Amalgamated and local food bank to provide hampers for those in need in our community. It brings us even closer together as a team to support worthy causes. For anyone who would like to donate in support of Kamloops families this holiday season, click here.
What do you think makes Grasslands Dental Care so successful?
Sue: We’re a progressive practice that embraces the latest technologies to enhance our service offering. We have a diverse client base with many long-term patients. We take pride in our work and always strive to excel. And we’re constantly encouraged to continue our education to keep current with the latest tools and information.
Carla: We have a really great team. Everyone truly cares about each other and we all work so well together. There is a lot of laughter every day.
Trina: We are also very considerate of our patients and treat them like a part of our family. We strive to make them feel comfortable in our office, and I think that’s what keeps them coming back.
What is the biggest lesson this pandemic has taught your team?
Abby: This pandemic has taught us to embrace change.
Carla: We’ve learned to be patient and compassionate with everyone and stay vigilant by not letting our guards down. I believe there have been a number of positive outcomes from the pandemic, including taking a hard look at safety and infection prevention and control protocols and making enhancements to ensure everyone’s safety. We’ve also made it a point not to become complacent with our procedures or fall back into any old habits.
Sue: In order to get through this pandemic, the only option is to act as a true team. It takes a team to work together to support each other and our patients to maintain a safe environment. It requires a lot of flexibility to adapt to these changes. I feel we have all learned to appreciate the smaller things in life and that we are grateful to be in a position to provide quality care every day.
Trina: It’s now more important than ever to provide compassionate care and make patients feel at ease when they enter our practice.
What does excellence in patient care mean to your team?
Sue: We strive to provide exceptional patient care from the first new patient experience to thorough treatment planning, implementation and providing continuing care on an individualized basis. We encourage our patients to participate in their treatment planning and in collaborating with any associated healthcare providers. Excellence in patient care means everything to us.
Carla: We are committed to looking after the patient as a whole. Our mission is to provide excellent and comprehensive patient care, utilizing the most up to date techniques, equipment, and knowledge available.
Trina: Effective communication with patients is key to ensuring there is complete understanding and comfort with treatment planning. When our patients leave smiling, we know we have done our job as a team.
