Dental Assistant

The Dental Assistant’s primary job function is to work as part of a team to provide high quality, efficient and service oriented patient care while demonstrating the health center’s core values.  The Dental Assistant is responsible for performing basic supportive chair-side procedures under the direction of the Staff Dentists, maintaining the operatories in a safe and workable condition, properly cleaning all dental instruments, and assistance with providing oral health education to patients and caregivers. Secondarily, the Dental Assistant is responsible for providing front office support, ensuring that a high level of customer service is provided to health center patients and caretakers.    

Ensures that the core values of Camino Health Center – Service, Dignity, Excellence and Justice – are carried out within daily tasks.

Dignity: Demonstrates competence in communication and interpersonal relations

Excellence: Demonstrates competence in continuous improvement, continuous learning, and teamwork/collaboration

Service: Demonstrates competence in customer/patient focus, adaptability, and shaping change

Justice: Demonstrates competence in community orientation, stewardship, and strategic planning and action

Essential Functions:

Direct Patient Care 

• Assist in providing extra-oral and intra-oral duties as directed by the staff dentist.
• Assist in recording patient treatment in the electronic dental record.
• Provide oral hygiene education to patients and caretakers.   
• Takes high quality and clinically appropriate digital radiographs

Back Office Duties

• Sets up trays for procedures. 
• Properly cleans all dental instruments and maintains operatories in a safe and workable condition.  Notify appropriate team members about supplies needing to be ordered and equipment requiring repairs.
• Sterilizes all instruments according to infection control regulations.  Lubricates and oils hand-pieces before and after sterilization.  
• Ensures compliance with infection control procedures as mandated by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Front Office Duties

• Maintain dental schedule; including making appointments and reminder calls.  
• Answer dental phones calls and return voice messages.
• Maintain electronic patient filing system, including establishing new patient records and scanning paper records and x-rays into the electronic dental record.
• Maintain patient records in the practice management system, including updating patient demographic and contact information.
• Check-in responsibilities, including acknowledging appointments and verifying patient information.
• Check-out responsibilities, including insurance verification and cash collection.   Responsible for assessing and documenting patient eligibility to participate in the health center’s sliding fee discount program
• Work collaboratively with the dental team to ensure optimal workflow and department goals are achieved.

Outreach, In-reach, and Education

• Assist with coordination of external dental screenings, facilitate and maintain a positive rapport with parents, school staff, childcare providers and community agencies. 
• Assist with community dental outreach opportunities which may include, but are not limited to: parent education classes in selected sites, Community Outreach Programs sponsored by other agencies serving the target population and pre-school dental screenings.
• Conduct in-reach activities to identifying new patients using other Camino services who could also benefit for the dental program.  When possible coordinate same day care for these patients.
• Facilitate the collection of surveys and questionnaires required by funders or through community partnerships. 
• Participation in continuing education events.

Additional Responsibilities

• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor

Minimum Position Qualifications: 

• Education: High School diploma or GED required
• License / Certification: Valid Dental Assistant Certificate, including radiology and infection control certification; valid and current BLS certification

 Preferred Position Qualifications:  

• Experience / Training: Two years of experience working in a pediatric dental office or community clinic.

Physical and Personal Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 35 lbs.
• Must have reliable transportation to report for shifts.