Becoming a Dental Receptionist

Dental Receptionists play an important role in various dental care settings. Their key responsibilities include greeting and facilitating the patients, responding phone calls and e-mails, providing information, scheduling appointments, maintaining patient’s records , monitoring billing processing, assisting in insurance claims etc. In addition, they act as a liaison between the patients and the service providers such as dentists, insurance companies etc. These professional mostly depend on computer technology to deliver their assigned duties.

Dental Receptionists mostly work at dentist’s offices. They may also find employment in varieties of settings such as hospitals, clinics, dental care facilities, rehabilitation center etc.

Educational Requirements

To become a Dental Receptionist, the aspiring candidates need to hold at least a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED). They can also get job-on-training. The job aspirants can go for a certificate or associate’s degree program in office administration, medical administration, or a related field, in which they get training in word processing software, spreadsheets and other office applications. The course work also includes health, dental terminology, tooth numbering systems, computer technology, administrative procedures etc.

Certification and Licensure

Though Dental Receptionists typically don’t need to be licensed or certified, some employers often prefer certified job aspirants. The candidates can obtain exam-based certification from American Dental Association.

Skill Set               

Dental Receptionists possess various traits such as impeccable office manners, excellent verbal and written communication skills, understanding of various insurance policies and billing procedures, ability to maintain calm and react effectively in emergency situation, competent in computer operations, familiarity with office equipment, such as telephones, computers, fax machines, scanners etc.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for a Dental Receptionist remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 27% during 2012-2022. The average annual salary of a Dental Receptionist was $27,050 in May 2012.