Dental Assistant
(Female, Age 35) from Bossier City, LA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 35 who works as a Dental Assistant in Bossier City, LA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Dental Assistant |
|---|---|
| Salary | $14,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 35 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Bossier City, LA |
| Years Experience | 3 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for a general dentist who specializes in cosmetic dentistry. We help people acheive the smile they’ve always wanted. It is a small office, with just 5 employees.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I work alongside the dentist and pass instruments to him, suction the patient’s mouth, take and develop radiographs, set up and clean the treatment rooms and assist the office manager with clerical tasks.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
1 week vacation, paid holidays
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes, I work with co-workers as well as the public. I really enjoy interacting with our patients.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Office. Our office is small and cozy, which I like but I dislike that it’s not modern and updated.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 3
Benefits: 5
Hours: 7
Co-Workers: 2
Supervisors: 1
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 4
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | |
| 8am to 9am | We start each day at 830 am with a staff meeting. We discuss each patient scheduled for the day, what their needs are, if they owe us money or are a potential referral source for other patients. I then set up our treatment room and turn on the xray processer. We see our first patient at 9am |
| 9am to 10am | This time is spent with patients. I call them back to the treatment room, place a paper bib on them and discuss thier reason for the visit. Once the dentist comes in to the room, we work together to treat the patient. When the patient is through, I clean the room and prepare for the next patient. |
| 10am to 11am | Same process as above. |
| 11am to 12pm | Same as above, as we see patients on the hour. If we do not have patients scheduled, I use the time to clean the office or instruments, order or stock supplies, assist the office manager with clerical duties or file charts. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Lunch |
| 1pm to 2pm | Lunch, finished by 1:45 to prepare for our afternoon patients. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Same as morning routine. |
| 3pm to 4pm | same as morning routine. |
| 4pm to 5pm | We are usually finished with our last patient by 4:30pm. At the end of the day, I clean up the treatment room and prepare for the next day. I also take out the trash and pull charts. |
| 5pm to 6pm | |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
School employment placement.
What was the application process?
Met with the dentist, hand delivered a resume.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. I had a working interview, which means I worked in the office for 2 days before the dentist made a decision to hire me. After that, I met with the dentist and his staff for an interview.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I don’t remember specifics,but I was asked about previous jobs and what I liked/disliked. I was also asked about my training and qualifcations.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, I was told up front what to expect and I also was shown the day to day operations.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes, for the first week I shadowed the assistant who was leaving for another job.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Somewhat. The school I attended covered the basics but the job was much more involved and detailed than the instruction I received.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Ask a local dentist if you can shadow them for a day, to see what goes on in the office. They could also call local schools or research the job requirements online, as licensing varies from state to state.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You must be patient and sympathetic towards other people’s feelings. Good comminication skills, the ability to work with little supervision,and a positive attitude are all assets.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be optimistic. It takes some time to learn all of the skills necessary to perform the duties of this job. Listen to others and follow their advice. Being a dental assistant won’t make you financially wealthy, but it is a rewarding job.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
No, I didn’t really have a career path.
What are your current career goals?
I would like to continue working in the dental field, either as an assistant or front office manager.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Project coordinator | 2 yrs | 30000 | Coordinated sign sales, installation and service. |
| Prior Job 2 | Sales assoc | 3 yrs | 45000 | Leased construction trailers and arranged for delivery and set up onsite. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:2
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
|||
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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