Karen Barnes

Receptionist

My journey in the dental world began in 1975!

I was 16 and had just left school and didn’t have a clue what to do, so I took myself off to the job centre in Harrogate. They offered me an interview for the next day, which was a Friday. On the Monday morning I mounted my Honda 50 moped and sped off on my way to Ripon to become a dental nurse! I loved it from the very beginning and earned the princely some of £53.00 per month !! Fast forward 8 years and I left to have my daughter, Victoria. Years passed and in that time I worked in a chicken factory and a hotel – both challenging jobs. We came north of the border about 17 years ago. I had a year off work, got bored and needed a job. I had the brainwave that I could dental nurse again and I applied for a job in Holytown, but the dentist said I needed to be qualified. So I took it upon myself to go to Coatbridge College and got my SVQ level 3 in dental nursing. During that time my two days in practice were spent at Thom Rankins. I was Keith’s nurse 2 days a week, we hit it off and made a good team, and I’ve been there ever since. There have been so many changes within the practice and all for the good even though I probably didn’t think so at the time! I survived all the building work and the biggest challenge of all – the computerisation – which we have been through twice! Everyday is a school day and the challenge is remembering everything – if I forget I shout “Lesley” and she comes to my rescue! I love working at Coatbridge Family Dental Care – it’s never a chore to come into work – apart from if it’s snowing! I enjoy catching up with the patients and finding out what’s going on in their lives. We offer so many wonderful treatments now to our patients, it’s a joy to see them leaving with a smile on their faces. It really is a family practice and it’s been great being a part of it for the past 15 years.”