Dental

Why Should You Take our CPR/First Aid Online Course?

CPR & FIRST AID

Have you ever felt the vigor to respond in an emergency but lacked the correct knowledge to do so? Well, there are many instances in life where we wish to serve humanity but fall short due to our limited information on the subject. Consider taking our online LIVE and Recorded CPR and First Aid course if you want to get out of a helpless situation like this.

Is There Any Benefit Of Taking A First Aid Course At All?

We believe that a large part of knowing how to act during a traumatic situation comes from having adequate learning of the topic. Knowledge is only possible if you are prepared for facing such a situation and aware of the necessary steps that you should take to intervene.

Being thorough with your First Aid skills gives you a chance to respond to emergencies with confidence. Once you know the protocol you have to follow, you have a level of courage and determination to help a casualty who may be going through any trauma.

About Save A Heart 

For nearly 24 years, Save A Heart has been giving CPR and First Aid training to individuals in Utah. We annually certify around 3500 nurses, contractors, dental therapists, childcare workers or medical, nursing, and pharmacy students.

We strongly care about the community, which makes us strive harder towards saving humanity. Our practical and comprehensive course serves to be a reflection of our concerns for our neighbors.

What Does A First Aid Lesson Include?

There are a couple of topics that we covered in our highly comprehensive live courses. We prepare you to diagnose and treat a casualty with the following issues.

  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Allergic reaction
  • Nose bleeds
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Choking (Heimlich maneuver and five-on-five included)
  • Blood loss
  • Dislocations and fractures
  • Head and neck injuries
  • Burns
  • Seizures
  • Shock
  • Eye injuries
  • Poisoning
  • Heatstroke
  • Cold related illness
  • Heat exhaustion
  • Dental emergencies

Items Included In A First Aid Kit Checklist?

Before you add an item to your first aid kit, you need to know what it is and how to make use of it in case of an emergency. Keep your first aid kit up to date and plan it accordingly. Some of the must-haves for every first aid kit are listed below. However, a detailed explanation of each item will be given in the live section as our instructor will go over the entire first aid kit thoroughly.

  • Allergy medicine (preferably epinephrine)
  • Adhesive tape
  • Aloe vera gel
  • Antibiotic ointment
  • Bandages in different size
  • Swat T or other tourniquets to control bleeding
  • Cold packs
  • Gauze rolls and pads
  • Hand sanitizer and latex gloves
  • Hydrocortisone cream
  • Pain relievers such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen
  • Scissors and tweezers

What Does Our Cpr Training Include?

CPR training takes each individual through a protocol that assesses the consciousness and breathing of a casualty. Once there is relevant information regarding these two statuses, the individual can proceed towards the ‘CAB’ protocol. Our training deals with the protocol in the following way.

Assessing Personal Safety

No matter how grave the situation gets, we always encourage our trainers to assess scene safety first. It could be a mass shooting scene or a building on fire. Unless you do not find it safe to enter the building, you shouldn’t. You do not have to risk your life for saving others. Only intervene in traumatic scenarios once you feel that there is guaranteed safety of your life.

Checking Casualty’s Response And Breathing Status

After ensuring scene safety, it is crucial to assess the casualty’s consciousness status. You can do this by tapping the shoulder, calling the casualty by their name, or a kick on foot. A visual representation of the assessment is shown in our online course, which can make it clearer for you. No response with any of these three gestures is a clear sign of the casualty being unresponsive.

Assess breathing now. If you find that the breathing is irregular or absent, you move into compressions straightaway. However, before this, there is an essential responsibility that you have to take care of. Request someone around to call 911, to get an AED and ask about opioid overdose. These three points are also elaborated in our live courses.

Compressions 

If you find there is no breath or irregular breaths, you go to compressions. There are 30 compressions followed by two rescue breaths. This cycle needs to be repeated until the AED arrives.

The AED usually has scissors that you can use to cut the clothes and place the pads in contact with the skin. We teach you how to use the AED fully in our live courses with proper management and handling techniques. It is a super beginner-friendly tool and is easy to use, so learners do not have a tough time getting the hang of it.

