Practice Manager

Dental practices are busy places. There are patients arriving for routine check-ups and there are often patients arriving unannounced for emergency treatment too. There are phones ringing, questions that need answering, stock and materials that need to be maintained, new appointments booked in and payments to be made.

It means that everyone in the Practice, from the Receptionist to the Dentists, need to work together to make sure everything is running smoothly. Right at the heart of this team work is the Practice Manager – it is their job to ensure that the practice ticks along like clockwork.

What does the job involve?

As the Practice Manager, you make sure that the practice runs as efficiently as possible. This involves managing invoicing and minimising debts, paying bills and ensuring that health and safety guidelines are understood and followed around the practice.

Your role ensures that the dentists can concentrate on doing what they do best – treating patients. You will make sure that the practice premises are secure and that the facilities are looked after correctly. You will also order dental materials, ensuring that stock levels are maintained.

In and around these elements of the role, there are usually a wealth of general administration issues, such as co-ordinating customer dental plans, implementing marketing plans and liaising with Head Office. The bigger the practice, then of course, the more challenging your role will be.

What qualifications do you need?

There is no specific professional qualification require to become a Dental Practice Manager. However, because of the need to deal with invoicing and financial issues, most practices would expect you to have a good academic record that includes a Maths GCSE.

For the most part, Dental Practice Managers are usually individuals who have gained experience of how a practice is run through other roles. The types of roles that provide this kind of experience are usually roles such as Receptionist, Dental Hygienist and Dental Nurse. In some smaller practices, the Dental Practice Manager may still combine their duties with the duties of a Receptionist or Dental Nurse, depending on their background and skills.

What are the career prospects?

Being a Practice Manager gives you a good blend of business skills. You need to be able to manage people, looking after finances, co-ordinate general administration and, on occasion, help to look after customers. In the larger dental organisations, therefore, good Practice Managers can go on to become Area Managers and manage a number of practices. Alternatively, their business skills can mean that they can move up into a Head Office role.