Dentists I would like your input!

[toothy2112]

Alright, I have just been offered a position to head a new dental assisting program. Upon completion of this program they will be licensed by the state. I must come up with the entire program and am looking to make the graduates ready to enter any office and get to work. I am very excited to be able to add my experiences and knowledge to do this.

I am very interested in hearing what qualities or skills you want in a dental assistant. I have ideas (from my own experiences) but figured I would ask and see what dr.'s think/want? I already have a list of my own but just looking to make it that much better

Any input is appreciated!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[nydds25]

good looking

 

[bobdjojo]

redacted

 

[Oracle DMD]

good luck with your program! a lot of the new assistants i've seen coming out in of programs in southern california are not prepared to work in offices. it seems the best assistants that i know are RDAs or RDAEFs instead of DAs. i don't know the entire curriculum difference and length of training but it can be night and day differences. making good temps seems to be one waterwark that i've seen. i think the difficult thing for you is to put together a program that incorporates all of the different systems that dentists are using out there. they might have been taught on one material but a dentist might be using something completely different (newer or way old school) which throws them off and kills their confidence and frustrates the dentist.

 

[Yellow Snow]

good talking with patients/understanding patients psychological needs (elderly vs busy worker, etc.), takes good impressions and pours them up well, is familiar with the tools of a dental office, not too proud to clean up, team driven not ego driven, takes good radiographs, can adjust routine to meet Dr.'s needs, keeps personal drama at home, clean/healthy appearance, Can pack cord, rubber dam, etc quickly. Are these too obvious?

 

[toothy2112]

good luck with your program! a lot of the new assistants i've seen coming out in of programs in southern california are not prepared to work in offices. it seems the best assistants that i know are RDAs or RDAEFs instead of DAs. i don't know the entire curriculum difference and length of training but it can be night and day differences. making good temps seems to be one waterwark that i've seen. i think the difficult thing for you is to put together a program that incorporates all of the different systems that dentists are using out there. they might have been taught on one material but a dentist might be using something completely different (newer or way old school) which throws them off and kills their confidence and frustrates the dentist.

I agree, I have worked with some girls who know nothing even after graduating from a program. Which is one thing I would like to change. The graduates will be properly trained and ready to work. The course will be designed to have all graduates licensed which in this state is the equivalent of RDA. This particular course will be 9 months and although it sounds harsh, but they will need to work hard in order to graduate. In the end they will have xray license, state license, cpr and hands on experience which hopefully will give them enough confidence to get a job in the real world!

 

[Thaxil]

Your schooling is not going to prepare you to be a DA; however it is the first step. Most important qualities are not related to your clinical skill set; they are related to who you are as a person. I spend more time with my assistant then anyone else in the office. I would look for someone that my staff likes, someone willing to learn and take positive criticism, a self-starter, hard worker, extroverted (since I am introverted), team player, and dependable. You will gain understanding of the clinical skill with experience. I would not care how attractive you are because men don’t come to the dentist to see the assistant. More bang for the buck at the nudity bar. Last thing you want are patients sexually harassing your staff.

 

[Lidopaine82]

Your schooling is not going to prepare you to be a DA; however it is the first step. Most important qualities are not related to your clinical skill set; they are related to who you are as a person. I spend more time with my assistant then anyone else in the office. I would look for someone that my staff likes, someone willing to learn and take positive criticism, a self-starter, hard worker, extroverted (since I am introverted), team player, and dependable. You will gain understanding of the clinical skill with experience. I would not care how attractive you are because men don’t come to the dentist to see the assistant. More bang for the buck at the nudity bar. Last thing you want are patients sexually harassing your staff.

i don't agree, i think guys would want to go to an office with attractive staff.

 

[Oracle DMD]

i don't agree, i think guys would want to go to an office with attractive staff.

a capable assistant is 1 billion times more important than looks.

 

[toothy2112]

a capable assistant is 1 billion times more important than looks.

Agree.

 

[NyCzPeter]

a capable assistant is 1 billion times more important than looks.

Yea but its hard for both you and your patient to look at a butt fugly assistant all day long. I'll take somewhat capable and cute. Hot is too much. A Cutie will work best, especially in a pedo office.

<---- Not a pedophile

 

[toothy2112]

a capable assistant is 1 billion times more important than looks.

Agree.

 

[Oracle DMD]

Yea but its hard for both you and your patient to look at a butt fugly assistant all day long. I'll take somewhat capable and cute. Hot is too much. A Cutie will work best, especially in a pedo office.

<---- Not a pedophile

maybe its easier for me being married and all, but perhaps you should focus on the work that you and your assistants are doing rather than focusing on your assistant. i think impeccable hygiene, and professional appearence should be main criteria for looks.

 

[Maka]

good looking

The dentist that I shadowed gave me some advice one day:

"Don't ___ your patients, and don't ____ your staff."