A vital statistic provided by AHA (American Heart Association) regarding AED is that for every minute that passes after two minutes of neither having CPR nor AED placed on the unresponsive individual, the chance of survival decreases by 10% for every minute.

There are specific guidelines that you have to take care of before performing a CPR that prove to be life-saving, which are explained in our live session by our instructor.

To perform the CPR, you have to start by placing the heel of your dominant hand on the middle of the casualty’s chest. Interlock it with your non-dominant hand. Make sure your elbows are straight, and arms are perpendicular as you start to apply pressure onto the casualty’s chest. Arch your back over the body of the individual so that you are using force from your shoulders.

Maintain 100-120 compressions per minute. You have to do these in a cycle of 30 compressions followed by two rescue breaths through a rescue breathing mask. To make your compressions even you can sing ‘baby shark’ or ‘stayin’ alive.’ A full flow of this procedure is demonstrated on our live CPR course.

If you wish to attend our live session on CPR and First Aid Training to learn the protocol explained above in detail with lots of interaction, then you can sign up for our course. There is a lot to learn in our online session, which will last for around 60-90 minutes and is hosted by our talented instructor. Happy resuscitating! 

Call us today for additional information at 385-799-4101!

The Future of Dentistry – Post COVID-19

The rise of COVID-19 certainly has had detrimental impacts, and it was something no one saw coming. This pandemic has resulted in businesses nationwide shutting down, millions of people losing their jobs, essential organizations migrating to online learning, and working, and worst of all, it has cost thousands of lives. When it comes to dentistry, dental offices everywhere are striving to find the ideal balance between helping others and reducing the spread of COVID-19. With this switch in mindset, social distancing in full effect, and the ramifications that have already taken place from this pandemic, it is no secret that the future of density will be significantly different than it is today. 

Updated Employee Policies on Health

Many small businesses and more substantial cooperations are already looking to redefine their policies to promote safer working environments. With this, dentistry is likely to be on the same train too. For instance, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), employers are now able to take employee temperatures, in a confidential setting, if they feel that they may be sick. Though this has been passed March 20th strictly due to COVID-19, it is likely it could stay and adopted as a regular dentistry health preventative measure.  

Other policy changes will take place due to OSHA regulation updates. OSHA has issued COVID-19 recommendations, which focuses on employers to prepare for infectious diseases, form response plans, and have protective actions in place against COVID-19 and any other conditions that may come. With this push for policy and procedure upgrades, once dentist offices develop them, chances are they will stay if found valuable and work well to prepare for any future cases. If successful, these new procedures could mean a culture employment shift and potential training to rise so everyone can get familiar both in the back and front end. For some more insight, some other things that may stick around after the social distancing lift include:

  • Reduction of stacking appointments
  • Changes in confirmation style, such as a health screening of patients before they come in (asking if they have any cold, flu, or other notable sickness symptoms recently).
  • Modifying the check-in process, meaning digitally or verbally, to avoid unnecessary counter or paperwork touching.
  • Mandatory annual or quarterly infection control training for all employees.
  • Re-organizing waiting room layouts to allow more space between chairs and cleaning the amenities more frequently (such as a coffee machine).
  • If not installed already, handsfree sinks, toilets, and paper towel dispensers.
  • Supplies will be sanitized upon delivery before opening.
  • Implementing the use of teledentistry and mobile dentistry for electronic data (imaging, treatments, consulting, diagnoses, etc.) to provide support digitally. 

Better Patient-Centered Care

For the most part, dentist offices are excellent at patient care and implement best practices. They conduct surveys, train to be interpersonal, and make patients feel calmed before performing services. Patient satisfaction is one of the top market points for branding. However, in the United States, dental practices often focus more on the economic realities, which strongly influences how dentists practice. Furthermore, since dentist offices are generally hectic and there are so many moving parts, at least before COVID-19, the attention for infection control measures may not have been paid attention to as well as it could have. Now with the heightened sense of its existence, it is going to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds, including patients. 

