receptionist doubling up as a dental nurse?

ophiuchus

brook2jack wrote: »

Needless to say dental charting is complex as is filling in the many screens on the computer for a dental check up. A novice cannot do it and it takes a long time to learn to do it and learn the hundreds of technical terms.

Absolutely, hence my original query. Not just anyone can do it.

unforeseen wrote: »

Simple answer. Go ask your dentist. FGS is it hard to work out that the best person or persons to answer your question are the people who work in the practice.

"why is your receptionist working in the surgery room and why is she only filling out the bare minimum of dental details on the computer while rushing back and forth to answer the phone and man the reception desk?" may or may not elicit the most truthful response..

I'm quite within my rights, I think, to ask on a forum whether anyone else has encountered this scenario.

Thank you all for your responses.

unforeseen

I didn't say that you didn't have the right but a forum cannot provide you with accurate facts about an anonymous dental practice.

Red-Squirrel_2

ophiuchus wrote: »

"why is your receptionist working in the surgery room and why is she only filling out the bare minimum of dental details on the computer while rushing back and forth to answer the phone and man the reception desk?" may or may not elicit the most truthful response..

Don't understand how you think you can know that was what was happening.

ophiuchus

unforeseen wrote: »

I didn't say that you didn't have the right but a forum cannot provide you with accurate facts about an anonymous dental practice.

Point taken, and my own point being, I wasn't asking for accurate facts about an anonymous practice, just others experiences. You need to read what's been written.

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

Don't understand how you think you can know that was what was happening.

Best to leave it, then, if you don't understand it.




I'm not going to waste more time arguing about it. Anyone else who's come across this before/ has something constructive to add (!) I'd be grateful for your replies. Thanks again to those who have taken the time to write polite and helpful responses.

Nicki

ophiuchus wrote: »

Absolutely, hence my original query. Not just anyone can do it.



"why is your receptionist working in the surgery room and why is she only filling out the bare minimum of dental details on the computer while rushing back and forth to answer the phone and man the reception desk?" may or may not elicit the most truthful response..

I'm quite within my rights, I think, to ask on a forum whether anyone else has encountered this scenario.

Thank you all for your responses.

If you phrase it like that probably not! You could however ask:

“I wondered if you could just put my mind at rest. Is Agatha the receptionist a dental nurse or training to be one? Last time I was here, she helped out in the surgery and did the charting and I’ve been a bit anxious about this ever since as up to that point I thought she was just the receptionist”

And then if queried you could explain you were concerned about the accuracy of the charting and the infection control measures as she was in and out of the surgery.

Red-Squirrel_2

ophiuchus wrote: »

Best to leave it, then, if you don't understand it.

I just don't get why you are so insistent that the dental nurse was only doing the bare minimum or a simplified version of the required tasks rather than doing exactly what was required. Why would that be the case? It makes no sense.

Owain_Moneysaver

micky2phones wrote: »

Hi, i had my Doctor receptionist take my blood when having a blood test.

A lot of receptionists have a phlebotomy qualification.

GlasweJen

My sisters a dental nurse with the hygienist qualification and she does a half day a week on the reception desk. I suppose if you only ever went to her dentist on a Thursday morning you'd think that she's just a receptionist too

justme111

Op, why are you so bothered who held the suction tip and typed the numbers ? Up until a few years ago one did not need ANY qualifications to work as a dental nurse. People lose perspective with all the silly regulations and pretend importance of nonrelevant issues.
Once one had appropriate vaccinations and is enrolled on a course one becomes a " trainee dental nurse" and can hold the suction tip legally - how does it matter to you ?
You either think your dentist is good for you and then you appreciate his effort to see you despite being short staffed or you do not and then you change the dentist. What is the relevance of the nurse being trainee, qualified or a receptionist to you? Are you going to file a complaint and what would be the purpose of it ?
Do you know that in many countries that arguably have population with better teeth a dentist habitually works with just one support staff that doubles as a receptionist and a nurse?

Owain_Moneysaver

I assume that as the patient I am allowed to hold the sucky thing in my own mouth without needing any qualifications?