In other words, choosing someone you'd be tempted to go for is probably a bad idea...With that said, it seems like choosing someone who is a team player and a hard worker is far more important that looks...however I do know some dentists with knockout assistants and they seem to be doing quite well .

 

[Cold Front]

Ability to speak Español.

 

[teeth63a]

Alright, I have just been offered a position to head a new dental assisting program. Upon completion of this program they will be licensed by the state. I must come up with the entire program and am looking to make the graduates ready to enter any office and get to work. I am very excited to be able to add my experiences and knowledge to do this.

I am very interested in hearing what qualities or skills you want in a dental assistant. I have ideas (from my own experiences) but figured I would ask and see what dr.'s think/want? I already have a list of my own but just looking to make it that much better

Any input is appreciated!

Just curious...and I may have missed something...you're a pre-dental student, and you've been asked to head a dental assisting school?

That's a tall order for someone who hasn't finished undergrad or have any dental training...?

 

[toothy2112]

Ability to speak Español.

Well I could teach the classes in Español!!! Then they would know how to speak it.....

 

[toothy2112]

Just curious...and I may have missed something...you're a pre-dental student, and you've been asked to head a dental assisting school?

That's a tall order for someone who hasn't finished undergrad or have any dental training...?

Actually I am pre-dent technically, but I have a B.A. in Psychology, licensed in both CA and LA as RDA/EDDA, completed a one year dental assisting program and have 4 years experience as an assistant. I had to pass three interviews: one with C.O.O, one with three faculty members and one with a dentist. After looking at my qualifications, passing those interviews and other things they requested, they offered me the position.

I believe I will do an awesome job given my experience in the field, my contacts and my schooling. Not to mention my love for teeth!!!

Basically, I am starting a Masters in the fall because my degree was in something other than Biology and my grades were not up to par. During this time I will retake the DAT, maintain a 3.0 or above and add other extracurricular/activites/experiences. I am hoping to get in in the next 1-2 years.

 

[jay47]

The dentist that I shadowed gave me some advice one day:

"Don't ___ your patients, and don't ____ your staff."

In other words, choosing someone you'd be tempted to go for is probably a bad idea...With that said, it seems like choosing someone who is a team player and a hard worker is far more important that looks...however I do know some dentists with knockout assistants and they seem to be doing quite well .

This really made me laugh, but I think it's good advice.

 

[Sweeti8286]

I agree, I have worked with some girls who know nothing even after graduating from a program. Which is one thing I would like to change. The graduates will be properly trained and ready to work. The course will be designed to have all graduates licensed which in this state is the equivalent of RDA. This particular course will be 9 months and although it sounds harsh, but they will need to work hard in order to graduate. In the end they will have xray license, state license, cpr and hands on experience which hopefully will give them enough confidence to get a job in the real world!

Just from your description that some girls don't know what to do means maybe they lacked the hands on experience?? It's a good thought but it's probably nearly impossible to "get them ready" since each dentist will use different tools, materials, etc. So it's like on the job training only they have a slight head start. I'm sure you've already known this, but definitely check into what they're allowed to do and not. I'm still young in my dental career (just graduated and job hunting), but what I liked while I was in dental school was that the DA program at the local community college had maybe 4-6 weeks hands-on assisting with the dental students. So you would probably need to talk to someone at the dental school and see what can be worked out in terms of timeline, insurance and liability stuff... I'm sure there has to be a dental clinic at where you'll be teaching, and the students don't mind the extra experiences with different people in a different setting...after all, that's the fun part.

It's also important to tell them what dentists do (amalgam, composite, probing, crown prep, injections, fancy laser, dental implants, etc)....cuz they can't help if they don't know what the doc is doing. I'm sure from your training in school and your experience will help you determine what courses on what would be necessary. I would also talk with other program directors about their program, I'm sure they'll be happy to help you. I think also talking with other trained assistants to see what they wish they had more of or less of...etc etc.

Good luck in everything coming up soon!!! I've had to pleasure of coming up with the chemistry portion of two enrichment programs for high school and college students...not fun! Very time consuming! Also, Since you are starting your masters program soon, I am guessing it'll be done in a year or two....I think the people hiring you are hoping you'll be sticking around a bit longer since I highly doubt things will be up and running smoothly in 2 years...still kinks to work out. You may be stuck with this project for the good next 5+ years....and not get to dental school until after.

Edit to add: Do you determine the admission requirements too? Or is that someone else?

 

[toothy2112]

Do you determine the admission requirements too? Or is that someone else?

Actually the school takes care of admissions, financial aid, placements, and everything else that is associated with it. I will be able to determine certain requirements for say admissions and what not, but I will not be handling that directly with the students. Basically I can come up with everything and then everyone else will know what to do.

I know it will be very time consuming but they are aware of that and we have talked about what is expected and within what time frame. They are a school that has been around for about 40 years and all they are doing is adding another program to their curriculum.

Just doing some prelim research...

Thanks for your ideas!