Post-COVID-19 could bring a different focal point and become more patient-centered (not just more surveys) but strive for their best interests and optimal results. This focal point means things such as consistency of their care and infection control. Patients going back into the office are going to be hypersensitive to their wellbeing and safety, so dental professionals must change their approaches to be more mindful of that reality and build that trust again. The best way to do this is by implementing high-quality infection control procedures and make it evidence-based. With this, it is envisioned that dentist offices will be wearing disposable gowns, face masks or shields, gloves, and any other OSHA PPE recommendations to prove to their patients that they are in the best hands.

Redefined Marketing Narratives

You have probably seen advertisements for dentists on billboards, commercials, magazines, etc. But how many of them promoted the safety of their patients over the services? It is suspected that promotional narratives will change, with less influence on services and more on patient care and safety as a top priority. Most people already know what a dentist will provide for them. What they want to know, especially after COVID-19, is will going to their building will be safe. 

So, in the future, advertisements that used to highlight whiter smiles, and “satisfaction guaranteed” signage, it will state more things such as top-notch infection control, and the use of technology for less physical contact. You may also notice that smiling doctor crossing his/her arms will change to someone wearing disposal gear and gloves to send the preventative measures message. 

Providing More Evidence-Based Procedures

Backing up a bit, before this pandemic, dentists often delivered the ideal solutions they gained from their professional careers and schooling. These experiences tend to work well, and most of the time, their professional skills are accurate and genuinely are the best approaches. However, patients post-COVID-19 are going to be gun-shy and want to have proof that what they are experiencing is legit and proven to be the ideal. With this new fear and demand for evidence in an uncertain environment, dentists may start using evidence-based dentistry (EBD) more often now. 

Since patients are going to be looking at dentist offices under a microscope coming out of quarantine, EBD can give them peace of mind because you can show them the hard facts and research to back your recommendations. New patient expectations mean that dentists and hygienists should be adapted to become more comfortable with justifying treatment recommendations because of the finding on clinical guidelines. Those that apply EBD to improve patient care will likely reference their research or studies often to prove their validity. These offices will have new training set in place for employees to understand how to read and deliver the literature, be held at a higher standard, and transform the culture to be more objective about evaluating approaches.

Conclusion 

Before COVID-19, it was pretty easy to call up your local dentist office and make your appointment, whether it was a routine cleaning, elective cosmetic procedure, or an emergency. Now, with the new ADHA COVID-19 policy, dental offices are strongly recommended to postpone all non-emergency or elective appointments out until further notice. Only people who have urgent care matters will be seen and only handled in settings that comply with precautionary federal guidelines. Though this is great for slowing the spread currently, there is no way that this industry will come out of this pandemic the same way it went in. 

These guidelines, of course, is certainly not a bad thing. Though COVID-19 is a disaster, it has opened the doors to see where dentists can improve, and the changes made to achieve optimal safety during dental procedures. COVID-19 could lead to brand new approaches altogether and be a catalyst for even more technological or infection control tactics much later down the road. Again, it is still unknown. But though the above is all speculation, there is strong evidence that it could take place and be the new reality of dentistry, and everyone, both patients and professionals, should be prepared for these future improvement changes to occur. 

For further information on our upcoming Infection Control – 2020 Vision online E-course call us today at 385-799-4101 for details!

 

 

Dental Software to be Familiarized With

Familiarized Dental Software

While staying current with technology and patients, dental practices are required to know how to retain and attract more patients while still being ahead of the game with their technology. Patients want to be part of a dental clinic who is efficient and modern. It’s harsh to hear especially if your practice is comfortable and likes to use traditional methods of treating patients and tracking patients records.

But most practices now have switched to dental office management software. Software that as a dental staff member should be familiarized using or knowing the basics. Yes, there will be many dental, but it doesn’t mean you have to know all of them. However, there are three you should be familiar since most dental practices are likely to be using one of the three in their clinic.

Dentrix

An expensive but trusted and very well-known dental software, Dentrix is used by many dental offices. It’s an on-premise software which only runs on Windows, so if you are familiar with moving around in Windows, then you have an advantage. Dentrix has many key features necessary to help manage appointments, calendar, claims, billing, and much more which make the learning curve steep.

