Dental Assistant (req 101127)

Whitney M Young Jr Health Center; City of Albany (NY); On-site; USD 29,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous benefits package

401k with safe harbor employer match

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Whitney Young Health is seeking a dedicated Dental Assistant to support staff dentists in delivering high-quality care. The role is full-time, 40 hours per week, with responsibilities spanning patient preparation, charting, radiographs, and instrument sterilization.

The candidate will handle dental claims in eCW, assist with exams, and help maintain clean, compliant treatment areas. A strong emphasis on HIPAA and infection control is required, with generous benefits and career growth

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; promotional opportunities based on experience.
• Experience in dental assisting and patient care is preferred.
• Knowledge of HIPAA compliance and infection control standards.

Responsibilities

• Assist staff dentists during dental procedures and patient care.
• Prepare patients, seat them, and ensure radiographs are available.
• Prepare instruments, materials, and anesthetic syringes for dentist.
• Take blood pressure readings and document dental charting accurately.
• Screen urgent care patients and obtain necessary dental radiographs.
• Maintain operatory cleanliness and infection control protocols.
• Create dental claims in eCW as instructed by provider.
• Maintain labs, sterilization, and equipment in good order.
• Provide backup reception duties as needed.
• Follow dentist directions and communicate with team effectively.

Skills

Dental assisting

Patient care

HIPAA compliance

Infection control

Documentation

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

eCW (dental software)

Sterilization equipment

Job description

Description

Be a part of the mission at Whitney Young Health (WYH) to provide high quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible to our diverse community.

WYH has a robust benefits package including generous time off, affordable health, dental and vision insurance, 401k with safe harbor employer match, tuition reimbursement, term life insurance, commuter benefits and more!

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Assists Staff Dentists with the treatment of Whitney Young Health (WYH) Dental patients. Please note, this a full-time position, 40 hours a week.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Receives, seats and prepares patients for dental treatment.
• Reviews the dental record to ensure that the record is in order and the appropriate radiographs are available.
• Ensures that appropriate instruments and materials are ready for use by the dentist.
• Prepare dental restorative and impression materials and anesthetic syringes
• Take an accurate blood pressure reading
• Accurately record (dental charting) on the dental record existing conditions and treatment to be done as per dentist direction.
• Properly screen urgent care and emergency walk-in patients and take necessary dental radiographs
• Utilize acceptable technical skills in assisting the dentist during all phases of treatment.
• Consistently prepares patient for dismissal, confirms future appointments, and reinforces instructions given by the dentist concerning post-treatment care and the use of medications.
• Prepare the operatory between patients using proper disinfection and infection control procedures and in a timely manner.
• Create a dental claim on eCW as instructed by the provider
• Consistently keeps the lab, dark room and sterilization area clean and orderly, using infection control procedures
• Consistently maintains Infection Control logs
• Appropriately maintains necessary supplies in the treatment area
• Use various dental and office equipment and follow preventive maintenance procedures for such equipment.
• Properly expose dental radiographs, process and mount the film.
• Properly disinfect and prepare soiled instruments for sterilization.
• Perform weekly maintenance and spore testing on the autoclaves as assigned.
• Operate the autoclave and sterilize the instruments.
• File and retrieve dental records.
• Pour study models.
• Perform backup reception duties as needed
• Seeks direction and guidance from dentist in performing their duties regarding patient care.
• Demonstrates excellence in both internal and external customer service.
• Understands and is able to effectively communicate HIPAA compliance, corporate compliance and client confidentiality.
• Ensures and/or remains in compliance with local, state, and federal regulation, i.e. DHHS HRSA and NYSDOH, and all accreditation standards (e.g. Joint Commission and NCQA-PCMH).
• Adheres to the National Patient Safety Goals as defined by the Joint Commission and Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Center.
• Completes other duties as assigned.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school graduate or equivalent. Promotional opportunities based on years of experience (i.e. Dental Assistant 0 = no experience; Dental Assistant 1 = 1 year of assisting experience; Dental Assistant 2 = 2+ years of assisting experience).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Certified by accredited Dental Assistant Program plus one year experience as Dental Assistant.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected status.

Salary range: $21.12 - $25.75 hourly