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

 

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!