Frequently, dental practices attract dental assistants by looking for people who are a good fit for the dental team without regard for any previous experience. Dental assistants who are trained on the job (OTJ) receive a lot of personal attention from their trainer – usually the dentist. Once a dental assistant has enough training and knowledge to contribute to the dentist’s efficiency, he or she gains the confidence to begin exploring ways to improve their financial reward for their newfound skills. If the dentist down the street is paying assistants more than your practice pays, he or she may accept the more profitable position, leaving you to begin the recruitment and training process all over again.
However, there is a way to create a career path for your dental assistants, and it involves a small monetary and time investment on the dentist’s part. Create an entry-level dental assistant position at an attractive training wage for inexperienced people who become knowledgeable through OJT and a Level 2 dental assistant position for those who are trained and state-certified to perform dental radiography. A radiography-certified dental assistant will have a higher pay range than the entry-level newbies. Upon hiring a dental assistant, explain that they now have a career path and can earn more as their skill level and productivity increase. Advise them that you’ll pay for them to become certified for dental radiography and that they can take the required training online, at their convenience.
The Florida Dental Association (FDA) MyDentalRadiography training program makes this possible. As an FDA member, you pay $285 for this training. Non-members pay $385. Here’s how it works. Visit mydentalradiography.com/fda and create a supervising dentist account.
Complete the brief tutorial that explains your obligations and the radiography training experience. Purchase a training voucher and assign it to your assistant using their email address. The dental assistant receives an email inviting them to create an account and begin training. The training consists of nine modules, each followed by a quiz. Once the modules are complete, a comprehensive exam is taken and must be passed with a score of 80% or higher. Multiple retakes are available. When the test is passed, you supervise the assistant, exposing full-mouth radiographs, including four bitewings, to your satisfaction. You sign off on the training and the assistant applies for certification from Florida. You’ve invested 90 minutes of your time and $285 to improve your dental assistant’s utilization and productivity, who is now rewarded for their new level of contributions with a pay increase and a new pay range.
Finding and training a dental assistant is a costly undertaking. Make your practice more appealing by offering a career path that offers education and a higher compensation level to those who prove their capability and dedication to your practice. Learn more by following this QR code or clicking here.
Beyond the Bite 