Duties while you shadow or work for a dentist?

[schafenm]

Hi All!!

My question is simple, what duties do your doctors allow you to do while you shadow? I shadowed my dentist (general dentist) for 2 days a week for 6 months and pretty much just watched. After that I began to work for her as an office assistant. I sterilize rooms and instruments, stock rooms and the lab, pour models, redo holiday decorations 🙂, and a lot of front office work. I rarely get a chance to assist. She has shown me how to take x-rays, assist on fillings, take impressions, and help with crown impressions. The only problem is I am shown once and am rarely allowed to do them again. The problem with this is I only go one day a week now and I forget the things after some time. Her assistants have been with her for years and she likes things done a certain way, I believe that is why I do not see the assisting chair very often. I was just wondering if this is normal or am I just not allowed to do much!!!

Any thoughts would be helpful!! THANKS

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Impulse155]

Hi All!!

My question is simple, what duties do your doctors allow you to do while you shadow? I shadowed my dentist (general dentist) for 2 days a week for 6 months and pretty much just watched. After that I began to work for her as an office assistant. I sterilize rooms and instruments, stock rooms and the lab, pour models, redo holiday decorations 🙂, and a lot of front office work. I rarely get a chance to assist. She has shown me how to take x-rays, assist on fillings, take impressions, and help with crown impressions. The only problem is I am shown once and am rarely allowed to do them again. The problem with this is I only go one day a week now and I forget the things after some time. Her assistants have been with her for years and she likes things done a certain way, I believe that is why I do not see the assisting chair very often. I was just wondering if this is normal or am I just not allowed to do much!!!

Any thoughts would be helpful!! THANKS

You rarely get to assist. By this do you mean get to be the dental assistant who actually gets to work with the dr and patient? If so I am pretty sure you doing this is illegal lol. Which is why you rarely do it. Im suprised she even lets you rarely do it. When you shadow you arent there to actually do anything. Your just there to observe whats going on, and ask questions once and a while to make yourself look more interested lol.

 

[amalgamgrillz]

You rarely get to assist. By this do you mean get to be the dental assistant who actually gets to work with the dr and patient? If so I am pretty sure you doing this is illegal lol. Which is why you rarely do it. Im suprised she even lets you rarely do it. When you shadow you arent there to actually do anything. Your just there to observe whats going on, and ask questions once and a while to make yourself look more interested lol.

Regulations differ between areas. At least where I am from, you can be a trained (uncertified) dental assistant; meaning you can assist/do certain things but not others. For example, I am uncertified and I was not allowed to do any solo intraoral work (fisher sealants, polishing, fluoride, impressions, etc.) or take X-rays.,.. but I was allowed to do every type of chairside assisting procedure (suction, passing instruments, mixing bond, making acrylic, light curing, etc.), X-ray prep (just not pressing the button), xray development, pour ups, trim models, tracing cephs, cropping intraoral photos, recording new patient exams/probe readings/treatment plans, sterilization, ordering supplies, dealing with insurance companies.

 

[cmonster11]

The requirement to be licensed and/or registered in order to be an assistant varies state-by-state. My state doesn't require any certification and I was able to start my temporary assisting job with very little training. When you don't need to be certified, I imagine your roles, duties, and opportunities would vary by dentist depending on how much they are comfortable letting you do.

I agree with the observing comments. In my experience, it has been nice when observers that shadow my boss are willing to lend a hand when needed. Just my $.02.

You rarely get to assist. By this do you mean get to be the dental assistant who actually gets to work with the dr and patient? If so I am pretty sure you doing this is illegal lol. Which is why you rarely do it. Im suprised she even lets you rarely do it. When you shadow you arent there to actually do anything. Your just there to observe whats going on, and ask questions once and a while to make yourself look more interested lol.

 

[schafenm]

thanks you guys for the responses. I thought she just thought I was incompetent. I am allowed to chair side when we have emergency patients and there are not enough assistants, only when all 4 rooms are occupied, but I would not expect to be in there alone.

 

[sneil]

I did an internship at an oral surgeons office (I'm a senior in college) and I got to do a lot of hands-on patient care! I have worked for there for two summers now and I pretty much run my own room. I bring back the patient, xrays, set up monitors (bp cuff, heart leads, O2), I start IVs under supervision and I assist in the surgeries directly with the doctor. Everything is done under the doctors insurance and his supervision.

I got really lucky to find him - its given me a good look into dentistry/oral surgery.

 

[two thirty]

I've only shadowed one day so far(6 hours), but by the end the dentist had me assisting him when he extracted two teeth(stuff the hygienists usually do.)

 

[aelian]

Yeah, don't take it the wrong way. You're the sixth man (assuming you're a man and if not, then you are one now, damb it). Your dentist already has his/her starting line up so unless at least a few of your assistants "accidentally" fall ill to food poisoning or "unfortunately" get hit so hard that they start convulsing, then your chance of actually assisting the dentist is pretty low. Now, I'm not saying do anything crazy, but Tonya Harding one of them and get to assisting. Times a-wasting. 😉😉😉

 

[amalgamgrillz]

I've only shadowed one day so far(6 hours), but by the end the dentist had me assisting him when he extracted two teeth(stuff the hygienists usually do.)

hygienists don't assist - they clean teeth 😉

 

[schafenm]

aelian.. too funny!! i will def have to get some ideas so it doesn't look malicious!! lol

 

[dl9006]

Hi All!!

