Our transcript of the discussion between Dr. Angela Ferrari and Jameson Files host Carrie Webber has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify.

Dr. Angela Ferrari Speaks about the Importance of Team Development

Carrie Webber:

Welcome to the Jameson Files. I’m your host, Carrie Webber, and we are so excited to be presenting to you this episode live from the AACD annual meeting in Grapevine, Texas. I am very excited that in this episode we are with a client of Jameson. I don’t even know how long; you might have to tell me– Dr. Angela Ferrari of Long Island.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

Oh, it’s such a pleasure being here.

The Beginnings of her Dental Journey and Their Involvement with Jameson

Carrie Webber:

I feel like we are kindred spirits. We are just so happy to be together. And I’m so thrilled that you said yes to being on this episode because I feel like a lot of pieces of your dental story and your dental practice is going to resonate very deeply with listeners or viewers of the podcast. And so, to start with, I’d love for you to share a little bit about your dental story. What has led you into dentistry to where you find yourself today? Then we’ll go from there. Would that be all right? 

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

First of all, I just love you. Thank you so much for having me here. This is just an honor. Thank you so much. As for my story, I figured out that I wanted to be a dentist when I was in high school. And actually my own dentist, Dr. Donald Conn, became my partner, but that’s getting ahead of ourselves. I shadowed him as a high school student, and it was one of those Oprah “aha” moments, where I was interested in science, I was interested in medicine, but that didn’t quite fit the bill. I watched, I shadowed for a summer and I felt like, “This is it”. This is exactly what I want to do. The patient care, how he was with his patients, the work he was doing, working with his hands, the artistry, I realized this is for me. From that point on, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. It was just like eyes on the prize– focus all the way to the end.

Carrie Webber:

Wow! I love that. And today you have quite a significant practice. You all have really built something wonderful. Share a little bit about what the practice is today, your size, what you  focus on, and the energy that your practice is for you.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

I want to start from that history. When I graduated dental school, I went to Donald’s and I said, “I’m done. Do you have a place for me?” And he said, “Come on in.” So we started working together and I said that I have one more person to bring into the group. And it was my husband who I met in dental school. So Dr. Aldi and I were like a pair and…

Carrie Webber:

He is in the wings as we speak right here. So I feel like you need to lean in and wave. Come into the camera. I love it. 

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

So our practice became a real family. Donald was definitely a mentor to us. I joined in 2001. We became partners in 2005. So it was all history after that. It was the three of us. Donald actually introduced us to Jameson, and that was in 2003. So it’s been a really long time that we’ve had Jameson to help us grow as providers.

Carrie Webber:

And we continue to work with you. You still have Cathy at your practice.

Recognizing Each Member of Your Dental Team as Important

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

It became the fabric of how we work. It really resonated with us with how we want to practice– the methodology and being there for your patient, not only with your skills and your clinical excellence, but with how you treat people and how you treat your team. Your team is everything. And I feel like that is what Jameson brought to us, and that’s why we continuously have Jameson back. It refreshes us and fills the bucket. It’s awesome. Our team is special to us, and I feel that that’s what makes us excellent providers to help bring this excellence to our patients. 

Carrie Webber:

Yes. I love that. And you know, something that we had talked about before we started this

episode was how your team and how you all have been very committed, and not just with Jameson, but in overall development, training, and education. That seems to me, as a person watching you, that that’s been a big priority for you over time. Share a little bit about the decisions that you make as business partners, as the leaders of the practice, of how you choose to do that and invest in your team, and what you get back from that, from the team in terms of performance or commitment or the culture of the practice.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

We are so proud of our team and how highly trained they are. They bring an energy that makes them easy to train, and we want to share knowledge with them. It’s so important to have them be on the same page as us. I always say I cannot do what I do without my assistants, without my entire team, my front desk team, my office manager, everyone. They are amazing. It’s really not just about you the doctor; it’s about how every interaction that your patient has– from the minute they get that phone call, from the minute at the desk when they’re welcomed to bring Brooke back into the chair. Then, you know, I’m the 10th person they see.

