“Our clinicians are not just a number on a spreadsheet”
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 2nd April 2022
Dr Farzeela Rupani, the new Clinical Director at Colosseum Dental UK, talks about her career journey so far and what she hopes to bring to her new role.
Farzeela, can you tell us about your professional background?
I am a GDP by background with an interest in cosmetic dentistry and orthodontics, having qualified almost 16 years ago from GKT. Following my ‘Vocational Training’ (now replaced by Foundation Training) year, I worked in mixed practices around north London and Hertfordshire with high NHS delivery commitments, so I am well versed in understanding the challenges that our clinicians face. My interest in business management, health policy and leadership, led me to embark on an MSc in International Health Management, leading to a healthcare consulting role at KPMG. Here I worked with different NHS trusts on improving operations and quality and making efficiency savings whilst being mindful of the clinical impact. Subsequently, I took on a role at the GDC within Fitness to Practise, initially as an Investigating Committee member and latterly as a Clinical Case Examiner. Prior to joining Colosseum Dental UK, I advised and sat on the Senior Leadership Team of a major dental supplier. Additionally, I have taught undergraduates at Guy’s Hospital over the past few years. My teaching and mentoring experience is something I am really looking forward to bringing to my role, working with new and experienced clinicians.
Is education one of your main passions?
Yes, most definitely. I have researched and written articles and papers around CPD, learning and development. At Colosseum Dental UK, we want to support the next generation of dentists, as well as assisting more experienced clinicians in progressing their careers. I am passionate about teaching and mentoring and understand the pressures foundation dentists and recently qualified practitioners face; they suffered clinically during the pandemic, seeing fewer patients than they would have liked. I want to create comfortable environments for them to grow and gain the experience necessary to take their careers in whichever direction they wish. For our more experienced clinicians, I am keen to explore growth and development options – I know how easy it is to get stuck doing the same thing day in, day out, which can be frustrating, so we need to find different directions.
What other skills will you be bringing to the role?
A mixture of skills and knowledge that I have gained during my various roles including managing compliance and quality functions, advances in equipment and products, and how to manage difficult patient interactions given my experience with patient complaints and fitness to practise. I have seen how complaints impact on clinicians and I want to look at how we can prevent them for the peace of mind for our clinicians.
Additionally, I am here to listen and learn from our clinicians as to how we can drive this business forwards together. I am a true believer in an open-door policy and want our clinicians to feel comfortable approaching me and my team and talking about their ideas as well as their concerns.
Why Colosseum Dental UK?
I believe Colosseum Dental offers dentists the best opportunities in the UK. What’s more, I have the right skillset and a strong clinical team behind me to lead and develop our clinicians. What particularly attracted me to Colosseum Dental is that being a relatively small dental provider, there is a family feel, everyone knows everyone else, it’s a real community. To get anything done in larger dental providers, you often have to go through many people and it takes a long time – this is not the case at Colosseum Dental. Our clinicians are not just another number on a spreadsheet. We’re part of a pan-European group with practices in 11 countries. We also have partners in the US, and it’s great to be able to tap into this global expertise.
The Colosseum Training Academy in Oslo is another fantastic asset that our UK-based clinicians have access to.
In addition, I appreciate the links to the Jacobs Foundation, a charity with a great ethos and long-term vision to give young people a better future through early childhood development. This is also close to my heart; as a parent and as an individual. As a company, Colosseum stands for things that I believe in.
What are your aims for your first months in the job?
I have got lots of practice visits lined up, I want to get to know as many team members as possible and find out what the concerns are, from senior management to practice team members. The aim is to establish common goals and find a balance between clinical excellence and financial drivers. I want our clinicians to know that I understand what they are going through – I have had the good days, the bad days and the driving home crying days! I’m also a full-time working mum and I know how difficult and tiring it is. I want to bring a sense of positivity, that there is always a solution and a way to turn things around. I aim to be the kind of leader that clinicians feel they can talk to.
It is also my ambition to help dentists develop a career with us over time. Whether you need assistance acquiring new skills to offer different types of treatment, or to specialise, Colosseum Dental UK can help. If you are considering having your own business, perhaps we can facilitate that too via a partnership or other joint venture. We simply want to keep clinicians happy and keep them with us!
Ultimately, as Clinical Director, I want the clinical management team to be accessible to everyone. I want to hear all their concerns and ideas, positive or negative. Clinicians must know they are listened to, that they can contribute and have ownership, so we can move things forward together.
For more information about Colosseum Dental, please visit www.colosseumdental.co.uk/careers
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