Practice Assistant- IL- Dental Institute

Midwestern University • Downers Grove, IL

43d • Onsite

About The Position

The Practice Assistant in the College of Dental Medicine – Illinois (CDMI) assists the dentist and student dentists in examining and treating patients. The Practice Assistant in the Dental Institute is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the CDMI’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. Incumbents in this position work in multiple areas within the CDMI’s clinics on a rotational and/or specific assignment-based system. The Practice Assistant in the Dental Institute reports directly to the Practice Assistant Supervisor and must be able to adapt to work schedule changes based on the hours of the clinic.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED required.
• 3-5 years of dental clinical practice experience required.
• Must have working knowledge of digital radiography with a radiology certification preferred.
• Must possess or be willing to attain within 120 days BLS certificate or CPR certification if requested.
• Must be able to constantly take radiographs that meet acceptable standards for diagnostics and patient exposure.
• 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.
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions and procedure manuals.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization.

Nice To Haves

• Associate’s or technical certification preferred.
• Registered Dental Assistant is preferred.
• Bilingual/fluency in Spanish and English preferred

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, instrument 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. Among other tasks, it will include the systematic review of various student schedules, review of reports for patients with overdue appointments, and proactively facilitating the clinic schedule to ensure that available clinic times are utilized.
• Keep treatment records.
• 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
• Participate in instrument, equipment and supply coordination.
• 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
• Assist with training employees
• Record keeping of radiation dosimetry
• Facilitate the daily working of the radiology clinic and assist radiology faculty
• Function as an integral component in the quality assurance of College of Dental Medicine - Illinois.
• 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
• Responsible for the dispensing, collecting, and processing of dental instruments, equipment, and consumable supplies utilized in the College of Dental Medicine - Illinois clinics for the treatment of patients, both real and simulated as well as for the education of student doctors.
• 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.
• Assist with data entry, ordering and sorting clinical supplies.
• Assists with maintaining 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
• Assist with shelf organization for dispensary
• Assist in the Sterilization Department, as needed
• Dispense items to students and clinical instructors as needed.
• Assist with organization for dispensary and suites
• Participate in Dental Clinic meetings.
• Assist in hygiene and emergencies when needed
• Must be adaptable to shift changes.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Benefits

• We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance plans as well as life insurance, short/long-term disability and pet insurance.
• We offer flexible spending accounts, including healthcare reimbursement and child/dependent care account.
• We offer a work-life balance with a competitive time off package including paid holidays, sick/flex days, personal days, and vacation days.
• We offer a 403(b) retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, child care subsidy reimbursement program, identity theft protection, and an employee assistance program.
• Wellness is important to us, and we offer a wellness facility on-site with a fully equipped fitness facility.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED