IAPLUS ACADEMY
Dental Careers
Information About Careers in Denistry
What can a career in dentistry do for you?
Dental careers are among the most sought after in the work force today. Having a career in dentistry provides not only financial security, but is very emotionally fulfilling as well. Some of the rewards of a dental career are:
Prestige
Respect
Sense of helping others
Financial stability
Ability to work any where in the world
Free or reduced dental fees for employee and family
Free or reduced fees by dental specialists for employee and family
Flexible schedules in some positions
Off on weekends usually
Off on holidays always
Free or reduced cost of continuing education
Free or reduced cost of business apparel needed for the position
Opportunity for advancement
What type of people choose dental careers? Usually the person who does best in a dental career is someone who truly loves people. This person also experiences a sense of pride and accomplishment in knowing they can help make a difference in another person’s well-being. Other people who do well in dental careers are those who enjoy working with their hands. Dentists, dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dental lab technicians use the hands on approach to deliver excellent quality dental treatment. Dentistry is constantly advancing technologically, and dental technicians are exposed to a wealth of opportunities to enhance their career in dentistry and thereby increase their financial success.
In addition to the technical side, dental careers offer so much more. The administrative side of the business will appeal to those who enjoy working with numbers, and becoming expert communicators, both oral and written. Whether your niche is human resource and personnel management, or presentation and sales, dental careers may be just what you are looking for.
Dental Front Office Positions Our Courses Prepare You For
A career as a dental front office team member can be very rewarding. The term “dental front office” is a broad title used to refer to a person who works in any of the various front desk or front office positions in a dental office.
Careers Available
Dental front office can denote a dental receptionist, dental schedule coordinator, dental appointment coordinator, dental financial coordinator, dental treatment coordinator, dental insurance coordinator, patient coordinator, dental hygiene coordinator or basically any person who performs in a front desk position.
Dental Front Office Attributes
Quality dental front office employees are in high demand. Healthcare is the leading industry today. Some of the attributes helpful to qualify for a dental front office position are integrity, strong desire to help others, detailed and organized, excellent communication skills, good listener, professional demeanor, multi-tasker, flexibility, team player, caring and willing attitude.
Dental Front Office Responsibilities
A career as a dental front office professional affords the opportunity to work in a professional atmosphere and make a difference for others. It is so rewarding to be a part of giving someone his or her smile. Those in the dental profession are not just in the “teeth business”, but more importantly, in the business of changing lives.
In addition to greeting patients as they enter and exit the office, a dental front office team member may also be the primary person for answering the telephone in the dental office when patients call to schedule an appointment with the doctor or hygienist. The dental front office person may also be the person in charge of taking and delivering messages to the dentist and co-workers from persons calling into the office, including dental sales representatives and suppliers, dental labs, dental insurance companies etc.
A dental front office team member may also be the person who is in charge of filling the schedule for the dentist and hygienist. He or she will be accountable for maintaining a productive schedule to meet the financial goals of the practice as set forth by the dentist and/or office manager. This will include all correspondence, both oral and written, with patients concerning dental appointments. Dental front office team members will send out reminders to patients who are due to come in for their continuing care, as well as receive calls from patients when they need to reschedule a dental appointment they have made previously.
In addition, the dental front office team member markets the practice. He or she will handle incoming calls from new patients who are calling to inquire about the services offered by the practice and essentially “sell” the potential patient on the benefits of choosing to have their dental care in this practice.
Other duties of a dental front office team member may be contacting insurance companies to verify patient’s coverage and benefits, estimating and presentation of fees for treatment needed, filing claims, and monthly billing to patients who owe a balance to the dentist.
In addition, running the end of day reports on the computer, and balancing the monies collected with the totals on the day sheet is another responsibility of the dental front office team member. In some offices the individual is responsible for ordering the supplies for the business office, as well as in rare cases ordering the clinical supplies. The dental front office team member also acts as the liaison with the dental laboratory, to insure patient lab cases are sent out and received back in the office in a timely manner.
Whatever you decide, a career as a dental front office team member has a great deal to offer in the way of return on your investment. The following is a list of our online dental management and insurance courses.
IAPlus Academy is the industry leader in online training for the dental profession.
