Is Dental Administration an Up and Coming Career Path?

If you have a friendly, outgoing personality, organizational ability and you haven’t considered a career in Dental Administration, perhaps you should! Let’s look at what it has to offer as a vocation.
• People! – If you are a ‘people person’, then you would love Dental Administration. A busy dental office can see dozens of people each day from all walks of life. As the Administrator, you are often the first person a patient interacts with and the last person they see as they prepare to leave the office.
• Power – LOL, wouldn’t we all like to be a little more powerful? The Dental Administrator often knows more about running the dental office than the dentist does. If you thrive on responsibility, then you have the makings of an effective Dental Administrator.
• Variety – While a Dental Administrator will spend a lot of time at a computer station, there is a lot going on at that station. Patients are welcomed and seated, they consult you regarding their treatment and payments, and the dental staff comes to you for all kinds of advice and help in comprehensive patient care. I am not sure it is possible to become bored in this fast-paced position.
• Pay – In 2016 dental office receptionists were earning a median hourly wage of $14 per hour while dental office managers were able to earn a whopping $20 per hour. Not bad for a position you can train for in as little as 12 weeks.

What exactly does a Dental Administrator do each day? What are the responsibilities? Let’s take a look at some:
1. Building patient relationships
2. Marketing and branding of the dental practice
3. Training and development of personnel
4. Scheduling appointments
5. Answering phone calls
6. Patient billing
7. Medical Coding
8. Insurance verification
9. Ordering dental and office supplies
We have briefly discussed the nature of the job and listed the tasks and responsibilities. It might interest you to know what other job opportunities you may qualify for once you have trained and qualified as a Dental Administrator.
Receptionist – While you will be trained specifically for dental office reception with its unique language and rules, this training can easily transfer to receiving patients at any medical office setting.
Appointment Coordinator – The value of keeping the dental chairs filled cannot be over-stated. An education in Dental Administration teaches you how to schedule appointments and keep the practice busy and successful.
Office Administrator – Dental practices need a personable, responsible, intelligent person running the office so the dentists, hygienists, and assistants can focus on patient care.
Customer service representative – Dental insurance companies need staff that understand dental procedures and language. Your training as a Dental Administrator provides you with the knowledge to succeed in this position.
Dental Insurance Coder and Dental Claims Specialist – These are two additional positions within the dental insurance field that may interest you.
As you can see, training in Dental Administration opens several career paths. As of this writing, there are hundreds of positions available in Utah. Is Dental Administration an up and coming career path? I would say so.

 

 

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