Carrie Webber:

Absolutely. 

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

I want my patients to have a stellar experience and that’s all from my team. And I think going through continuing ed is what helps them grow. They want to provide that. My team wants to give that, and I’m happy to help them get there. It just helps everyone. So it’s very, very important for us to stay up on their education just like here at AACD, and that is why we’re super excited to be here learning new techniques. My assistant already texts me. She’s asked, “What are you buying? What are you bringing home? I want to get trained. Tell me everything.” And that’s awesome. I love hearing that. And I don’t just work with one assistant. I have a team of seven assistants, and we rotate through. So everyone has a chance to work with every provider and get a feel for what we’re doing. It’s a real integrated team. 

Carrie Webber:

I love that. And it’s obvious that you have instilled into the culture of your practice that genuine curiosity and passionate enthusiasm for continuously developing and learning, and that your team is wanting to know what are you bringing back? What are you learning or doing, what’s, the new thing we’re going to be working on? Instead of the mindset of, oh boy, here they go again. Instead there’s this passionate enthusiasm for what you all continuously do and work on. I love that so much. And I love what you were saying about how each member of the team is (you know we believe this), each member of the team is such a key component to the patient’s relationship to you, with you, the relationship to their own dental health and that journey. You’re building those building blocks of value and trust with every interaction before they’ve ever even set eyes on you.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

Yes.

Carrie Webber:

And so I just want to reiterate how much I love what you share about that and your mindset on that because it’s so true.

Staying Relevant as a Private Practice

Dr. Angela Ferrari: 

I feel like it’s a very interesting time in dentistry. As far as a private practice goes, staying private and not changing that. And what sets you apart from all these other offices that are popping up- corporate offices- all down the street. 

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

I just think it’s an experience. The patient, they know that. They feel it; they tell us; they tell my

assistants; they tell my team. I love hearing that. But honestly, that’s what I think is the future. There will be corporate dentistry, but I think that we still have a niche. There are patients to still value the kind of service we want to give – the personalized service. That I know you, Carrie, and you’re coming in to see me today, and my time is devoted to you, and only you, for that time period. I’m not going to be pulled in 85 different directions seeing different people. I am here for you. And I only hope that continues- that people still value that. But I know it’s what we value and we’re staying strong.

Carrie Webber:

And you obviously know that all three of you have had a very unique relationship in every way- that you are aligned in that and that you are that united front for your team to say, “This is important to us.” And also that you recognize and pursue that there is a place for your practice even in the changing environment and the changing tides of our profession, but it takes effort. It takes intentional effort to carve that place out for yourself, but it exists because there are patients, I bet, that are coming to you every single day because they know your names. They know your reputation. You’re known in your area and community, and you worked hard for that to be the case.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

I definitely think that it’s never ending. It’s constant. It’s also staying up with the changes that are happening. You know, like getting your name out there. In years past, you’d put an ad out in the paper. And then there was a period of time where I did radio and I was on radio, and that was like a period. Nobody listens to the radio anymore. They have an iPod or whatever, so they’re not listening to that anymore. So how do you catch people’s attention? How do you become relevant to them? Social media? I’m not a dancing dentist, I’m not going to be TikTok dancing, so don’t look for me.. But how do you stay relevant to your patients on a social media platform, which is where people are getting a lot of critical information and a lot of it isn’t correct? So with the team helping with that- my team is awesome- they will say, “You know, Dr. Ferrari, you need to be on this and this and this.” It’s a group effort and I value their ideas. We want to stay current with what’s happening, and that’s what’s kept us so that the people know who we are..

Recognizing Being a Dental Assistant is a Valuable Career

Carrie Webber:

And when you’re bringing on new team, what is that process for you in terms of bringing them up to speed in terms of understanding those important pillars that you’ve built within your practice that has led you to be successful? How do you bring them up to speed in that way?

