Job Description
This position supports dental surgeries by preparing instruments and operating rooms, assisting in procedures, and maintaining equipment, which improves care delivery in a teaching hospital setting focused on specialties like laparoscopic surgery and oncology. Assistants escalate efficiency in patient treatment, helping to manage workload across clinics and respond to medical emergencies.
Temple University's Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry, founded in 1863, educates over 7,000 alumni in oral health and operates clinics for comprehensive patient services. Affiliated with university hospitals, it specializes in minimally invasive procedures, accommodating 300 board-certified physicians in northwest Philadelphia and eastern Montgomery County.
Floaters assist in routine and complex procedures using digital radiography, taking X-rays, processing impressions, and uploading data to Axium. They disinfect operatories, monitor emergency supplies, and handle front desk tasks such as scheduling and filing. Equipment includes dental X-ray machines, autoclaves, ultrasonic units, operatory suction tools, amalgamators, and hand pieces. Interactions include faculty, residents, students, and patients, with assignments rotating clinics daily and requiring occasional wheelchair assistance or answering questions.
The full-time day role offers $21.00 to $23.00 per hour at Health Sciences Campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, full medical, dental, vision coverage, paid time off with 11 holidays, tuition remission, and a retirement plan. One year experience, accredited certificate, Pennsylvania radiology certification, CPR, and PA Child Abuse clearance required.
Responsibilities
- Chairside assisting for faculty and Residents with various routine and complex procedures
- Works with faculty and other supervisors to ensure that patient care is appropriate and efficient
- Assists with all regulatory compliance (HIPPA, OSHA, emergency preparedness, infection control, etc.) for the dental clinic
- Sterilize and maintain dental equipment and instruments. Run appropriate tests to monitor their function
- Maintains logs for equipment maintenance and for other safety logs required by the University, School, and Department
- Maintain and disinfect operatories between and after patient visits
- Assist patients with recovery and departure
- Coordinate appliances that are sent out to and received from dental laboratories. Coordinate follow-up for all appliances for patients who have appliances
- Prepare data reports for the department
- Ensures that repairs of equipment, furniture and facilities are handled in a timely matter
- Perform chart documentation checks
- Maintains patient confidentiality at all times
- Coordinate purchasing of inventory and supplies and maintains related records
- Taking, processing, and mounting of digital X-Rays
- Serve as information resource, resolves problems, and refers students, patients, staff, faculty and public to proper sources
- Maintain clinic forms, handouts, and patient education materials
- Utilize computer, printer, copying, autoclaves, ultrasonic units, operatory suction equipment, infection control materials, dental X-ray equipment and supplies, amalgamators, curing lights, and high and low speed dental hand pieces, etc
- Must be able to perform similar functions in other departments within the school if needed
- Front desk operations when needed including greeting and checking patients into the clinic, scheduling and confirming appointments, creating and maintaining patient files, tracking and maintaining patient flow within the practice, answering phones, screening calls, taking messages, answering questions of a non-complex nature
- Perform other duties as assigned
Requirements
- At least 1 year of experience as a Dental Assistant including experience with various dental specialty procedures
- Dental Assisting training and certificate from an accredited school
- Dental Radiology Certification from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- CPR Certification
- An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered
- Ability to obtain PA Child Abuse Clearances
- Demonstrated knowledge of the standard and complex procedures performed in the clinics area of specialty
- Demonstrated ability to provide chair-side assistance
- Ability to utilize dental instruments, sterilizer, operatory equipment, infection control equipment, dental x-ray equipment, and all other standard dental equipment and instruments
- Must be able to work with a diverse populations of students, faculty, staff, patients and other external contacts
- Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills and organizational and interpersonal skills
- Demonstrated knowledge of dental terminology, procedures and diagnosis
- Demonstrated ability to prioritize projects and tasks and to respond to multiple requests
- Demonstrated ability to work with potential pathogens during dental assisting and sterilization procedures
- Ability to provide dental assisting within the legal and ethical boundaries set forth by the state
- Demonstrate lifelong learning
- Demonstrate accuracy and attention to detail
- Ability to adapt and preserver during times of change in circumstances
- Demonstrate a personal commitment to providing strong customer service
- Ability to transport/ assist patients in wheelchairs into operatories and departures as needed