JOB PURPOSE: To provide dental hygiene care and education to patients in traditional and non-traditional settings in the dental clinics, integrated medical sites, or community outreach settings.

The primary goal of the El Rio Health Dental Hygienist is to support El Rio’s Mission of providing comprehensive, quality health care that is affordable and accessible to all who may have healthcare needs, by successfully performing the primary essential functions.

The following functions and responsibilities will contribute to El Rio Health to achieve its KEY RESULTS:

1. World Class Experience for staff and patients

2. Healthier patients and employees

3. Positive Financial Result

Essential Job Functions:

Promotes the patients’ dental health by delivering comprehensive dental hygiene services in a quality-oriented and cost effective manner.

Supports the capacity of the dentists to deliver patient care by acting as a dental auxiliary in providing expanded function services to the patients.

Supports the dentist and dental team members and works in a professional, cooperative and

congenial manner with the entire dental staff (i.e., dentist, hygienists, residents, students, dental assistants, and dental receptionists).

Develops strong working relationships with medical providers that enhance communication regarding the oral health needs of their patients.

Collaborates with a broad spectrum of health professionals while working across traditional boundaries to achieve success.

Develops rapport with patients, family, staff members and management.

Supervises and participates in the training of dental hygiene students and coronal polishing certified

dental assistants.

Works clinical sessions and/or supervises dental hygiene students during clinical sessions as assigned

by the Dental Director, and is prepared to begin work during these clinical sessions in a punctual

manner.

Provides comprehensive dental hygiene services in a traditional dental team environment at the direction of the team dentist.

Ability to deliver dental hygiene care which is considered reasonable, prudent, and within the abilities of a

dental hygienist; to include, but not limited to, the following procedures:

Radiology: Takes high quality, diagnostic images as prescribed by the dentist.

Preventive: Performs dental prophylaxis, the application of topical fluorides including fluoride varnish, and the application of pit and fissure sealants.

Patient Education: Instructs patients in all phases of oral hygiene, home care technique, nutritional counseling and tobacco cessation utilizing motivational interviewing techniques.

Periodontics: Performs periodontal scaling/root planning, conservative periodontal therapy (i.e., placement of controlled-release chemotherapeutic agents), and periodontal maintenance procedures.

Adjunctive: Administers local anesthesia, nitrous oxide analgesia under supervision of a dentist and all other services allowed within the scope of the AZ Dental Practice Act regarding regulation of dental hygienists.

Provides ancillary services in support of the Dentist’s practice, to include but not limited to the following procedures:

Diagnostic data collection for comprehensive examination appointments.

Triage of emergency patients.

Local anesthetic injections for the dentists’ patients.

Suture removal and post-op care including dressing change.

Polishing of amalgam restorations.

Taking and recording vitals on patients

Performs and documents medication reconciliation.

Tooth Charting and treatment planning for the dental team as needed.

Periodontal probing and charting

Provides dental hygiene care in non-traditional settings such as medical integrated clinics and outreach events.

Delivers high quality dental hygiene care to a diverse patient population according to the following

five life cycles:

Prenatal, Pediatric,

Adolescent,

Educates patients on their unique oral health needs and desires using current best practice methods to encourage behavior change (e.g. Motivational Interviewing). This may include:

Nutritional counseling for control of dental disease,

Tobacco counseling for the control and prevention of oral disease

Helps the patient to identify and select self-management goals.

Assists Special Needs patients with complex medical conditions.

Employs the SOAP method of recording patient treatment in the electronic dental record.

Performs all hygiene clinical procedures to include prophylaxis for adults and children, periodontal maintenance, periodontal scaling, root planing, topical fluoride treatment, placing sealants and the use of interim caries arresting medicament application (i.e. Silver Diamine Fluoride).

Utilizes emerging tele-dentistry technologies such as intra oral cameras and mobile x-ray units.

Performs dental hygiene duties using both permanent and portable dental equipment.

Maintains dental operations by maintaining/sharpening the dental hygiene instruments, facilitating and assisting in the sterilization of the working surfaces of the dental operatory, facilitating water disinfection protocols as well as the sterilizing and maintenance of the hygiene instrumentation (i.e., hand pieces, hand instruments, etc.)

Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in work assignments, including the use of portable equipment.

Attends clinical sessions as assigned by the Dental Director/Dentist Team Leader, and is prepared to

begin work during these clinical sessions in a punctual manner.

Maintains a satisfactory level or better on the annual performance evaluation and keeps licensure and

credentialing current and updated.

Staff evening or Saturday clinics as determined by current clinic policies at the direction of the Dental

Director.