Examples Of Dental Careers Our Dental Management & Insurance Courses Prepare You For
Dental Managers
Dental Managers oversee personnel matters such as recruitment, hiring, coaching and development of new and existing team members, including disciplinary and performance reviews with employees. Dental Managers also handle payroll and employee benefit matters, so that the dentist is able to remain productive doing dental procedures, which is the main source of income for a dental practice. In addition, a Dental Manager is in charge of conflict resolution with team members, and also act as the liaison in all relations with patients. A dental career as a Dental Manager involves being the main go-to-person for employees and patients, second only to the dentist and/or practice owner.
Dental Receptionist
A dental career as a Dental Receptionist or Dental Front Office team member can be all encompassing. It may involve everything described above, as well as being the primary person in charge of greeting and scheduling patients, answering the phone and handling all billing functions. This is because some dentists do not designate the title of Dental Office Manager, but in reality the duties may be very similar.
Dental careers are very affordable, and the rewards are many. Healthcare is the leading industry in the world today. Millions of people everywhere require dental care, so a career in dentistry will help insure peace of mind and provide financial support for you and your family for many years to come. A career in dentistry will never go out of style or out of date.
There are numerous schools and universities all over the USA and the world to provide training and education necessary to embark on a career in dentistry. It is possible to be crossed trained for a career in dentistry. Some prefer to learn the technical side first, and then move to the administrative side later on.
Whatever you decide, dental careers have a great deal to offer in the way of return on your investment. For more information on our Dental Management and Insurance Courses.
What is a Dental Manager?
A manager of a dental office is much like a manager in any other business. Dental Managers are individuals directly accountable to the dentist for making sure that the business operations run smoothly and productively. While it is helpful for Dental Managers to have actual hands on experience in dentistry prior to assuming the managerial role, it is not mandatory. In fact, many dentists prefer someone with a fresh and objective approach. Many of the responsibilities of a Dental Manager encompass skills that can be transferred from experience gained from previous positions.
To be a great Dental Manager one must enjoy people and be good at motivating and empowering others to do their best. On the other hand, a Dental Manager cannot be afraid to confront, and provide corrective feedback when necessary. Many dentists shy away from this aspect of practice management, partly because they don’t enjoy it or recognize that they are not good at it. Some merely prefer to do what they are trained to do, produce dentistry.
Dental Manager Skills
Whatever the case may be, the role of the Dental Manager can be very challenging and rewarding all at the same time. Some of the character traits that lend themselves to being an effective Dental Manager are:
Common sense
Self starter
Self motivated
Positive thinker
Problem solver
Leadership skills
Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
High level of integrity
Trustworthy
Dependable
Loyal
Professional demeanor and appearance
Conflict resolution skills
Good judgment
Great customer service skills
Computer savvy
Good understanding of sound business principles
Dental Manager Responsibilities
Dental Manager responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:
Handling all human resource responsibilities, including payroll, employee benefit programs, tax deposits etc.
Handling all accounts payable functions
Overseeing accounts receivable to insure practice financial stability
Handling all personnel matters, including recruitment, hiring, coaching and development of new and existing employees, disciplinary reviews and performance appraisals
Practice liaison with patients to insure optimal customer satisfaction
Marketing the practice
In some practices: Handles case/fee presentation/financial arrangements with patients to insure optimal case acceptance
Ready to assume the role of any front desk team member when necessary due to employee dismissal, vacation, sick leave etc.
Dental Manager Benefits
In addition to enhanced earning potential through competitive salaries and bonuses, a Dental Manager can often demand a more flexible schedule. Dental Managers also have the added benefits that other employees enjoy, such as employer sponsored or partially sponsored health plans, retirement plans, paid vacations and holidays, no (or limited) nights or weekend work, free or reduced fees for dental care for employee and family, including free or reduced fee dental care by specialists such as orthodontists. Many Dental Managers move on to become successful lecturers, consultants, and renowned experts in the profession.
To learn more about our Dental Management Program.
What Are CE Credits?
Continuing education units, or CEUs, are awarded by many education and training providers to signify successful completion of non-credit programs and courses intended to improve the knowledge and skills of working adults.
Why IAPlus Academy?
IAPlus Academy offers affordable self paced courses to achieve the certifcates and continue educations credits you deserve. Our system makes the educational proccess super simple while saving you time and money.
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