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

Well, It’s definitely been a challenge. Finding team has been a very big challenge. And, I think, that as a profession, we need to educate the general public on how important these auxiliary jobs are.  They’re not just auxiliary, which is just a term, but they are careers. 

I consider my dental assistants career dental professionals. I have trained them to be that, and that’s how I value them. I hope to share with young students, students who are maybe not looking to consider secondary education, but are looking to get into a field that has growth, that has training, that has commitment, and caring, and loyalty. I’m loyal to my team and they’re loyal to me, and I want to cultivate that in a new generation of students. 

Carrie Webber: 

I love that. 

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

It’s hard to find. We’re in a period of shaky ground, so it has been hard. When I do find a team member or a potential team member, I think who they are as a person is the most important thing. I can train you to work with me, and I’m pretty flexible. I really want them to have that passion for helping the patient first, and being there with that feeling of how can I help you?

Carrie Webber:

Yes.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

And I don’t think you can train that. I think that’s just finding that right person, which is hard, but I think you can find them.

Carrie Webber:

It’s the philosophy of seeking out the potential -seeking out the person that you see could be great in that role. But also, like you said, I can train you. That is the key. I’m going to take the time to train you if you are coachable.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

Exactly. But I also want to express to young students that this is a career worth having. And I feel like it’s under the radar, you know? I think as a dental profession, we need to really stress how important our team members are. They are professionals in their own right, and we’ve made them that way.

Carrie Webber:

Absolutely.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

And we need to treat them as such. I just hope that we can get that word out.

Team Training Installs a Sense of Value in Your Dental Team

Carrie Webber:

Yes. To circle it back around to the culture of your practice, because you work so closely with Cathy Jameson, you know that she says that a great team is a group of leaders working cohesively toward a common set of goals. And so when you make room in whatever business that you own or lead– dentistry obviously is our world – but it really holds true in any profession, if you make room and you build value and help instill a sense of value in your team members, each and every one of them is a pivotal position in the practice. And you’re going to make room for them to grow, to develop, to thrive, to have opportunities to do different things.That’s very powerful. A lot of the employment engagement surveys show that having a place where you can indeed develop and contribute in new ways over time is a really big key factor for employee engagement. So for you to be making room for that and to have that much passion for that, I think speaks volumes of the promise of your practice, and that’s going to be great.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

But I have to say that Cathy was an integral part in making us young dentists understand that concept. It  really resonated with my husband and me and we embraced it. And I feel like that message is why we keep coming back to Jameson. There are so many other groups, but not with that message, and people feel the difference in our practice. They really do. And I mean that, and it’s not just because you are here. I really feel if you’re considering Jameson, it is worthwhile. It is worth the investment. And what we have received as a practice with the training that Cathy and Jameson has provided us, has been monumental in who we are

today as a practice, so I just have to thank you.

Carrie Webber:

And that’s why we do what we do. That means so much. And I know if Cathy were sitting here… she’s going to watch this and she’s going to cry. It’s going to be amazing.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

Give her a big hug.

It has been beyond a privilege to us that we’ve been on this journey with you all these years, and it makes us very proud to be a part of your journey. We wish you so much success and give you so much gratitude for being with us today on the Jameson files and for the relationship that we’ve had over the years. I appreciate you.

Dr. Angela Ferrari:

Thank you very much.

Carrie Webber:

Thank you so much for your time. And thanks to all of you that are tuning in and

listening or watching. There are great things. The future is bright for dentistry and we all, as part of the profession, need to be reminded of that and to help others see that there is a great place for all of us in every role in a dental practice to thrive in our professional lives. And this person that is with us today is a perfect example of that. So thank you and thanks to all of you. Be well and we’ll see you next time.

Carrie Webber:

Thank you for joining us on this episode of the Jameson Files. Visit us online. You can subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. See you next time.