Dental Assistant

Description:

SUMMARY:

Provides a range of clinical and staff support to a full-range dental services operation. Assists in the performance of dental and radiography procedures; prepares and maintains dental equipment and supplies in accordance with established protocol, procedures, policies, and standards, and assists in the coordination of day-to-day patient administration, records management, and office support activities.

$18.00 - $23.50 DOE.

Employees can earn up to $520 on the quarterly bonus.

Requirements:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

High school diploma or GED; Candidates must have completed a Dental Assistant program from an accredited institution. Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Current knowledge of and ability to follow a full range of dental clinical procedures and protocols.
• Ability to work as a team member within a clinical environment.
• Knowledge of patient evaluation and triage procedures.
• Ability to set up and prepare dental equipment and instrumentation in accordance with established regulations and guidelines.
• Knowledge of planning and scheduling techniques.
• Knowledge of Federal, State, and institutional regulations and guidelines for the provision of dental outpatient services.
• Ability to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot a wide range of dental equipment in accordance with prescribed procedures and standards.
• Knowledge of radiation safety procedures, standards, and protocols.
• Ability to develop and process dental radiographs.
• Records maintenance skills.
• Knowledge of supplies, equipment, and/or services ordering and inventory control.

Knowledge of sterile procedures.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Provides chair side assistance to dentists and/or dental hygienists in the performance of dental procedures, to include operative, preventive, periodontal, endodontic, prosthetic, and/or oral surgical procedures.

2. Prepares, sterilizes, organizes, and sets up dental equipment, ensures that all dental instruments are cleaned, dated, and processed according to established clinic guidelines and standards.

3. Monitors and maintains dental equipment, such as compressors, evacuator systems, radiographic developing equipment, sterilizers, and light curing units, in accordance with manufacturers' guidelines.

4. Develops and processes dental radiographs in accordance with provider orders; assists in the monitoring and maintenance of radiation safety procedures and protocols.

5. Follows and maintains all relevant federal, state, and institutional regulations, guidelines, policies, and standards for the provision of dental clinical services.

6. Assists with ordering and maintaining inventories of dental clinic supplies.

7. Interacts with and processes dental clinic patients; schedules appointments, performs telephone triage, conducts patient interviews, and obtains prior approvals from third party payors.

8. Maintains dental laboratory slips and creates and maintains dental records in accordance with established protocol and procedures.

9. Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:

SAFETY:

Family Health Services enforces a safety culture whereby all employees have the responsibility for continuously developing and maintaining a safe working environment. Each employee is responsible for completing all training requirements, participating in emergency response tasks as requested, and serving on safety committees and teams as requested. In addition, employees must accept the responsibility for maintaining the safety of themselves and others by adhering to all written and verbal instructions, promptly reporting and/or correcting all hazards or unsafe conditions, and providing feedback to supervisors and management on all safety issues.

COMPLIANCE (MEDICARE):

Family Health Services is committed to the very highest standards of ethics and integrity. It is our policy to properly determine the accuracy of reporting and billing our services in accordance with the rules, laws and regulations of FHS, the state government, and the federal government. FHS employees will do their part to ensure accurate documenting and billing practices, participate in compliance trainings and will identify and report any concerns or activities that may violate these standards.

Each employee will be trained on the FHS Medicare Compliance Plan and the Standards of Conduct and asked to sign a Conflict of Interest Statement at hire and annually thereafter. A copy of the Medicare Compliance Plan and the FHS Standards of Conduct are available on the FHS home page under the Compliance tab.

PATIENT CENTERED MEDICAL HOME (PCMH):

Family Health Services is committed to providing our patients with the highest standards of care by becoming recognized as patient centered medical home. FHS staff is expected to participate in this process by being an active and willing PCMH team member. Specific duties and expectations may vary and will be identified by position and site.

PROCEDURE COMPLIANCE:

Employee must read and understand the general and specific operational, safety, and environmental requirements of all plans, procedures, and policies pertaining to this job.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Work is normally performed in a typical interior/office work environment. No or very limited physical effort required. No or very limited exposure to physical risk.