DENTAL ASSISTANT

Arizona Department of Administration•Phoenix, AZ

4d•Onsite

About The Position

THE ARIZONA STATE HOSPITAL (ASH) PROVIDES INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC CARE TO PERSONS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS WHO NEED LONG-TERM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE. ASH PROMOTES HOPE AND WELLNESS FOR OUR PATIENTS AND CREATES OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN PLANNING, DELIVERING AND EVALUATING SERVICES THAT ASSIST WITH RECOVERY. TREATMENT IS INDIVIDUALIZED WITH GOALS THAT FOCUS ON EDUCATION ABOUT AN ILLNESS, INSTILLING HOPE AND IMPROVING ONE'S OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. THE ARIZONA STATE HOSPITAL HAS A WIDE RANGE OF POSITIONS AVAILABLE, FROM OUR DIRECT CARE STAFF, NURSES AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TECHNICIANS TO SOCIAL WORKERS, REHABILITATION SPECIALIST AND SECURITY TO NAME A FEW. THE ARIZONA STATE HOSPITAL ALSO OFFERS 12 HOUR SHIFTS FOR OUR DIRECT CARE STAFF AS WELL AS SOME ALTERNATIVE WORK SCHEDULES, FLEXIBLE HOURS FOR NON-DIRECT CARE STAFF. WE OFFER A ROBUST BENEFIT PACKAGE, INCLUDING THE ADHS STUDENT LOAN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM WHERE ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES CAN RECEIVE UP TO $437.50 PER MONTH FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING STUDENT LOANS. COME CHECK US OUT AND SEE HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF ALL ARIZONANS. The Dental Assistant will assist the dentist in providing direct dental evaluations, patient care/treatment such as fillings or extractions, and performing dental x-rays. The Dental Assistant will answer phones, schedules appointments, coordinate clinic activities with hospital unit staff and other specialty clinic staff. The position will involve providing oral hygiene and dental problem prevention education to patients/residents and maintain hospital dental clinic records and assure completion of those records. The Dental Assistant maintains dental clinic supplies and equipment, decontaminates and cleans instruments after use, prepare instruments for sterilization, sterilizes and stores instruments and supplies for future use.

Requirements

Knowledge of: Principles, concepts and current practices of dental care and treatment. commonly performed by a dental assistant.
The supplies and instrumentation utilization in providing basic and expanded dental care.
The principles and methods of sterilizing instruments.
Oral hygiene and plaque control techniques.
Basic knowledge of dental procedures, with the ability to assist the dentist with procedures.
Basic understanding of various supplies and dental equipment.
Basic understanding of dental preventative care and knowledge of providing education to patients regarding dental hygiene.
Basic understanding of oral dentistry methods, infection control, OSHA and hazardous material regulations.
Basic understanding of dental anatomy and pathology.
Basic knowledge of the components, used and effects of pharmaceutical agents used in dentistry.
HIPPA regulations.
Performance Management (PM), and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Lean methodologies.
Skill In: Coordinating office/ clinic appointments.
Scheduling of procedures.
Ordering and maintaining dental supplies and equipment.
Perform preliminary examinations, and record normal and abnormal conditions of patients oral structures and tissue.
Assemble required instruments for appropriate dental procedure.
Decontamination/ cleaning and sterilization of instruments.
Maintaining required documentation.
Ability to: Use dental equipment and materials.
Follow oral and written instructions.
Perform clerical work.
Communicate both orally and in writing in a professional manner.
Deal with challenging patient population.
Provide fluoride treatments.
Autoclave dental instruments.
Provide patient education effectively.
Support a diverse multi-cultural workforce that reflects the community, promotes equal opportunity at all levels of public employment, and creates an inclusive work environment that enables all individuals to perform to their fullest potential free from discrimination.
Arizona Radiological Proficiency Certification & relevant work experience
A State Hospital employee must be able to obtain a valid Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card pursuant to A.R.S. § 41-1758.07.
If this position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function of the job to conduct State business, then the following requirements apply: Driver’s License Requirements. [https://publicstorage.dc4.pageuppeople.com/1045/ClientPublicFile/3601803f-02e5-4b70-b325-26c8ef309c1b.pdf]
All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

Nice To Haves

Dental Assistant Certification and 2+ years of experience. Ideally, the successful candidate will have strength to deal with physical situations involving patient care.

Responsibilities

Assist dentist in providing direct dental evaluations, care and treatment such as fillings or extractions.
Performs dental x-rays.
Answer phones, schedules appointments, coordinate clinic activities with hospital unit staff and other specialty clinic staff.
Provide oral hygiene and dental problem prevention education to patients/ residents.
Maintain hospital dental clinic records and assure completion of those records.
Maintain dental clinic supplies and equipment. Decontaminates and cleans instruments after use, prepare instruments for sterilization, sterilizes and stores instruments and supplies for future use.
Other duties as assigned as related to the position (typically 5% - 10%)

Benefits

Affordable medical and dental insurance plans
Paid vacation and sick time
Paid Parental Leave-Up to 12 weeks per year paid leave for newborn or newly-placed foster/adopted child (pilot program)
10 paid holidays per year
Wellness program and plans
Life insurance
Short/long-term disability insurance
Defined retirement plan
Award winning Infant at Work program
Credit union membership
Transit subsidy
ADHS Student Assistance Pilot Program