The Compliance Divas Podcast
Our podcast covers current topics such as infection prevention and control, OSHA and HIPAA compliance for dentistry. We discuss the latest regulatory information, answer frequently asked questions and give suggestions for dental practices to make compliance easy and sustainable. The Compliance Divas are a trusted source for consistent, accurate information based upon current guidelines, standards, science, and recommendations.
The Compliance Divas Podcast
#239 Dental Assisting Career Opportunities: A Conversation with the Compliance Divas
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Join the Divas in discussing what Dental Assistants can do beyond chairside assisting. Mary, Leslie and Olivia share their career experiences as dental assistants and offer insights into how Dental Assistants can find their niche in dentistry for a rewarding career.
Resources:
The Association for Dental Safety https://www.myads.org
OSHA - Authorized Outreach Trainer https://www.osha.gov/dte/outreach/outreach_trainers
Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) https://www.danb.org/
Speaking Consulting Network https://speakingconsultingnetwork.com/
Academy of Dental Management Consultants https://admc.net/
National Speakers Association https://nsaspeaker.org/
Toastmasters International https://www.toastmasters.org/
Welcome. I'm Leslie Cannon. I'm Mary Gavoni.
SPEAKER_00I'm Linda Harvey. I'm Olivia Wan. And together we are the Compliance Divas.
SPEAKER_01Welcome. This is Leslie Cannum. And this is the Compliance Divas Podcast. Today, our podcast is very special, and it's all about what dental assistants can do besides dental assist. There are so many different career choices in the field of dentistry. I think that some of us don't always consider where we might go beyond the operatory. So today, what I'd like to do is address any dental assistant who's experiencing some burnout, because it is real for dental assistants, and talk about how so many people in dentistry have used their dental assisting experience to pursue alternate career paths. Have you ever wondered what opportunities might be in your future? Well, in this podcast, we're going to share some personal experiences from chair side to entrepreneur. And I'm going to start with our Diva Mary. Tell us about your trajectory from dental assistant to teacher, hygiene dental board member to speaker to consultant to key opinion leader.
SPEAKER_02Well, that sounds pretty impressive as you say it, Leslie. And nothing that I have done in dentistry has actually ever been, according to any kind of a plan. I became a dental assistant by accident. So I guess I could call myself an accidental dental assistant. I was floundering in my freshman year in college, not knowing what to do, being pressured to declare some kind of a major. And so I just decided to quit and go get some life experience, much to my mother's chagrin. And I was working in retail, I knew that that was not going to be what I wanted to do for a long period of time. And then I met someone who knew someone who knew a dentist who was in the first few years of practice who needed someone to work at the front desk. Now, in 1972, when I started, working at the front desk was not technology driven, it wasn't insurance driven, it was pretty quiet, especially in a startup practice. And so I had a lot of time when the phone wasn't ringing to go and observe in the treatment room. And I became fascinated. So when our dental assistant quit unexpectedly, I asked the doctor if he would teach me to be a chair side assistant. And I was so fortunate to work with this man who is such a good mentor and a great clinician and had such high ethical principles. So I always tell people if he were standing here today, he would tell everybody that he taught me everything I know. And that is very true. So he inspired me, encouraged me to get some education. I went to a dental assisting program on the weekends to become a CDA and then an RDA in Michigan. And I continued my education, got all my prerequisites for dental hygiene, and then I taught in the dental assisting and dental hygiene program in Lansing Community College in Michigan, where I lived at the time, and I enjoyed education, but there still was something else out there. I started having problems with carpal tunnel syndrome, and so I knew that my clinical career was probably not going to be long on time. And so a friend of mine and I started a staffing service. We bought a franchise of a dental power staffing service, and we ran that successfully for about 10 years. And during that time, all the OSHA rules came into existence. And that's where I got involved in learning about OSHA, teaching my temporary employees, and then the demand came from clients. Come teach us what your people know. And then it evolved into selling the staffing service and becoming a speaker and a consultant full time. And in the interim, I also served on the Board of Dentistry in Michigan as a registered dental assistant member. So lots of different things. Every single piece and part of that career trajectory was a learning experience. And I can call on any and all of that experience in what I do with clients today. So I accidentally became a dental assistant and accidentally enjoyed a very, very lucrative career in dentistry.
SPEAKER_01Mary, that is just amazing. And what's interesting about your experience in having to learn quickly about OSHA, you know, our listeners might be interested to know that OSHA does offer some training on how to be an authorized OSHA outreach trainer, which helps if you know dentistry and then you understand what it is that OSHA expects from dentistry. You marry those two experiences together, and you can be of great help to those out there in dentistry that are fearful that OSHA simply isn't something that they've got the been able to wrap their heads around.
