Dental Assistant
Lehigh Valley Health Network
Summary
Assists dentist during the examination and treatment of patients. Maintains treatment rooms, laboratory, instruments, and equipment. Sterilizes dental instruments. Serves as a dental assistant in the operating room, as needed. Assists with clerical duties, when necessary.
Job description
Summary
Assists dentist during the examination and treatment of patients. Maintains treatment rooms, laboratory, instruments, and equipment. Sterilizes dental instruments. Serves as a dental assistant in the operating room, as needed. Assists with clerical duties, when necessary.
Job Duties
- Assembles and sets up equipment and supplies necessary for patient treatment.
- Documents patient safety issues as needed into the hospital system.
- Performs basic dental radiographic procedures and ensures radiological exposure protection for patients.
- Performs clean-up activities in the operatory, observing safety and infection control policies, procedures, and protocols in handling instruments, equipment, and supplies. Performs infection control of instruments in sterilization room.
- Provides chair side assistance and aid to dentists.
- Escorts patients into treatment room, providing assistance as necessary utilizing good body mechanics for patient.
- Rooms patient in Epic. Reports relevant patient/visitor requests and concerns; communicates observations related to patient health.
- Serves as an assistant in the Operating Room for Dental Cases.
Preferred Qualifications
- Chair side assisting skills, previous experience in oral surgery, restorative dentistry, and prosthetic dentistry.
- CDA - Certified Dental Assistant - State of Pennsylvania
Requirements
- High School Diploma/GED
- 3 years experience dental assisting or less than 1 year experience with completion of assisting training program
- Basic computer skills and digital radiology knowledge
- Knowledge and observation of dental specialties, endodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, extractions, prosthetics, and pedodontics
- DR - Dental Radiology - State of Pennsylvania
Company overview
Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is a major healthcare provider and hospital network based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, serving the Lehigh Valley and Northeastern Pennsylvania regions. Founded in 1899, LVHN operates as a comprehensive healthcare system with 13 hospital campuses, 28 health centers, numerous primary and specialty care physician practices, and multiple urgent care locations. The network's flagship facility, Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, is Pennsylvania's third-largest hospital and features the state's first Level One Trauma Center. LVHN provides a wide range of medical services including specialized institutes for cancer care, heart and vascular treatment, surgical excellence, orthopedics, and neuroscience. The network operates the third-largest heart surgery program in Pennsylvania, performing over 1,200 open-heart procedures annually, and maintains one of the state's largest cancer centers treating over 2,400 new patients each year. In August 2024, LVHN completed a merger with Jefferson Health, becoming part of a larger healthcare system with 32 hospitals and over 700 locations across Pennsylvania. Prior to the merger, LVHN was the largest employer in the Lehigh Valley metropolitan region, with approximately 20,000 employees dedicated to providing comprehensive healthcare services to the community.