Eaglesoft

Another commonly known software, Eaglesoft is another on-premise software practical for any dental clinic size. This software has many dental features for both the clinical side and front office operations. If you’re new to the dental field or never used Eaglesoft, don’t worry the learning curve isn’t steep, it is user-friendly and easy to learn.

SoftDent

Also referred to as Carestream Dental or CS SoftDent, is a software with the option of on-premise and cloud version for limited to unlimited access but allows to be run on Windows and Mac. It has many features beyond the other two that’s useful for both clinical and front-office dental software. It’s an easy-to-learn software with tools that’ll help you work efficiently.

Many dental softwares are out there, but these are the three most commonly used in dental practices to store patient’s information and to keep the practice running smoothly and efficiently. As part of the dental staff, being willing to learn and having knowledge of dental management software is beneficial to your success in your dental career.

What software are you familiar with? Do you have a preference for working with a particular software? Tell us in the comments?

Looking For a New Career? Consider Dental Administration

If you are looking for a new career but aren’t sure what career path would be the best for you; I may have found something to spark your interest. Dental Administration is an exciting niche career that mixes health care and business. It’s a dynamic career that requires you to learn a lot about dentistry and health. You have to know the terminology, health risks associated with different treatments, and even learn about cosmetic dentistry.

A job opportunity as a dental administrator can be challenging, and even though it is challenging, it is also really rewarding. Not only do you get to help people, but you also learn about aspects of business that can carry into other jobs and career paths as you grow into a business professional. The field of dentistry is constantly changing and updating processes so when patients come to the dentist; it’s less painful and more efficient. As a dental administrator, it’s your job to keep up your processes up to date and to learn of all the different and new systems that are being put in place.

I have compiled a list of various jobs that dental offices have that are essential for keeping the office profitable, organized, and professional. Of course, the list of responsibilities can vary depending on the size of the practice, the amount of staff, and the number of patients the office see’s every week. So let’s go over some of the job opportunities for a career in dental administration!

 

Receptionist/Scheduler

As a receptionist or scheduler, you are on the front lines of battle. Your role in the office is important because, without you, the dentist’s schedule becomes unorganized and you can upset patients by booking more than one patient at a time. In a way, it’s kind of like playing Tetris, but with customers dental health needs and not virtual blocks. In a way, you are the face of the office. You are who the patient generally interacts with first. Having skills in customer service is very critical.

Here are some of the general skills required to be a receptionist/scheduler.

– Communications Skills
– Organization Skills
– Customer Service Skills
– Working with Computer Scheduling Programs
– Billing and Payment Methods
– Phone Communication Skills
– Understanding Different Procedures and Duration of Procedures
– Helping With Lab Work
– Cleaning Instruments
– Preparing Claims for Dental Insurance
– Safeguard Patient Privacy & Confidentially
– Organize Referrals to Other Dental Offices

 

Office Management/ Practice Administrator

Being the office manager of a dental office requires a lot of skill and experience leading people and managing systems. You play a huge role in ensuring that the office is reaching production goals. You set the standard for the employees, and they look to you as for an example of a business professional. If the office isn’t running smoothly and your practice is not profitable, then management is not doing their job effectively.

Some of the skills required to be an office manager are:

– Setting & Reaching Obtainable Production Goals
– Coaching Staff to Ensure Customers Have a 5 Star Experience
– Being Organized & Working Quickly
– Training Staff Effectively
– Handling Employee Discrepancies
– Shaping & Changing Peoples Professional Lives
– Ensuring the Office Has Supplies to do the Job Effectively
– Ordering New Supplies & Tools
– Rewarding Staff
– Creating Company Culture
– Creating a POSITIVE EXPERIENCE for the Customer
– Customer Service Skills
– Ensuring Providers are Upholding Agreements
– Accommodating to Staff Needs
– Creating Company Policy
– Email Management
– Promotional Events
– Overseeing Insurance Claims & Payment Methods
– Maintaining a Company Budget

 

Human Resources

Some offices may not be big enough to have an HR department, and the manager deals with most of the employee issues, training, and employment laws. Luckily, some offices are large enough to have an HR department, and you could start a career in dental HR! In my business law classes in college, our professors said that the most important department in a company is the HR department. One bad lawsuit and the whole company could go under, which makes HR a critical job!

