Over the years of practicing dentistry, I have come to the realization that the people whom you employee are the most important to the well-being of the dental office. Happy employees make for happy patients! So, over the years, I have developed a very non-business-like methodology in finding and hiring employees. It's called waiting. Yes, I wait patiently for the right person to show up. I know it sounds crazy, but most of the time it works. So, below I will introduce to you my current team of great people, whom I metaphorically call "My Five Wives":
Rita Dickens
I discovered Rita on the sideline of a soccer field. Go figure. Her daughter and mine played on the same soccer team. Rita is from the famous Castillo family of Friendswood, as some of you may know, of the La Casita Mexican Restaurant in Friendswood. So you see, because I am her boss, I get special treatment at La Casita. I digress. As I began to know the Dickens, I found out she was a hygienist. After a year or so, I asked her on the soccer field if she would like to come and work for me. She said, "I'll think about it." She did think about it and accepted. Now she has been a hygienist, office manager, and Bleaching Queen for over 20 years now. She has one passion besides working for me, and that would be her grandchildren.
Chris Rodriguez
As the senior member of the staff, Chris and I go way back to 1991. This is the year I started teaching at the General Practice Residency at Herman Hospital. At that time, Chris was the office manager of the residency program. Her title was El General. So, when I found out she was retiring, I asked her to come work for me and she said, "I'll think about it." She did think about it for a long time, but she accepted, and now she has been part of the team since 2005.
Bertha Salazar
Betty is my chairside assistant. Those of you who spend time in my chair will see a whole lot of Betty. Betty joined our office in 2013, when we were going through a transition in dental assistants. A friend of hers had heard we were hiring, and she walked in one day and asked us if she could apply. After a working interview, we were impressed. I asked her if she would like to be a part of my team, and she said, "I'll think about it." And a day or so later, she accepted the offer!
Julie Topolski
Julie was also introduced to our office as a temporary hygienist to work in our practice while others were on vacation. She was one of our temporaries for 2 years. The first time I heard Julie laugh, I knew she was the one. When a position opened up, we immediately asked her if she wanted to work with us. She answered, "I'll think about it." After a while, she accepted and has been here ever since 2013.
Clarissa Rodriguez
Clarissa's story is interesting. She was working full-time at Dillard's in the cosmetic department. One evening after work, while purchasing some eyeliner, I asked this young lady if she could help me and - you really don't think that I would be shopping for make-up, do you? Really?! I became aware of Clarissa through her future mother-in-law, who is the owner of Phoenix Cleaners, who I use to prepare scrubs for the office. She had been a dental assistant, and when she found out I was a dentist, she told me about Clarissa and her goal to become a dental hygienist. So, we asked Clarissa to come to the office for a working interview. We liked what we saw, and I asked her if she wanted to come work part-time with us. She said, "I'll think about it." After a couple of days, she said she would. At first, she was part-time, and then one day, she came to me and asked me if she could work full-time, and I said, "I'll think about it." So, for the last three years, she has been learning all aspects of dentistry as she prepares herself to enter the practice of dental hygiene.
Jamie Giles
Jamie is one of our newest dental assistants. We were in transition at the time as one of my assistants left for greener pastures. So, one day my cousin, Bruce Cline, contacted me because he knew of a younger lady who was interested in new employment as a dental assistant. She was an assistant for a dentist in the Galleria area. His office was on the 12th floor high-rise office building looking over Houston. So, when I asked her if she would like to come be a part of our team, I told her she might be coming from the penthouse to the outhouse. She laughed and told me "I'll think about it." She did think about it and accepted the position.