Tag Archives: Dental Secretary

Becoming a Dental Secretary

Dental Secretaries are dedicated to perform routine clerical and administrative duties for dentists. Their responsibilities include screening and sorting mail, documents, and telephone calls; scheduling appointments; billing patients; maintaining office files and patient records; transcribing dictation; arranging staff meetings; support other staff, so on and so forth. These professionals use computer software to create spreadsheets and maintain official documents.

Dental Secretaries closely work with Dentists in various health care settings such as hospitals, private dental offices, dental care facilities, army hospitals etc. these professionals need to be familiar with dental terminology, medical records, and hospital or laboratory procedures.

Educational Requirements

To become a Dental Secretary, the aspiring candidates need to complete at least a high school diploma or GED at entry level. The students can obtain two year associate degree program in medical and office administration for better job prospects in this field. The students should learn office procedures, computer programs, dental terminology, and how to prepare office documents. The job aspirants can improve their skills through short-term on-the-job training.

Certification and Licensure

The position of a Dental Secretary typically doesn’t require a license. However, some employers prefer the certified job applicants with some experience. The candidates can obtain certification from the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Skill Set

Dental Secretaries possess various traits such as good listening abilities, excellent organizational skills, efficient in time management, excellent organizational skills, good at customer service, excellent reporting skills, pleasant communication and interpersonal skills, competent in computer skills etc.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for a Dental Secretary 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 36% from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations. The average annual salary of a Dental Secretary was $36,960 in May 2012.