Some essential responsibilities of HR in dentistry are:

– Accurately Completing Payroll
– Job Interview Skills
– Hiring the Correct Candidate for the Job
– Paying Company Invoices
– Dealing with Insurance Claims
– Handling Employee Discrepancies
– Understanding Business Laws
– Email Management
– Communications Skills
– Running HR Computer Software Programs
– Being Organized & Accurate
– Teaching Company Policy & Enforcing Policy

Marketing

Marketing is an essential part of an office because it’s how you obtain new patients and help keep the schedule full! Most offices do bootstrap marketing techniques to get their name into the public eye like events, handouts, billboards, and some offices rely on word of mouth or referrals to grow their business. But with the world drastically changing into an online world, you can send your company messages and niche to thousands of people with the click of a button. Some offices may use social media channels to relay messages, and other offices may not use marketing at all. It all depends on the company you work for.

Some responsibilities that marketers have for a company are:

– Creating Promotions & Events
– Social Media Marketing
– Search Engine Optimization
– Tracking Stats Using Google Analytics
– Google Adwords
– Engaging Customers
– Brand Creation & Management
– Getting New Patients
– Email Marketing & Communication Skills
– Replying & Responding to Negative Reviews
– Obtaining Referrals from Other Dental Offices
– Creating Handouts & Gifts
– Ad Creation and Implementation
– Organization Skills

 

Account Management

Account managers are the people who organize the more financial aspects of the company. They are responsible for communicating with the patient and insurance companies to ensure that payments are being processed correctly. Sometimes this job falls onto the management or the schedulers! Other dental companies have an entire account management team running the show! Like I said before, job results may vary.

Job responsibilities of an Account Manager:

– Enter Customer Payments
– Call & Collect Balance Information From Insurance
– Process Insurance Payments
– Manage Patient Payment Plans
– Knowledge of Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel
– Managing Patient Accounts
– Keeping Customer Information Confidential
– Creating Obtainable Collections goals
– Managing the Relationship Between the Company and the Patient
– Managing Emails & Email Response
– Customer Service
– Phone Call Service Skills

 

The Core Foundation

Whew, alright we did it! We covered A LOT today, and there was a lot of great information. If you read all the way to the end, thank you so much! I really hope that some of this information was beneficial for you and helps you choose a career path that fits your lifestyle and is something that you are passionate about! Just to recap, dental administration covers a variety of fields with different job responsibilities that are all essential in a productive dental office. It combines a health field with a business field that is challenging but also rewarding because you will constantly grow by learning new things.

The best part of dental administration is that you don’t have to stay in one of these fields. You can move between these jobs to find which fits best for you. A lot of people in dental administration will probably be doing a mix of the different jobs above to help create a successful office! Like I said roughly 1000 times before, it all depends on the company or practice you work for!

WE ALSO HAVE EXCITING NEWS! We here at The Core Foundation are excited to announce that soon we will have classes for dental administration! We will be teaching all of these aspects in our classes to prepare you for a career in dental administration! Class start soon and we will be updating our pages soon so keep an eye our for our social media and emails so you don’t miss out!

Thanks again for reading and good luck on your career search!

What exactly does a Dental Assistant do?

Dentists are superheroes in the eyes of their patients. Have you ever wondered where they get their superpowers? From their sidekicks; the dental assistants! Like Robin to Batman, dental assistants are the powerhouse behind the working dentist. Whenever you visit your dentist, you see a person standing right next to the dentist, and assisting them in performing the dental procedures. This person is a dental assistant who helps the dentist in dental operations.

Let’s look at the duties and responsibilities of a dental assistant. However, before that, we will look at what type of qualification or training required in becoming a registered or certified dental assistant.

How to Become a Dental Assistant?

