How to Become a Dental Office Administrator
The dental field is growing quickly and can provide excellent job opportunities and job security, but not everyone is ready to take on a clinical role. If you are interested in making a change to a career in the dental field where you can make a difference without working directly on patients, becoming a dental office administrator is a great career choice to consider.
What Does a Dental Office Administrator Do?
As a dental office administrator, you will be the face of the practice. You are the first person in the office to interact with the patients. A dental office administrator handles the administrative work that keeps a dental office running smoothly. Front desk administrators will handle all the phone calls, schedule appointments both on the phone and in person, update and file charts, document treatment plans, and make sure all the documentation for the insurance companies is complete. You will make sure test results are to the right people, organize referrals to specialists, file insurance forms, take payments, and make sure all billing is accurate and up to date. It is a comprehensive job. The dental office front desk staff is organized and makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Do You Need Dental Office Front Desk Training?
There is no official requirement for a formal dental office front desk training program, so dental offices will not list it as a requirement in their job posting. However, without prior experience working at a dental office front desk, the only way to make yourself stand out as an attractive candidate is a training program where you have honed all the necessary skills and gained experience with the software and scheduling programs you’ll use when working at the dental office front desk. When you have gone through a training program, you’ll have the advantage of both gaining the necessary skills you’ll need and the job placement assistance a good training program can offer.
Dental offices are very busy, and dentists who are looking to hire front desk help will be looking for training and experience. Although on-the-job training has worked in the past, employers tend to gravitate towards job candidates who have training. They are looking for those who can start efficiently supporting the busy workload from day one.
Hone Your Soft Skills
While the specific skills for a dental office, such as scheduling and billing software, can be addressed in the front desk dental office training, there are many soft skills that make a great dental office administrator. A good dental office front desk staff person will have great communication skills, a pleasant personality, and the desire and work ethic to be a team player. While soft skills can’t be explicitly taught, they can be honed in a dental office front desk training program.
Investing in a New Career with Dental Office Front Desk Training
Dental office front desk training can give you the right boost for a career in office administration and won’t be a significant time or financial investment. The education you get will set you apart from other administrators with experience in different industries. In a dental office training program, you will learn about the software dental offices use, basic information you will need to work in a dental office, and you will have the chance to hone your phone skills and other administrative skills. This training won’t require a big time investment for those who are working a full time job and have a family at home, but will be crucial toward getting a desirable position in a dental office. The training is inexpensive, easy, and well worth the investment.
A new career as a dental office front desk administrator can be a great move for anyone looking to make a career change. You’ll have excellent job security, an organized and efficient work environment, and great job outlook for a fun career. To learn more about dental office front desk training, contact South Florida Dental Assisting School today!