Performs administrative duties associated with the practice of dental hygiene with accuracy and timeliness including:

chart documentation

assisting in the completion of medical consultations

referrals

insurance pre-authorizations

correspondence

Administers and maintains the patient re-care system.

Follows OSHA regulations/guidelines and established policies and procedures regarding employee

safety, infection control and sterilization.

Follows HIPPA regulations/guidelines and established policies and procedures regarding patient confidentiality.

Maintains a clean, safe, and hygienic work environment in compliance with all Policies and Procedures including but not limited to work areas, workstations, examination rooms, hand washing, infection prevention and control etc. for this position.

Demonstrates an understanding of and proficiency with the application of all compliance and reporting requirements respective to Joint Commission Certification (JCC) standards.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

Contributes in a positive and enthusiastic manner to the teamwork needed to successfully provide quality dental services to the patients.

Participates in the Center’s Quality Assurance Program and peer review process.

Attends committee meetings and staff meetings as required.

Maintain in a cost-effective quality-oriented manner, the established minimum patient productivity

and value/quality-based goals.

Participates in continuing dental education according to the requirements set forth by Board of Dental

Examiners. (Currently 12 hours per year.)

Complies with all company policies and procedures including but not limited to those addressing HIPAA and Compliance.

Performs other duties as assigned.

This job description has been reviewed to ensure that the minimum essential functions and basic duties have been included to successfully perform the duties, tasks, assignments, and responsibilities of this position. Additional functions, duties, tasks, or requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate to meet organizational operations. The essential job functions and responsibilities align with El Rio Health’s Cultural Beliefs:

Minimum Education and Experience:

Registered Dental Hygiene (RDH) Degree from a dental hygiene school accredited by the American Dental Association (A.D.A.)

If applicable, equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered, and must be directly related to the functions and responsibilities of the job.

Required Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations:

Active and unencumbered Dental Hygienist License from the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners.

Arizona Local Anesthesia Certificate.

Current certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) for health care providers.

Level I fingerprint clearance card: current valid and in good standing or have applied for it within seven working days after beginning employment.

Employees in this position are required to have reliable transportation that can meet any operational reassignments of the organization during the workday. If an employee is driving during work hours, the employee is required to possess a valid driver’s license and must comply with Arizona vehicle insurance requirements.

Preferred Education, Experience, Skills, Abilities:

Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health from an accredited university.

Three (3) years’ experience as a Dental Hygienist.

Bilingual (English/Spanish) with the ability to speak, read and write in both languages.

Core Competencies:

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Bedside Manner

Community Involvement

Administering Medication

Dental Technology

Infection Control

Teamwork

Supervisory Duties:

None

Language Skills:

Interact diplomatically with the public in a continuous public contact setting.

Ability to respond effectively in writing and verbally to internal and external customers.

Write grammatically correct routing business correspondence such as brief transmittal memoranda.

Computer/Mathematical Skills:

Proficient with MS Office, including Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook and the internet;

Proficient with Electronic Medical Records (EMR).

Ability to apply concepts such as fractions. Percentages, ratios and proportions to practical situations.

Other Skills and Abilities:

Ability to multi-task and maintain a professional composure in stressful situations

Excellent organizational and time-management skills

Ability to interact with persons of various social, cultural, and economic and educational backgrounds for the purpose of providing exceptional guidance and customer service;

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

El Rio Health does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age 40 and over, disability, genetic information, military status, ancestry, marital status, familial status, or any other status protected by law or regulation.

It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions are based on job-related factors.

All employees are required to undergo drug testing prior to employment and, will be subject to post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return to duty and follow up drug and alcohol testing in compliance with Federal and State regulations for alcohol and controlled substance testing. Employees in positions holding responsibility for the safety and welfare of others will also be classified as safety sensitive.

El Rio Health is a Non-profit 501 (c)(3) Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and abides by all applicable federal Drug-Free Workplace standards.

Workforce Environment/Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Balancing Crouching Hearing Seeing Sitting Carrying Feeling Kneeling Close Standing Climbing Grasping Lifting Far Talking Crawling Pulling

Depth Walking

Exposures:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Airborne Particles Fumes Muscular Strain Temperature Caustics High Places Noise Toxicants

Chemicals Moving Parts Odors Vibration Electrical Current Vision Strain

Weather

Pay: $40.70 - $56.69 per hour

Benefits:

401(k)
401(k) matching
Dental insurance
Flexible spending account
Health insurance
Health savings account
Paid time off
Referral program
Tuition reimbursement
Vision insurance

License/Certification:

Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) Degree (Required)

Work Location: In person

El Rio Community Health Center

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Registered Dental Hygienist