How We've Enhanced Our Dental Placement Practices During COVID-19
Over the last several weeks, dental offices across both Connecticut and New York have reopened, allowing dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants to see patients for the first time in months. The Dental Works team has recognized a significant upswing in dentist employment needs, with the total number of dental temp jobs in the region increasing on an almost daily basis. However, we want our candidates to know that we are always carefully monitoring developments with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the dental community to prioritize the health and safety of our workers .
Dental Works Prioritizes the Health and Safety of Our Locum Tenens Hygienists and Assistants
As a Dental Staffing Agency committed to upholding the highest health and safety standards, Dental Works knows that many of our locum tenens hygienists and assistants are still very apprehensive about returning to work during this uncertain time. We understand – and we want to help alleviate some of your concerns by sharing some of our elevated best practices and policies we’ve implemented to address COVID-19 factors.
One new standard we’d like to share is our Pandemic Prevention Survey. Dental Works forwards this document to each office requesting temporary staff, and the survey must be completed prior to coverage being confirmed. When a placement is accepted, the temp is provided the office’s survey to review along with the state infection control guidelines for COVID. Each temp must be completely comfortable with the protocol in place, or we will gladly remove them from the assignment.
Dental Works Strives to Keep our Dental Professionals Informed Throughout Every Contract
Additionally, the Dental Works team wants our temps tobe well informed. We’ve included answers to some of the most commonly asked questions/concerns from our professional candidates:
For any aerosol-producing procedures, including ultrasonic scaling, coronal polishing, use of air/water syringe, use of high-speed handpiece, etc.:
- The dental office MUST provide all PPE to the temp. This includes:
- A fit-tested N95 face mask
- Disposable examination gloves
- Goggles with side shielding or full-face shield (single-use or clean/disinfect between patients)
- Disposable gown (to be replaced between patients) or fluid-resistant lab coat changed between patients (to be laundered)
- Disposable (or washable) hair caps/bonnets and shoe covers (or designate shoes to be wiped down frequently and remain in the workplace)
- Non-NIOSH approved respirators, including “KN95” masks, are NOT an acceptable substitute for NIOSH-approved N95 respirators and should never be used during aerosol-generating procedures
- N95 filtering facepiece respirator (not fit-tested) or Level 3 surgical mask (at a minimum)
- Disposable examination gloves
- Dedicated work clothing that can be laundered (e.g., scrubs or lab coat) or a disposable gown (example, one lab coat for the day provided by the office)
- Goggles with side shielding or full-face shield (single-useor clean/disinfect between patients)
Contact Dental Works Today to Hear More About Our Current Openings and COVID-19 Best Practices
Want to hear more about Dental Works’ current dental job opportunities and commitment to our candidates’ health and safety? Contact our office today. Or, fill out our Contact Update Form to update your information in our system.
