Kelsey Kusterman is the face and voice of Personal Care Dentistry when new patients walk in the door for their first appointment. As the practice’s New Patient Coordinator, Kelsey provides each new patient with an extensive tour of the clinic’s 8,000 square feet of state-of-the-art facilities, then sits down with each patient to initially assess what are their oral health care needs. Once they have been guided to either the hygiene team or the dental group for a chairside evaluation and/or treatment, she visits again with the patient to review their proposed treatment plan and insurance coverage. She also follows up with the patient after their first visit to find out how they are doing.
Kelsey joined Personal Care Dentistry in September 2020 as a front desk assistant, and was promoted to her New Patient Coordinator position in December 2020. Kelsey grew up with Personal Care Dentistry in her life, since she and her family have been patients of PCD for many years.
One of the main guiding principles of Personal Care Dentistry really resonates with Kelsey. “Dr. Walter Hunt calls it the Golden Rule of Dentistry and it is the idea that all patients should be treated the same way that the dental care team would want to be treated if they were patients – with compassion, dignity, and excellence.
“That approach to patient care and customer service is something I’ve always tried to deliver in my past jobs,” notes Kelsey. “I worked for almost a decade as a server, and I always tried to serve my customers as if they were my mom. You need to be genuine in how you treat people and always have their best interests in mind.”
Kelsey grew up in St. Anthony Park and went to Roseville High School (which is just blocks from Personal Care Dentistry). After high school she attended the University of Minnesota, but decided after a semester and a half that she preferred working rather than going to school. She initially worked at a video production company in Shoreview as an editor and in color correction, spending a lot of time on corporate video projects (and even working on a History Channel TV show at one point). After getting laid off in 2011, she worked for almost a decade as a server and assistant manager at the Green Mill at Rosedale Center, but was laid off again during the COVID pandemic.
“I was looking to leave the restaurant industry anyway, because the hours are hard (lots of weekends and evenings), and it can be a difficult atmosphere to work in. So when the position opened up at Personal Care Dentistry, I felt like I could be successful there because the customer service skills I had developed would translate to the position they had available.”
“This is a wonderful work environment to be a part of,” emphasizes Kelsey. “I really like everyone who works here. They all have the same mentality of patient service and they are really genuine. I hope to be here for a really long time.”
According to Jessie Pichler, who is the Front Desk Lead at Personal Care Dentistry and Kelsey’s supervisor, Kelsey is “super sweet and nice, very inquisitive, quite bright and a quick learner.” Brandy Fulton, PCD’s Treatment Plan and Financial Coordinator, said that Kelsey is “very warm and sincere. You can just tell she is very kind. She’s a good communicator and very detail oriented.”
Kelsey and her husband Joe live in White Bear Lake. She has two kids – 16-year-old Sophia and 2-year-old Corinne – and doesn’t have a lot of free time. “When I do have time, I like to play cards and board games, or do puzzles or crossword puzzles. Plus my husband and I are big video game fans. I might eventually get back to drawing or painting, which I did a lot of when I was growing up. But I really don’t have the time now with two kids.”