Navajo Preference Employment Act

In accordance with Navajo Nation and federal law, TCRHCC has implemented an Affirmative Action Plan pursuant to the Navajo Preference in Employment Act. Pursuant to this Plan and corresponding TCRHCC Policy, applicants who meet the necessary qualifications for this position and (1) are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe will be given preference in hiring and employment for this position, (2) are legally married to enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe and meet residency requirements will be given secondary preference, and (3) are enrolled members of other federally-recognized American Indian Tribes will be given tertiary preference.

Overview

The primary function of a dental assistant (DA) is to perform chair-side assistance in all areas of dentistry such as, restorative, prosthodontics, surgery, endodontics, and periodontics for both routine and emergent care. Dental Assistants will greet and seat patients, take radiographs, set-up instruments for procedures, clean/disinfect operatories, use proper infection control protocol at all times. DA’s are also involved with community programs such as the School-based Sealant & Fluoride Varnish Program. DA’s will rotate through all clinics within the TCRHCC Dental Program. DA’s are required to work with the Electronic Dental Record (EDR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR). Customer Service is a priority for all dental staff. This position will primarily provide outpatient dental care services in the TCRHCC SPHC Clinic in Flagstaff.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EFFORT

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical:

This position requires long periods of sitting with frequent times of standing and reaching. Must be able to occasionally walk, drive, bend, climb, kneel, crouch, twist, and maintain balance. This position requires the ability to lift, push, and pull up to 10 pounds for prolonged times. Will also need to be able to lift to 24 pounds occasionally. Will need to be able to occasionally be able to push and pull up to 50 pounds. This position requires the ability of near vision, color vision, depth perception, seeing find details, and hearing normal speech for prolonged periods of time. Must also be able to have far vision, use a telephone, and hear overhead pages over a loudspeaker. The position requires the ability of prolonged hand manipulation of simple grasping. Must be able to utilize hand manipulation for frequently firm grasping and fine dexterity.

Environment:

Work in a well-lit clinical setting with strict infection control standards. Must wear gloves, masks, eyewear, and protective clothing to protect themselves and their patients from infectious diseases. May be exposed to infectious diseases, chemical agents, and loud noises for long periods. May frequently be exposed to dust, fumes, gases. May be occasionally exposed to extremes in temperature or humidity and hazardous or moving equipment.

Mental:

Performs several clinical support activities including chair-side assistance and radiographic work, which involves a variety of sequential steps and processes. In each case, the category of the specified tasks and consideration of readily verified factors determine what steps are to be taken. Incumbent must have the ability to concentrate, handle a high degree of flexibility, demonstrate high degree of patience; and work in areas that are close and crowded for prolonged periods. Must frequently cope with high level of stress, make decisions under high pressure, and handle multiple priorities in stressful situations. Incumbent will occasionally need the ability to cope with anger/fear/hostility of others in a calm way, manage altercations, work alone; and adapt to shift work.

Qualifications

Education:

• Must have a high school diploma or GED
• Must have completed a Dental Assistant Training Course in a program of 13 weeks or greater in duration; EXCEPTION due to Pandemic: If no Dental Assistant Training Course has been completed, then candidate can be considered if one has worked as a Dental Assistant for 1 year within the past 3 years

Certification:

• Applicant must have active Basic Life Support (BLS) certification by the American Heart Association. (BLS certification must be maintained during employment at TCRHCC)

Experience:

• Must have experience with chair-side assistance as part of Dental Assisting (DA) Training program and be able to demonstrate knowledge of dental instruments and experience with rubber-dam isolation.
• Must have worked:
  • As a DA continuously for 1 year within the past 5 years or as a volunteer DA for 2 months if the date of graduation from DA training is 5 yrs or more from the date of application for employment OR
  • As a DA or volunteer DA if the date of graduation from DA training is 0-5 yrs from the date of application for employment.
  • Exceptions due to Pandemic:
    • if the date of graduation from DA training is within the past 2 year, then experience is not required
    • if no DA training course completed, then must have worked for 1 year as a DA within the past 3 years

Other Skills and Abilities:

A record of satisfactory performance in all prior and current employment as evidenced by positive employment references from previous and current employers. All employment references must indicate success in each of the following areas:

• Positive working relationships with others
• Possession of high ethical standards and no history of complaints
• Reliable and dependable; reports to work as scheduled without excessive absences
• Knowledge of dental instruments, basic dental anatomy and operation of dental x-ray equipment
• Must be proficient in dental charting for treatment planning purposes
• Must be proficient in “four-handed dentistry”
• Basic computer skills needed to complete required administrative tasks
• Successful completion of and positive results from all background and reference checks, including positive employment references from authorized representatives of past and current employers demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC a record of satisfactory performance and that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
• Successful completion of fingerprint clearance requirements, physical examinations, and other screenings indicating that the applicant is qualified to be employed by TCRHCC and demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
• Submission of all required employment-related documents, applications, resumes, references, and other required information free of false, misleading or incomplete information, as determined by TCRHCC.

Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Must prepare patient for proper dental procedures including setting up instruments

Sterilizing dental instruments and equipment at satellite clinics

Organizing and laying out instruments for dental provider’s use

Meeting and greeting patients and seating them in the dental chair

Keeps alert to condition of patient during treatment; checking for signs of fainting, shock, or other signs of distress

Perform routine dental laboratory procedures including pouring and trimming models, constructing custom impression trays, fabricating base plates and bite rims, fabricating mouth guards, basic denture repairs, etc

Perform rubber dam isolation for restorative/operative and endodontic procedures

Responsible for cleaning, packaging and sterilizing all dental instruments and proper storage

Proficient in taking radiographs

Proficient in dental charting for exams and treatment planning

After appropriate training, may provide supragingival cleanings using a Piezon, rubber cup prophylaxis, dental sealants, and fluoride treatments under general supervision by a dental provider

Provide Oral Hygiene Instructions (OHI) and Post-Op Instructions (POI) for certain procedures (e.g. extractions, root canal treatments)

Must complete all mandatory trainings and certifications as required of the position in the timeframe designated by supervisor (e.g. radiology, infection control, periodontal therapy, mandatory hospital trainings)

Will work with EDR and EHR programs; training will be provided

Ensure proper PPE is always worn while on duty including but not limited to, face mask, gloves, gown, isolation gown, NIOSH-approved N95 filtering facepiece respirator or higher, if available), and eye or face shield.

Complete all donning and doffing tasks in a safe acceptable method and discard of used PPE accordingly. (see CDC website for most current updates)

Complete task training for all routine cleaning and decontamination processes for all surfaces contaminated by a communicable disease to ensure a high level of patient, visitor, employee, and external customer satisfaction.

Completes all patient care documentation in the electronic health record entries accurately and in real-time.

Performs other duties as assigned