Sue Anderson Named Personal Care Dentistry Employee of the Year
Sue Anderson has been with Personal Care Dentistry for nearly 17 years working with patients one on one, making them feel comfortable and welcome. Sue was recently selected as the Personal Care Dentistry Employee of the Year, and we thought our patients and friends would like to know the woman behind her ever-present smile.
Her official title is Patient Coordinator or Customer Service Representative, but she jokes, People call me the ‘Walmart Greeter’ or the mascot, she laughs adding, Whatever it is, I have the best seat in the house. Sue laughs a lot and her kind disposition and infectious good nature endear her to coworkers and patients alike. In her position she confers her very own style of personal care to the practice and it resonates throughout the office.
Sue grew up in St. Paul, met her future husband Rick at 16, married at 18, had three children and traveled the world as a military wife. Her professional path started while they were stationed in Germany. I came into dentistry quite by accident, she admits, I volunteered for the Red Cross and became a Dental Assistant. When we moved back to the States I was looking for work and a friend of my husband’s referred me to a dental clinic in Maryland. I worked there until my husband retired from the Army.
After they moved back to Minnesota and as her children got older she began looking for work again. I found an ad in the paper for the position here at personal care and applied for it’ says Sue. I met Dr. Hunt and we had a lot in common being about the same age. He cared about me personally and asked about things in my life. I truly appreciated that, she says. It must have been a good interview because he hired me on the spot.
Over the years Sue has watched the practice grow and the technology progress, but there was one significant time when her role at PCD evolved. It was during the second or third office expansion move when Dr. Hunt took the phone off my desk. He wanted me to focus on the patients and not scheduling appointments or answering calls, she remembers. That changed everything for the better.
While Sue does plenty of office work like scanning documents and checking the work performed to make sure insurance forms are processed accurately, she has the ability to meet new patients and take time to talk with the regulars.
I greet people by name, give hugs and see how life is going for them. I treat our patients like I would want to be treated, Sue says, reciting Dr. Hunt’s Golden Rule.
Asked why she’s stayed at PCD so long Sue doesn’t hesitate to answer. I love our patients and meeting knew people. Dr. Hunt and the staff are like my family, she says, then quickly adds, Some of them feel like they’re my own kids. Sue clearly loves what she does and enjoys going to work. We laugh here every day and I truly enjoy being here. I believe you should love what you do. I wouldn’t have been here so long if that wasn’t the case.
Her enthusiasm and compassion are genuine and Sue says, People know I’m not a phony and I treat them with honesty and respect. I’m not here to make money. I genuinely care. When describing Sue, words like outgoing, great sense of humor, passionate, caring and dependable all some to mind.
What does the future hold in store for Sue, now 64 years old? I’ve been talking about retirement and have cut back my hours from five days to four days and now down to three days. I just can’t picture doing it and not being here. I love what I do, she says, pauses and reflects, Maybe next year. Retirement seems boring to me.
When she does finally hang it up, Sue has some plans to keep her going. We love camping. Especially in Minnesota State parks. I like traveling and taking road trips. I’ll definitely spend more time with my nine grandchildren. I plan to live to be 100-years-old, she says. When asked if we stop by the office to see her in a year if she’ll still be at PCD she says, Probably, with a laugh.