Zara’s career in the dental industry started through sheer determination. “I was 18 years old living away from home and very broke. I saw a job advertised in the paper for a dental assistant. I needed a career and stable income so went for an interview and was not successful. I then proceeded to call the practice every month and harassed them until they employed me!” Zara recalls.
After a short two-day training to learn the ropes Zara soon found herself in a sink or swim situation, “It was me and the dentist. I was not only the DA, but also working sterilisation and reception.”
Luckily, she learnt to swim quickly and her continued determination and desire to learn helped her gain experience in different practice environments over the next 10 years.
“I was then fortunate to move into a Practice Coordinator role that was really a pivotal point for me. I had the opportunity to work with some amazing mentors (including Maven Dental Clinical Director, Dr Fred Calavassy) in the dental education arena. I was fortunate to travel overseas in this role and while I was doing all the coordination in the background, I was surrounded by really positive role models who pushed me to be the best I could be.”
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