Dental Assistant

Job description

Description
Position Summary:
The Dental Assistant works as part of the dental office team performing those clinical and clerical duties necessary to prepare patients for a visit, and to make reappointments when necessary. Duties include telephone answering, preparing charts, and gathering patient information.
Essential Duties:
• Greets patients
• Assists the dentist with quality patient care.
• Ensures patient confidentiality and provides patients with needed information.
• Performs other necessary duties required by the Dentist to meet the goal of providing primary health care.
• Performs other necessary duties as required by Bluestem Health to achieve the goal of providing primary health care services.
• Routine Procedures:
• Set up: prepare operatory and instruments for routine general dentistry procedures.
• Practice: anticipate dentist’s needs during the procedure.
• Radiology:
• Safety: use safe radiation exposure practices. (Lead apron, personal safety, correct exposure parameters)
• Accuracy: expose radiographs of good diagnostic quality at least 90% of the time.
• Sterilization:
• Laboratory: demonstrate correct procedures for cleaning and sterilizing dental instruments. (Cleaning, preparation, and use of autoclave and dry heat methods).
• Testing: demonstrate correct procedure for testing sterilization equipment for adequate sterilization. Able to demonstrate correct documentation procedures.
• Operatory, Disinfection, and Maintenance:
• Opening Procedure: prepare dental operatory at start of day
• Closing Procedure: describe correct dental clinic area closing procedure.
• Disinfection: correctly disinfect the operatory between patients.
• Scheduling: a. Demonstrate correct routine scheduling procedures and appropriate phone techniques.
• Record Maintenance:
• Charting: accurately chart patient’s dental condition from doctor’s dictation.
• Forms: prepare appropriate forms as indicated by patient treatment, ensure charting is accurate.
• Encounters: accurately complete encounter form based on procedures completed.
• Paperwork: assist patients with any paperwork, including referrals.
• Dental Record: correctly enter and scan medical history, medications, allergies, correspondence, etc. into patient’s electronic dental record.
• Supplies:
• Inventory: correctly order inventory and distribute supplies and restock operatories. Do so in a timely and accurate fashion.

Requirements
• Completion of an accredited dental assisting program and/or certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) as a Certified Dental Assistant preferred
• Certification for dental radiography preferred.
• Certification for coronal polishing preferred.
• Basic Life Support Certified
• Prior dental office experience preferred.
• High energy and a positive attitude
• A dedication to quality and accuracy
• An ability to work well with co-workers; especially in a small office
• An ability to fulfill their job requirements with minimal supervision
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure