Dental Assistant (Basic)- Echo Cliffs

Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation; Tuba City (AZ); On-site; USD 37,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A health care organization in Arizona is seeking a Dental Assistant to provide chair-side assistance in various areas of dentistry, including restorative and emergent care. Candidates must have a high school diploma and complete a Dental Assistant Training Course. Responsibilities include sterilizing instruments, taking radiographs, and preparing patients for dental procedures. A valid BLS certification is required. The position focuses on providing high-quality outpatient dental care and demands strong customer service skills.

Qualifications

• Must have a high school diploma or GED.
• Must have completed a Dental Assistant Training Course.
• Applicant must have active Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.

Responsibilities

• Prepare patients for dental procedures, including setting up instruments.
• Sterilize dental instruments and equipment at clinics.
• Take radiographs and perform dental charting for treatment planning.

Skills

Chair-side assistance

Knowledge of dental instruments

BLS certification

Dental charting

Infection control practices

Education

High school diploma or GED

Dental Assistant Training Course (13 weeks or more)

Job description

Navajo Preference Employment Act

Overview

The primary function of a dental assistant (DA) is to perform chair-side assistance in all areas of dentistry such as restorative, prosthodontic, surgery, endodontic, and periodontics for both routine and emergent care. Dental Assistants greet and seat patients, take radiographs, set-up instruments for procedures, clean/disinfect operatories, and use proper infection control protocol at all times. DAs are also involved with community programs such as the School-based Sealant & Fluoride Varnish Program. DAs rotate through all clinics within the TCRHCC Dental Program. They are required to work with the Electronic Dental Record (EDR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR). Customer service is a priority for all dental staff. This position will primarily provide outpatient dental care services in the TCRHCC Echo Cliffs.

Qualifications

• Education: Must have a high school diploma or GED.
• Education: Must have completed a Dental Assistant Training Course in a program of 13 weeks or greater in duration; exception due to pandemic: if no course has been completed, candidate can be considered if one has worked as a Dental Assistant for 1 year within the past 3 years.
• Certification: Applicant must have active Basic Life Support (BLS) certification by the American Heart Association.
• Certification: BLS certification must be maintained during employment.
• Experience: Must have experience with chair-side assistance as part of Dental Assisting (DA) Training program and be able to demonstrate knowledge of dental instruments and experience with rubber-dam isolation.
• Must have worked as a DA continuously for 1 year within the past 5 years or as a volunteer DA for 2 months if the date of graduation from DA training is 5 years or more from the date of application, OR as a DA or volunteer DA if the date of graduation from DA training is 0–5 years from the date of application. (Exceptions due to pandemic: if the date of graduation from DA training is within the past 2 years, then experience is not required; if no DA training course completed, must have worked for 1 year as a DA within the past 3 years.)
• Other Skills and Abilities: A record of satisfactory performance in all prior and current employment as evidenced by positive employment references from previous and current employers. All employment references must indicate success in the following areas:
  • Positive working relationships with others
  • Possession of high ethical standards and no history of complaints
  • Reliable and dependable; reports to work as scheduled without excessive absences
  • Knowledge of dental instruments, basic dental anatomy and operation of dental x-ray equipment
  • Must be proficient in dental charting for treatment planning
  • Must be proficient in “four-handed dentistry”
  • Basic computer skills needed to complete required administrative tasks
  • Completion of and above-satisfactory scores on all job interviews, demonstrating to the satisfaction of the interviewers and TCRHCC that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
  • Successful completion of and positive results from all background and reference checks, including positive employment references from authorized representatives of past and current employers, demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC a record of satisfactory performance and that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
  • Successful completion of fingerprint clearance requirements, physical examinations, and other screenings indicating that the applicant is qualified to be employed by TCRHCC and demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
  • Submission of all required employment-related documents, applications, resumes, references, and other required information free of false, misleading or incomplete information, as determined by TCRHCC.
• Mental and Physical Effort: The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Physical: This position requires long periods of sitting with frequent times of standing and reaching. Must be able to occasionally walk, drive, bend, climb, kneel, crouch, twist, and maintain balance. Ability to lift, push, and pull up to 10 pounds for prolonged times; lift to 24 pounds occasionally; push and pull up to 50 pounds occasionally. Requires near vision, color vision, depth perception, hearing normal speech. Must also have far vision, use a telephone, and hear overhead pages over a loudspeaker. Requires ability of prolonged hand manipulation, frequent firm grasping and fine dexterity.
• Environment: Work in a well-lit clinical setting with strict infection control standards. Must wear gloves, masks, eyewear, and protective clothing. May be exposed to infectious diseases, chemical agents, and loud noises for long periods. May frequently be exposed to dust, fumes, gases. May be occasionally exposed to extremes in temperature or humidity and hazardous or moving equipment.
• Mental: Performs several clinical support activities including chair-side assistance and radiographic work. Must concentrate, handle high degree of flexibility, demonstrate high degree of patience, work in close crowded areas for prolonged periods, cope with high level of stress, make decisions under high pressure, handle multiple priorities in stressful situations. Incumbent must occasionally manage altercations and adapt to shift work.

Responsibilities

• Must prepare patient for proper dental procedures including setting up instruments.
• Sterilize dental instruments and equipment at satellite clinics.
• Organize and lay out instruments for dental provider’s use.
• Meet and greet patients and seat them in the dental chair.
• Keep alert to the condition of patient during treatment; check for signs of fainting, shock, or other signs of distress.
• Perform routine dental laboratory procedures including pouring and trimming models, constructing custom impression trays, fabricating base plates and bite rims, fabricating mouth guards, basic denture repairs, etc.
• Perform rubber dam isolation for restorative/operative and endodontic procedures.
• Responsible for cleaning, packaging and sterilizing all dental instruments and proper storage.
• Proficient in taking radiographs.
• Proficient in dental charting for exams and treatment planning.
• After appropriate training, may provide supragingival cleanings using a Piezon, rubber cup prophylaxis, dental sealants, and fluoride treatments under general supervision by a dental provider.
• Provide Oral Hygiene Instructions (OHI) and Post-Op Instructions (POI) for certain procedures (e.g., extractions, root canal treatments).
• Must complete all mandatory trainings and certifications as required of the position in the timeframe designated by supervisor (e.g., radiology, infection control, periodontal therapy, mandatory hospital trainings).
• Will work with EDR and EHR programs; training will be provided.
• Ensure proper PPE is always worn while on duty including but not limited to face mask, gloves, gown, isolation gown, NIOSH-approved N95 filtering facepiece respirator or higher, and eye or face shield.
• Complete all donning and doffing tasks in a safe acceptable method and discard of used PPE accordingly (see CDC website for most current updates).
• Complete task training for all routine cleaning and decontamination processes for all surfaces contaminated by a communicable disease to ensure a high level of patient, visitor, employee, and external customer satisfaction.
• Completes all patient care documentation in the electronic health record entries accurately and in real-time.
• Performs other duties as assigned.