Dental career paves a perfect project pathway for Amanda

Following a successful dental career Amanda Philp has easily transitioned from the dental chair to a highly rewarding facility and project management career.

Amanda currently manages the facility needs of the Halwyn Centre and Nundah Community Health Centre, and previously has been instrumental in the development and implementation of Oral Health improvement projects across Metro North Health.

“I was a dental therapist for 20 years and during this time I completed a Diploma of Project Management, which led to some key project roles in research, service planning and quality improvement initiatives,” Amanda said.

“My clinical background has assisted me in the Facility Manager role to understand and implement quality improvements particularly relating to the patient experience and support for our clinical teams.

“It also supports me to make informed decisions in what can sometimes be a complex and demanding environment.”

One key project included the transition to oral health digital imaging across many sites and mobile dental vans in Metro North as part of the Metro North Oral Health Service Plan 2019-23.

“I tend to follow my curiosity and project management was always something that interested me,” Amanda said.

“Currently, I am guiding a professional facility team to ensure the clinicians and patients that attend Nundah Community Health Centre have the resources they need and a safe environment to offer the best care.

“Additionally, my role for Halwyn supports the Director of Nursing and focuses on keeping the facility safe and functioning as a significant refurbishment project takes place.”

Amanda promotes a safe and welcoming environment in the facilities through managing facility upgrades, and clinical and functional improvements, repairs and maintenance.

“Don’t be afraid to fail,” Amanda said. “Sometimes, the outcome of an initiative is not what we aimed for. Outcomes can be worked on and improved through lessons learnt and collaboration with the right people.”

Amanda manages a small team of administration professionals at Nundah Community Health Centre to support a range of services for babies, children, adolescents and adults.

Most recently Amanda has led a major recovery project for Oral Health Services at the Oral Health Centre, Herston.

Nundah Community Health Centre services cover aged care assessments, complex chronic disease, adult, adolescent and children’s mental health, birth, kidney treatment, and child and adolescent community health services.

The Halwyn Centre at Red Hill caters for people who have complex high-care needs requiring higher levels of nursing hours than other residential services.