Hi... I'm going to start school for dental assisting, but would like to get a position working in a dental front office first. Everything I've seen states that they want at least one year of experience, but how can you start a position like that with no experience? Any ideas?Saturday, August 13, 2011
How Do You Get A Dental Reception Position With No Experience?
Hi... I'm going to start school for dental assisting, but would like to get a position working in a dental front office first. Everything I've seen states that they want at least one year of experience, but how can you start a position like that with no experience? Any ideas?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
grandpa walleye - You would have to find an office that would be willing to train you on the job. If you do expect the salary to be on the low side. Good luck with your search.
ReplyDeleteboss lady - I am an office assistant in a dental office but what I went to school for included all of the office and billing stuff that you do. They may mean that you need office experience to work at the front desk.
ReplyDeleteDrMiller - I had a girl come in the other day and want a front office job. She told my office manager that she worked at a hair salon now and is was pretty much the same thing, just "answering the phone and making appointments." Hardly.
ReplyDeleteMy girls up front do a lot of things with insurance, reports as well as appointments. You'd be lucky to find an office that is slow enough to teach you on the job. I'd never hire someone with no experience personally. I'm too busy right now.
That being said, everything technical about the job can be taught, but attitude goes a long way. Keep searching and you'll find someone out there willing to give you a shot. Expect a low salary to begin with as you don't hold many valuable skills yet for the office.
Tiffany - I strongly agree with Dr. Miller. It's more technical that just taking phone calls and making appointments. Sometimes receptionists need to make judgement calls or give advice on dental issues. I'm an assistant which means I depend on our front desk staff to schedule appointments appropriately for my day to go smoothly. Which means they need to know procedures and how long they will take. Also, I don't want to be doing root canals all day, so we need variety. Especially with the economy today, people with no experience are competing with professionals with sometimes even 10 years experience. I've even seen a trend of dentists hiring dental assistants who need a job for the front desk because they know what's going on. If I were in your shoes just make sure you go in there with a fabulous personality and make sure they know you're going to dental assisting school and show your willingness to learn. Also, make sure you let them know you're available to fill -in. And then make sure you're available even on very short notice. Good luck!
ReplyDelete