Lebanon County Career and Technology Center

Transcription

1 Lebanon County Career and Technology Center Dental Assisting Program In honor of Career and Technology Education Month we would like to highlight the Super Heroes that make our program a quality education for our students. Our first Dental Duo is Dr. Jennifer Davis (left) and Jeseen Bauman, dental assistant (right). Just like Batman and Robin, Dr. Davis and Jeseen fight tooth decay. Dental Art Images in Cleona is the practice of Dr. Johnson and Dr. Davis (Batman of the Dental Duo). Dr. Davis is a member of the Dental Assistant Occupational Advisory Committee at the Lebanon CTC which aids the program with new products, procedures, and managing the programs educational materials. Her office provides the working experience of clinical rotation or externship to put all the skills and knowledge the students have learned into action. Jeseen Bauman (Robin of the Dental Duo) is Dr. Davis s dental assistant for two and a half years. Dr. Davis and Jeseen work together on a daily basis to fight tooth decay.

2 My husband wanted me to get a full time job. I had worked in the dental field in the past and my daughter was taking the class, so I decided to take it with her. I am currently employed as a dental assistant at Dental Art Images for the past two and a half years. During this time I assisted general dentists with fillings, crowns, root canals, partials and dentures, splits, designing crowns, taking impressions, and x-rays. I am currently learning the front desk positions for scheduling, payments, etc. The education I received at the CTC prepared me to hold down a job in the dental field by giving me the knowledge of dental terminology, procedures, instruments, and hands-on opportunities to replicate what it would be like in an actual office setting. My instructor was phenomenal. She encouraged me to reach my full potential and would go the extra mile in assisting me to reach that potential. If it was not for Mrs. Eckert, I would not have succeeded in my pursuit of a new career. I am currently employed as a Dental Assistant with the same company I did my first clinical rotation with during CTC. I have been with

3 them for 6 years and 8 months. I started out as a dentist assistant for the general dentists, updating medical records, taking x-rays, taking impressions, assisting with fillings, crowns, and dentures. I gradually took on the responsibilities of supply inventory and shipping and receiving for all of our lab cases. I then became head assistant for our Periodontal Surgery Department where we placed implants and performed tissue grafts and many other gum surgeries. Then I moved on to a training/supervising position, making sure the schedule flowed well and patients were seen in a timely fashion. I have also had a brief chance to work with our Oral Surgeons during IV sedation for wisdom teeth extractions and our endodontics with root canals. For a little over the past year I have found my niche working in our orthodontics department. In addition to performing ortho checks, helping with consultations, and working with appliances, I have taken on the responsibility of supply inventory and ordering for the orthodontics department. I am also a trainer for the department and am helping to develop a training program for the new orthodontic assistants. The education I received from LCCTC helped give me a firm understanding of the basics of what each specialty does, the instruments that are used, the supplies that are needed, and how to use them. It was a great help to already know what each tooth was, what instruments were used for which procedures, how to take x- rays, take impressions, and the basic flow of each type of dental appointment before starting with an actual company and having to learn everything on the job. My training helped me have a better understanding of each department, making me a vital asset to my company as I was flexible and able to pick up on new and different things quickly. I am grateful for the education I have received at LCCTC and am grateful I chose that direction. I was fortunate to have a teacher who understood the field and was passionate about what she was teaching. I made several friends in my class at LCCTC and I am pleased to say they are also employed at the same company for about five to six years now. They also started out working with our general dentists. One has now furthered her education and is a Dental Hygienist and the other is an assistant in our specialty department, working with our periodontists, oral surgeons and endodontics. I guess my family thought my schooling and

4 education path was a success, because my mother and younger sister followed in my footsteps four years later! I had an interest in the dental field due to my sister already being in the field and enjoying what she did. I wanted to get a jumpstart to learning the skills I needed to start a successful career and seeing if it was something I would enjoy. I am employed with the same company I did my CTC rotation with during school. I have been there for almost three years. I started as an assistant to our general dentists and expanded functions dental assistants helping with fillings, extractions, crowns, and pulpotomys. I was also an orthodontic assistant, taking x-rays, impressions, assisting with the placement of braces, and performing brace adjustments. Now I am solely in the orthodontics department with the extra responsibilities of managing the doctor s schedule, writing and sending out our correspondent letters to dentists that have referred their patients to our office for orthodontic treatment, and help with training and development of our new orthodontic assistants. The education I received gave me a baseline for the general functions of a dental assistant, which aided in making it easier to pick up the specifics of what my company required of me. My instructor was very helpful in providing me with the one on one time I needed despite the large size of our class. She was always positive and professional which

5 made it easier to come to class every day. I honestly feel I would not have done as well with this course if it was not for the time and effort that my instructor was willing to invest in me. It was a lot of time and hard work that I put into this course, but looking back now, it was well worth all the effort. The Lebanon County Career and Technology Center Dental Assisting Program Instructor: Nina K. Eckert C.D.A. neckert@lcctc.edu Phone: Ext.2168