Practice Assistant - AZ - Dental Institute

About the role

The Practice Assistant in the College of Dental Medicine - Arizona (CDMA) provides assistance to the dentist and student dentist when it relates to examining and treating patients. The Practice Assistant in the Dental Institute is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the CDMA’s clinics, including the coordination of materials, equipment and supplies, answering patient phone calls, scheduling patient appointments, and retrieving and relaying patient phone messages to students and faculty.

Responsibilities

• Model and ensure professional and collegial behavior.
• Maintain a positive working environment.
• Provide an environment of high quality, open and respectful communications.
• Participate in the cycle of equipment, instruments and supplies.
• Deliver instrument carts to student dentists within the various suites.
• Check out equipment, instruments, and supplies to the student dental provider.
• Check used instruments and equipment back in.
• Deliver instrument carts with used supplies back to the sterilization room and return used instruments.
• Schedule and confirm appointments with the goal of optimizing clinic utilization.
• Report malfunctioning equipment to appropriate personnel.
• Identify and report general maintenance problems.
• Assure presence of necessary materials.
• Request and maintain the materials and supplies necessary for day-to-day operation.
• Assure adherence of all clinic policies including infection control guidelines.
• Receive, greet, and prepare patients for treatment.
• Acquire digital radiographs, intra-oral, extra-oral, and Cone beam computed tomography.
• Assist dental students with acquisition of above dental radiographs.
• Oversee and demonstrate the correct radiographic technique to dental students and Practice Assistants in the Dental Institute.
• Assist dental students in planning and ordering lab fabricated surgical guide.
• Maintain sterilization and disinfection of radiology instruments and equipment.
• Import outside radiographs into patient electronic chart.
• Assist with dental operatory equipment infection control.
• Assist dental students and outside candidates with acquiring radiographs for dental board exams.
• Facilitate the daily working of the radiology clinic and assist radiology faculty.
• Work with student dentists, staff, and faculty to assure adherence to all clinic policies and regulatory requirements such as infection control guidelines, OSHA standards, and HIPAA privacy and security protocols.
• Provide information on violations of clinic policies to the management.
• Prepare and process instruments, supplies and equipment.
• Clean, disinfect, sterilize, package and restock instruments, supplies and equipment.
• Utilize aseptic techniques when handling instruments, equipment and supplies.
• Track, inventory and dispense dental instruments, supplies and equipment.
• Package and sterilize disposable supplies such as gauze, cotton rolls, and cotton pellets.
• Assists with data entry, ordering and sorting clinical supplies.
• Maintain the organization, cleanliness, and general appearance of the sterilizing and dispensing rooms and their related storage facilities.
• Maintain the stock of supplies needed to properly run the sterilizing and dispensing rooms, such as autoclave bags, tape, towels, patient’s drapes, caps, etc.
• Assist in the training of new employees.
• Educate staff, faculty, and students about sterilization and infection control issues.
• Provide chair side dental assistance, when required.
• Transfer dental instruments.
• Adjust equipment to proper position.
• Manipulate and transfer dental materials.
• Retract soft tissue.
• Evacuate the oral cavity of debris to maintain a clear field of operation.
• Make diagnostic quality radiographic images.
• Set up and maintain dental cubicles.
• Utilize aseptic techniques.
• Follow up on proper infection control guidelines.
• Demonstrate four-handed dentistry.
• Place rubber dams on teeth to isolate them for individual treatment.
• Prepare materials for making impressions and restorations and make casts of teeth and mouth from impressions.
• Make temporary crowns.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Associate’s or technical certification preferred.
• 1-3 years of dental clinical practice experience required.
• Must possess or be willing to obtain an X-Ray certification within 1 year of hire.
• Must possess or be willing to obtain BLS certificate or CPR certification within 120 days of hire.
• Registered Dental Assistant is preferred.
• Familiarity with OSHA guidelines.
• Experience working in a team and customer service-oriented environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Computer proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Ability to become familiar with the Clinic Management System.