Where you live will have a large impact on determining the type of training you will need to work in a dental office as a dental assistant. Becoming a dental assistant requires training at an accredited dental assisting school or a formal education. Some students undergo a two-year, rigorous teaching, and training program to earn a diploma or an associate bachelor’s degree in dental assisting. Other dental assistant programs can be much shorter than a formal education with a 10-12 week training course and job experience immediately following the certification for a quicker start to their careers! At The Core Foundation, we offer a 12-week dental assisting course to help jumpstart your new career!

What are the Roles and Responsibilities of Dental Assistants?

Dental assistants are vital members of the dental team. They perform a broad range of duties to ensure the smooth functioning of the dental office. A dental assistant’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Assisting the Dentist During Dental Procedures – Imagine what would happen if dentists had to get up from their chair every time they needed a dental instrument or material? The procedure would take much longer! Thanks to the dental assistants, they get everything at the dental chairside. A dental assistant even anticipates the next step in the dentists’ procedure, and provides him or her with the required instruments or materials, before they need to ask for it!

• Taking X-rays for the Dentist – Dental x-rays are taken during dental procedures. One of the duties of dental assistants is to take dental x-rays and then report the images to the dentist. Thanks to modern technology, x-rays provide digital images which can be viewed directly on the screen so developing x-rays is not practiced as often.

• Instrument Handling and Sterilization – Dental assistants assist with taking care of the dental instruments and sterilizing them after being used in the dental procedures. They are also responsible for developing and implementing infection control protocol for the dental operatory, which is then followed by the entire dental team.

• Looking After the Patients – Dental assistants make sure that patients remain comfortable while in the dental office before, during, and after their dental treatment. They escort the patients from the waiting room to the dental operatory and then see them off once their treatment has finished.

• Patient Education – Whenever patients have any questions, dental assistants are usually the trusted hero to answer the question. As a part of their training and responsibilities, dental assistants educate patients regarding the procedure they are about to undergo and are readily available for any other queries that the patients may have.

• Making Dental Impressions of Patients – Sometimes, dental assistants have the responsibility of making impressions of the patients’ teeth for making study models. However, not all states in the United States allow dental assistants to perform this operation.

• Communicating with Dental Suppliers – Dental assistants keep a record of the materials used during the dental procedures. When inventory is dwindling, they call the dental suppliers to resupply the office equipment. They are responsible for ensuring uninterrupted supply of dental materials, and instruments to keep the office running smoothly.

• Coordinating with the Dental Laboratory – Dental appliances for patients such as dentures, crowns, bridges, and orthodontic retainers are not developed in the dental office. Rather, these advanced tools are crafted in a dental laboratory. Another responsibility of a dental assistant is to remain in communication with the dental laboratory to ensure preparation and availability before patients visit for their next appointment.

To sum up, a dental assistant is an essential member of a dental office team. They are the sidekick of the dentist. Dental assistants greatly enhance the efficiency of the dentist and the dental office. The performance of the dental assistance can significantly affect the success of both the dentist and the dental office. Let’s take a moment to thank all the dental assistants around the world who work tirelessly to make us smile, build our confidence, and keep us healthy.

Why choose The Core Foundation?

Have you decided that Dental Assisting is the career for you, but have no idea which program or facility is the best fit? There are quite a few options when it comes to dental assisting education programs. Therefore the selection process is imperative to your future success. When looking into programs with a critical eye, you should bear in mind which program best prepares you during your education as well as provides you with career opportunities post education.

The Core Foundation Dental Assisting training and development program will give you the confidence and skills needed to excel in your new career as a Dental Assistant and here’s how:

 We provide our students with the academic and hands-on clinical skills needed to be exceptional dental assistants.

  Our cutting-edge dental facility which allows our students to maximize their classroom knowledge and provides them with great hands-on experience, using only the most modern equipment and techniques.

 Our well-rounded curriculum better prepares our students for the interview process and their new future career as a dental assistant

 We provide our students with professional references as well as post education career opportunities in both our Downtown and South Salt Lake locations.

 Class hours are scheduled conveniently in an effort to work well with our student’s busy schedules. Don’t just take our word for it, read what some of our current and past students are saying about The Core Foundation!

https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheCoreFoundation/reviews/