Pediatric Dental Secretary Career Guide

Overview and Job Duties

A dental secretary performs work in dental offices by spending most of their time listening to patients’ queries on the telephone and at the workplace. They are known as pediatric dental secretaries. These practitioners work by providing dental services to children. They also provide administrative tasks in offices of dentists due to their proficiency in the dental field. Therefore, individuals who are good at multitasking and are always friendly with children may enter this field to have a successful and prospering career. You must keep in mind that on the basis of the required education and appropriate training you might end up getting a good job.

Pediatric Dental Secretaries are specialists who perform secretarial work in dental offices. They help dental practitioners in various tasks. Their primary duty is to perform administrative duties that in turn are essential to the smooth functioning of a dental office. When a customer comes to a dental office, these professionals set their appointments with dentists. For this they greet parents and children, and provide assistance in every possible way. Some patients might have a previous record of dental problems, so they trace them out to help dentists examine patients on such a basis. When dentists are done with the treatments, updates are saved by secretaries for future appointments or checkups.

Pediatric Dental Secretaries also take children to operating rooms and help with the preparation. When at the front desk, they also answer phones, prepare bills, keep a check for payments, and present insurance information. All this work requires great office, communication and organization skills. They must also be good with computers to enter data and keep records. Above all, they should know how to be with children; how to care and love them.

Job Outlook

Possible areas where they can work are dental hospitals, dental clinics, and healthcare centers. As predicted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2011, there were nearly 296,810 people employed in dental offices performing secretarial work.

Salary

According to National Salary Trend 2012, Pediatric Dental Secretaries on average earn $55,000 annually.

Education Requirements

Mostly, an associate level degree in healthcare or a diploma in healthcare is preferred by employers but others with relevant experience and skills are also hired. Associate or certificate level education could be completed in health services administration, business or office management. Diploma holders with good office skills are often hired for some positions.

Certification requirements vary from state to state. Some states require candidates to be certified while others may just be fine with work experience. Moreover, a certification is provided by the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) for Certified Professional Secretary (CPS).

Some employers in healthcare may require employers to hold a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification. Certification and education requirements should be known beforehand to avoid last minute delays and mix-ups.

$_SESSION['title'] = "Accredited Degree Programs";
$_SESSION['campusType'] = "BOTH";
$_SESSION['areaOfInterest'] = "DENTAL-OFFICE-ASSISTING";
$_SESSION['degreeOfInterest'] = "";