My question is simple, what duties do your doctors allow you to do while you shadow? I shadowed my dentist (general dentist) for 2 days a week for 6 months and pretty much just watched. After that I began to work for her as an office assistant. I sterilize rooms and instruments, stock rooms and the lab, pour models, redo holiday decorations 🙂, and a lot of front office work. I rarely get a chance to assist. She has shown me how to take x-rays, assist on fillings, take impressions, and help with crown impressions. The only problem is I am shown once and am rarely allowed to do them again. The problem with this is I only go one day a week now and I forget the things after some time. Her assistants have been with her for years and she likes things done a certain way, I believe that is why I do not see the assisting chair very often. I was just wondering if this is normal or am I just not allowed to do much!!!

Any thoughts would be helpful!! THANKS

it depends on the dentist's comfort/patience.
some allow students to assists but it's a hassle for them and some patients don't like it if they know you don't have any previous training.

just be patient until you get into dental school. shadowing/assisting is not that big of a deal. you just have to do the hours like everyone else. shadowing is just favorable thing to have for dental school application.

 

[dl9006]

Yeah, don't take it the wrong way. You're the sixth man (assuming you're a man and if not, then you are one now, damb it). Your dentist already has his/her starting line up so unless at least a few of your assistants "accidentally" fall ill to food poisoning or "unfortunately" get hit so hard that they start convulsing, then your chance of actually assisting the dentist is pretty low. Now, I'm not saying do anything crazy, but Tonya Harding one of them and get to assisting. Times a-wasting. 😉😉😉

haha nice

 

[doc toothache]

My question is simple, what duties do your doctors allow you to do while you shadow? I shadowed my dentist (general dentist) for 2 days a week for 6 months and pretty much just watched. After that I began to work for her as an office assistant. I sterilize rooms and instruments, stock rooms and the lab, pour models, redo holiday decorations 🙂, and a lot of front office work. I rarely get a chance to assist. She has shown me how to take x-rays, assist on fillings, take impressions, and help with crown impressions. The only problem is I am shown once and am rarely allowed to do them again. The problem with this is I only go one day a week now and I forget the things after some time. Her assistants have been with her for years and she likes things done a certain way, I believe that is why I do not see the assisting chair very often. I was just wondering if this is normal or am I just not allowed to do much!!!

Shouldn't you be thankful for whatever you get? Let's hope your memory improves once you enter (assuming you gain acceptance) ds.

hygienists don't assist - they clean teeth 😉

And heaven forbid should the dh be asked to assist.

 

[schafenm]

Shouldn't you be thankful for whatever you get? Let's hope your memory improves once you enter (assuming you gain acceptance) ds.

Was the whole point of that post to insult me. I am grateful for all of the things doc has done for me. Since this is the only dentist I am shadowing and having all my friends going to medical school, I needed some advice. I didn't know what was normal for someone to do while shadowing or working. And I don't think there is anything wrong with my memory. I find it totally normal to be shown something once and not be able to recall step for step two months later.

 

[amalgamgrillz]

And heaven forbid should the dh be asked to assist.

I don't know how you run things at your pratice, but if chairside assisting is the "(stuff the hygienists usually do.)" at your office, then I would love to know the extra duties your assistants get to do.

There's no shame in assisting; it's just not the "usual" job of a hygienist...from what I, a mere pre-dent, understand.

 

[slm266]

I wasnt able to get any experience when I shadowed private practice, but once I found a public health clinic, I was able to get a lot of experience. I'd suggest looking for a new office; start with your family dentist and ask to assist the next time they do a cleaning on one of your family members.

Understand that the doctor feels more obligated to keep his patients happy, rather than make them feel like guinea pigs.

PS i was recently hired as an ortho assistant and have no certification at all because the job will only last 8 months before I start dental school. In utah I was able to do the intra oral procedures (like rubber cup polishing), but wasnt allowed to take xrays. Now that I am here in texas I can do xrays and anything an ortho assistant would do, but I couldnt do a rubber cup polishing for a patient on the day they get their braces off.

 

[doc toothache]

I don't know how you run things at your pratice, but if chairside assisting is the "(stuff the hygienists usually do.)" at your office, then I would love to know the extra duties your assistants get to do.

There's no shame in assisting; it's just not the "usual" job of a hygienist...from what I, a mere pre-dent, understand.

When the perceived need for a comeback is as elusive as Bigfoot, it is always best to resort to personal attacks.

 

[slm266]

When the perceived need for a comeback is as elusive as Bigfoot, it is always best to resort to personal attacks.

doc you were doing so good there for a few days without being so cranky

I know its hard reading so many ignorant and misinformed posts from us predents, but doesnt it affect you (and your practice) to always belittle others?

 

[doc toothache]

doc you were doing so good there for a few days without being so cranky
I know its hard reading so many ignorant and misinformed posts from us predents, but doesnt it affect you (and your practice) to always belittle others?

A case of shattered expectations.

 

[UltimateHombre]

doc you were doing so good there for a few days without being so cranky

I know its hard reading so many ignorant and misinformed posts from us predents, but doesnt it affect you (and your practice) to always belittle others?

Ya doc where the hell have you been? (All sarcasm aside) I have missed your sarcastic wit and putting us predents in our place. Practice been busier than usual? The Mrs. DocToothache needing more attention? Why MIA lately?

 

[doc toothache]

Ya doc where the hell have you been? (All sarcasm aside) I have missed your sarcastic wit and putting us predents in our place. Practice been busier than usual? The Mrs. DocToothache needing more attention? Why MIA lately?

The Art of Diplomacy courtesy of the Senate and Honor Society.