Dental Assistant Lead

CHC•Arlington, WA

About The Position

The Dental Assistant Lead operates as an effective team member with dental clinic care providers and other front and back office support staff to provide quality dental treatment support, four-handed dentistry, oral health education, instrument repair and sterilization, facilities and equipment maintenance, and supply inventory & purchasing, in accordance with agency standards. In addition, this position assists in the scheduling and mentoring of assigned staff, provides ongoing performance feedback and acts as a key communicator between the clinical staff and practice manager. The Lead participates in interviews and as a preceptor for newly hired staff and assures all critical tasks are completed per clinic protocols.

Requirements

Reads, speaks, understands and writes proficiently in English.
Effectively communicates orally and in writing.
Works independently and is self-directed.
Supports, motivates and sustains a team-oriented culture.
Organizes, prioritizes, and coordinates multiple activities and tasks.
Demonstrates leadership and basic management skills.
Works with initiative, energy and effectiveness in a fast-paced environment.
Remains calm and effective in high pressure and emergency situations.
Produces work in high quantity and quality.
Problem-solves with creativity and ingenuity.
Use of multi-line telephones and other office machines.
Knowledge of dental terminology.
Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office applications; Word, Excel and Outlook.
High school graduate or equivalent.
Graduate of a Dental Assisting program, or a foreign trained dentist working a minimum of one (1) year of experience as a dental assistant, or a Dental Assistant having worked no less than 500 hours of patient care time within the past 12 months while having received verifiable on-the-job training in a dental practice.
Customer service related experience working with the general public (2 years).
Dental assistant experience (2 years).
Dental Assistant registration with the State of Washington.
Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (CPR/AED) certification - must be obtained at hire.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual language skills.
Associate’s degree in a related field.
Supervisory/management experience (2 years).
Experience in a multiple provider dental practice.
Working with insurance/billing in a healthcare setting/insurance organization.
Digital imaging familiarity.
Healthcare information systems, such as electronic health record and practice management systems experience.
Working with low income, multi-ethnic populations.
Dental Assistant certification by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB).

Responsibilities

Greets patients, interpreters and visitors, in person and by phone, in a prompt, courteous and helpful manner, to respond to inquiries, take messages, and provide accurate information regarding schedules and services.
Assists patients in completing all necessary forms, verifies contents, provides complete pre-op and post-op instructions, answers questions or refers as needed to the Dentists, and assures completion of pre-authorizations.
Works in tandem with the reception staff in managing interpreter services.
Assists Dentists with timely delivery of accurate and complete fee slips to receptionist for every patient encounter.
Monitors schedules and patient arrivals, participates in sequencing emergency patients, and provide assistance to co-workers to maintain a smooth and efficient patient flow for entire clinic for maximum productivity.
Performs competently and independently all dental treatment procedures in use at CHC and allowable by dental assistants under Washington State Law.
Performs radiographic surveys as prescribed by Dentists for diagnostic purposes (expose, develop, mount and label films including with portable equipment.
Assists the Dentists chairside in providing dental care for patients utilizing efficient four handed dentistry techniques of instrument exchange, oral evacuation, tissue retraction, and materials preparation.
Assists the Dentists in determining dental problems and offering oral health education.
Opens and closes operatories and keeps operatories fully stocked, organized, and safe. Reprocess operatories and instruments following each patient encounter with promptness and efficiency. Prepares appropriate armamentarium of instruments and materials for each treatment procedure.
Maintains current knowledge of dental materials, dental procedures, oral hygiene procedures, and sterilization/disinfection procedures in use at CHC.
Follows established protocols for routine cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, maintenance and repair of instruments and equipment.
Adheres to organizational infection control practices and written plan.
Adheres to attendance standards in order to perform the job functions for daily operations and/or continuity of patient care.
Transport and maintain portable dental equipment and order and transport program supplies to schools and service locations.
Work with portable equipment and in non-traditional locations, such as schools.
Acts as a key communicator between dental assistants, Dental Program Supervisor – School-based and Program Manager – School-based.
Provides coverage for breaks, lunches and PTO, as needed.
Provides guidance to the dental assistants by monitoring performance, mentoring, training and participating in annual performance evaluations.
Handles dental assistant scheduling and staffing up to the threshold as established by the Dental Supervisor and Program Manager participates in the recruitment process for dental assistants.
Conducts new dental assistant job-specific orientation. Identifies and recommends other training needs and makes recommendations to the Dental Program Supervisor – School-based and Program Manager – School-based.
Keeps Dental Program Supervisor - School-based informed regarding deviations in dental assistant’s time records and approves overtime up to the threshold established by the Dental Program Supervisor - School-based and Program Manager – School-based.
Provides assistance for ensuring clinical protocols are followed and seeks counsel from Dental Program Supervisor - School-based and Program Manager -School-based for more complex problems.
Coordinates the data collection for quality reviews, as assigned.
Oversees inventory and ordering of routine supplies.
Complete all standard and program specific auditing and attestation processes as required by organization.