Meet a practice manager

A Practice Manager holds a crucial role in each Dental Care Ireland practice. They are responsible for the day-to-day running of the practice, to provide excellent service to our patients and to manage their practice’s team.

Una Hennessey is the Practice Manager of Dental Care Ireland Kimmage. Below, she tells us a little bit about her role.

How long have you been a Practice Manager?

Well, I had been working at the Kimmage practice for many years as a Dental Nurse before progressing on to Practice Manager over 15 years ago, and I’ve been Practice Manager here ever since.

What do you enjoy about being a Practice Manager?

The flexibility of my role is great. Keeping a busy dental practice running day-to-day involves a lot of various tasks, meaning each day is quite different. This keeps my role exciting and certainly keeps me busy!

I really enjoy meeting people from all walks of life on a daily basis, I think this suits my personality and is something I genuinely do enjoy. I also consider myself quite lucky to be working with a great team of Dentists, Nurses and Hygienists, and of course all of the background staff who have been so supportive since our practice joined the Dental Care Ireland group in November 2021.

How have you found being part of the Dental Care Ireland group?

As I mentioned, the support I receive from Dental Care Ireland is great. There is so much I need to be on top of as a Practice Manager, and having background support has really made it easier for me to thrive within my role.

Being part of a nationwide dental group is fantastic. It allows me to work with other Practice Managers and share tips and tricks with one another on how best to run our practices. We have access to various education and support events throughout the year, which again is great support to me within my role. I am really excited to be involved in the planning and growth of the practice as we evolve with Dental Care Ireland as a whole.

What goals do you have for your future as a Practice Manager?

I’ve always had an interest in further education, so this is something I plan on perusing. With my background as a Dental Nurse, I am already registered with the IDC and hold a Distinction in Dental Radiography, which I received in 1998. But as I said, I always have an interest in furthering my education and skills! I believe this is important no matter what role you’re in and is great for both professional and personal growth.

I’m always happy to try out new ideas and suggestions. I think it’s important as a Practice Manager to be receptive of new ideas, whether these come from team member or patients of our practice. I’m also excited to grow the team and encourage a positive and happy workplace. I think this really is an important goal for any Practice Manager to have.

What advice would you give to other Practice Managers?

My advice to other Practice Managers would be to trust yourself and use the skills and experience that you have acquired over the years and put them to good use. No matter what your background is, I believe all skills are valuable and transferable, so trust them and use them! Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help and guidance, there is always someone on hand to help. We are part of a team for a reason, and it’s so important to help each other and ask for help when you need it.

If you are interested in working with Dental Care Ireland, you can browse our careers page here.