Dental Assistant on-call

Sea Mar Community Health Centers•White Center, WA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Sea Mar Community Health Centers is seeking a Dental Assistant to assist dental providers in delivering dental services to patients. This role involves anticipating and providing chairside assistance, patient education, maintaining sterilization methods, and participating in training and quality improvement activities. The position requires adherence to Sea Mar's mission and values, which emphasize respect, dignity, and client-centered care. Employees are expected to understand and empathize with client needs, surpass expectations, demonstrate integrity, compassion, and commitment, advocate for social justice, take pride in their work, and continually learn. The job description also outlines a rigorous competency evaluation process for new hires and annual evaluations for existing staff, with failure to pass potentially leading to disciplinary action up to termination. The role may involve temporary work in other departments or dental sites as needed.

Requirements

Must be able to read and write in English.
Ability to effectively communicate with patients and staff both verbally and in writing.
Ability to read and interpret common written materials about dentistry.
Must be able to communicate basic mathematical figures and amounts such as discounts, proportions, and percentages.
High School Diploma or equivalent (GED).
Must have completed a formal Dental Assistant program at a College, Technical Institute or equivalent.
Employee with no formal training must have a minimum of 1 year work experience in a Dental Assistant position.
Must be Registered with the Washington State Department of Health, and keep their registration updated annually.
Must obtain Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR within 90 days of hire date and is required to maintain current BLS CPR throughout employment.
Must have a TB test annually.
Pre-hire and annual employee health screening required.
Annual influenza vaccine required. Only exception is for employees with a medical or religious exemption approved by Administration.
Employees with an approved medical or religious exemption must wear a mask at all time during the flu season.
Operate in a manner that will prevent employees/patients exposure to communicable diseases through proper infection control.
The position regularly requires the physical demands to sit, stand, walk, use hands and fingers, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms, talk and hear.
Is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, or crouch.
Must be able to lift or move a child or object of an average weight (up to 50 lbs.).
Vision abilities required for this job include close vision, distant, vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.

Responsibilities

Anticipate and provide to Dental Providers all necessary chair side assistance using four-handed dentistry technique with procedures in categories as required: Diagnostic, Preventative, Restorative, Endodontics, Periodontics, Oral Surgery, Prosthodontic, Orthodontics and other services allowed by the Washington Dental Practice Act.
Identify and categorize each patient’s age-specific grouping of needs, such as those for infant, adolescents, and geriatric patients.
Escort each patient to and from the treatment room.
Greet, seat, and depart patients, being courteous and professional at all times, especially when talking to patients or discussing confidential information.
Provide patient education and instructions to patients before, after, and during any dental procedure.
Communicate provider delays and delays in patient flow to the Lead Dental Assistant, the Dental provider, the patients, and the front desk staff.
Participate in scheduling appointments arriving, and departing patients in Dentrix and registering patient in Allscripts PM.
Complete thorough, accurate charting in Dentrix using S.O.A.P. or P.A.R.T.S. format.
Obtain accurate blood pressure readings and other vital signs as directed by Dental Provider.
Maintain proper sterilization methods and OSHA regulations in all clinic areas including treatment rooms and the sterilization areas.
Perform the responsibilities outlined in the “Task & Duty List” (Dental Department Policy) or outlined by the supervisor or Regional Dental Manager.
Participate in the training of new employee and/or dental trainees.
Assist in doing inventory and the ordering of dental supplies.
Participate in the Quality Improvement Activities of the Dental Department and of Sea Mar Community Health Centers (assigned by a lead dental assistant or the immediate supervisor).
The duties and responsibilities for this position may change with changes occurring in the clinic activities or requirements.
The supervisor may assign temporary work in other departments or other dental sites.