Dental Administrative & Clinical Assistant

The Dental Administrative Assistant is a versatile role designed to bridge the gap between clinical operations, administrative strategy, and staff development. This individual serves as a primary support for grant management and inter-departmental outreach, while remaining agile to fill clinical gaps as an Unlicensed Dental Assistant. A key component of this role is mentorship and training, ensuring that new registration staff and unlicensed assistants are successfully integrated into the clinic’s unique workflow.

Key Responsibilities

Administrative, Grant & Outreach Support

• Grant & Project Coordination: Support the Manager in tracking grant-funded deliverables and gathering data for reporting.
• Strategic Outreach: Cultivate active connections between the dental department and other NACC services to ensure holistic patient care.
• Operational Agility: Serve as the "fill-in" lead, stepping into administrative or nonlicensed clinical roles whenever staffing needs or patient volumes fluctuate.
• Project Assistance: Execute administrative tasks as directed by the Manager to support clinic growth, including document preparation and meeting coordination.
• Community Engagement: Represent the dental clinic at community events or internal health fairs to promote oral health services.

Training & Staff Development

• Registration Mentorship: Train and onboard new staff members in the registration role, ensuring mastery of scheduling, insurance verification, and patient intake protocols.
• Clinical Onboarding Support: Act as a preceptor for incoming Unlicensed Dental Assistants, guiding them on clinic flow, sterilization standards, and chairside etiquette.
• Process Standardization: Assist the Manager in creating or updating training materials to maintain consistency across the team.

Clinical Support (As Needed)

• Chairside Assistance: Provide unlicensed support to DDS, including room prep, sterilization, and basic procedural assistance.
• Workflow Optimization: Identify bottlenecks in the patient experience and work with the Manager to implement efficiency-driven solutions.

Qualifications

• Leadership Qualities: Demonstrated ability to train others with patience and clarity; a "team-first" mentality with a willingness to pivot tasks daily.
• Experience: Strong background in dental administration; prior experience in community health or grant-supported environments is a significant plus.
• Adaptability: Must be comfortable moving between high-level administrative tasks and hands-on clinical support.
• Communication: High emotional intelligence for inter-departmental collaboration and a commitment to providing culturally competent care within the Native American community.
• Technical Proficiency: Expert-level knowledge of Electronic Dental Records (EDR) and office software to effectively train others.
• Education and/or experience: High school diploma or general education degree (GED) and one to three months related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Computer skills required: Internet Software; Spreadsheet Software (Excel); Word Processing Software (Word); Electronic Mail Software (Outlook) and Medical/Dental
• Health Information Software. (EPIC OCHIN WISDOM)

Competencies:

• Diversity - Demonstrates knowledge of EEO policy; Shows respect and sensitivity for cultural differences; Educates others on the value of diversity;
• Promotes a harassment free environment; Builds a diverse workforce.
• Ethics - Treats people with respect; Keeps commitments; Inspires the trust of others; Works with integrity and ethically; Upholds organizational values.
• Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Changes approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.
• Attendance/Punctuality - Is consistently at work and on time; Ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent; Arrives at meetings and appointments on time.
• Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; Responds promptly to customer needs; Solicits customer feedback to improve service; Responds to requests for service and assistance; Meets commitments.
• Dependability - Follows instructions, responds to management direction; Takes responsibility for own actions; Keeps commitments; Commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals; Completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan.
• Interpersonal Skills - Focuses on solving conflict, not blaming; Maintains confidentiality; Listens to others without interrupting; Keeps emotions under control; Remains open to others' ideas and tries new things.
• Oral Communication - Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills; Participates in meetings.
• Organizational Support - Follows policies and procedures; Completes administrative tasks correctly and on time; Supports organization's goals and values; Benefits organization through outside activities; Supports affirmative action and respects diversity.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

• Continually required to sit
• Frequently required to utilize hand and finger dexterity
• Frequently required to talk or hear
• Occasionally required to bend, stoop, kneel or crawl
• While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually moderate
• The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds

Specific vision abilities required by this job include: Close vision