SPEAKER_02And you know, a lot of what I talked about was working away from ChairSide. And I gotta tell you, some of my best memories and best experiences in dentistry were actually working at ChairSide, and I love that. And I don't know that all of our dental assistant listeners out there always need to be looking at where do I go away from chairside, because today, with all the AI and the technology tools, there's so many things that dental assistants can do and with expanded functions as well. Uh, so it's not sometimes the the grass looks greener on the other side of the chair or outside of the day-to-day in the dental office, but boy, there's some really exciting things happening in the dental office as well.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's so true, Mary. And again, with AI, it simply just allows us to be more productive. It's interesting because when I first got a laptop and started to work remotely, going somewhere, maybe my husband would drive, I'd be able to work on my laptop. And then when I was able to work with using the internet and having a broadband card, I was able to increase my productivity. And I think at ChairSide, with all of the AI that's coming in, dental assistants really don't have to be afraid that they're going to be replaced. They're just going to be able to do more and do more efficiently and do more productively to help their practices and their dentists. So learning this new world of AI is something that is another way of embarking on something new in dentistry that will really actually propel us professionally. Now, Olivia, you've got a very interesting trajectory from your first early days as a dental assistant to where you are today. Would you share that with us?
SPEAKER_00Sure, Leslie. I certainly don't want to bore anybody because it's kind of been a long journey. But first of all, I want to say that I have had the opportunity in the 26 years that I've been consulting to work with some of the most amazing dental assistants that are truly the right hand of a dentist. So just hats off to the many dental assistants out there. But yeah, I I graduated high school when I was 17, and I actually landed a summer job working in the courthouse. So I was the deputy clerk and master, and I also started cleaning a dental office. So I worked for a cleaning company and I would go in at night and mop floors and whatnot. And the dentist had an opening for receptionists, so I applied and he said I was too young. And so he hired someone else, and a year later the job was open again. So I applied again and he hired me. And at that time there was only one dental assistant, and she was so precious. She said, Well, in order for me to be able to take a day off, you need to be cross-trained. And so I was cross-trained and went to uh vocational school at night. So after I worked during the day, I went to school at night and successfully passed the boards. But here's the tricky part, Leslie. I did well on the boards, but I was not a good dental assistant. So that's maybe why I have so much honor and respect for those great clinicians. I was never really good with my hands. I was better at the paperwork part. So when I was hired in 1985 in a dental office, and then in 1991, when the bloodborne pathogen standard was published, the dentist made me the sit the safety coordinator. And I loved that. I loved anything that had to do with teaching and reading and writing policies. I loved it. And I was promoted to office manager pretty early on and enjoyed that. So I stayed there 14 years and like Mary's experience, I worked with one of the most amazing dentists who taught me a lot and inspired me. And I tell my audiences that it's the platform that I stand on because he always encouraged me to learn more and do more. So after 14 years, I was recruited by a software company and I was a professional trainer for about a year. And then I ended up going on my own doing consulting. And I started doing seminars actually right behind Mary. We worked for one of the same companies, and that was intense because we were teaching three seminars a week in three city major cities a week. And after five years of making five tours of the United States, we developed clients. And anyway, at one point I decided to go back to school. And at 35, I went back to school. So I graduated with my bachelor's of science in healthcare administration. And for whatever reason, I decided to keep going. You know, when you go back to school as an adult, it's like, okay, I don't want to waste any money on school. I want to do well. And then I decided to go to law school. It was a toss-up between a dental CPA or going to dental law. Anyway, that started that roller coaster. And so I graduated law school, passed the bar the first time by the grace of God, and then started. I really didn't intend to have a local office, but there was a demand for attorneys here. So I started a law practice here in my little rural town of Dover. I serve as the Dover city attorney, as well as trying to keep up with my law practice and also in consulting. And it's really helped me, Leslie, because I've helped dentists with board complaints, OSHA violations, helping them in different aspects of legal issues, including HR issues to reviewing lease agreements, writing agreements, writing associate agreements, doing some transitions of dental practices. So it's been a variety, and I've enjoyed every minute. And even including what we're doing with the compliance divas, it's been an honor working with so many people. And with the dental assistants being honored, I just want to make a shout out that you know your career is what you want it to be. And if your career is a dental assistant, be proud of that. It's a great industry to be in. And patients look to dental assistants for comfort and they look forward to seeing your friendly face and the beautiful place that you make your dental office out to be. So, yes, it's been a long journey in starting out as cleaning the dental office to dental assisting office management and attorney and consultant, but it's been such a joy.
SPEAKER_01And Olivia, it is such a joy to see you present. Even before you were an attorney, I remembered meeting you and I was so impressed with you because one thing you forgot to mention to our listeners is that you actually wrote an OSHA manual that was published in the Library of Congress. And I had actually been introduced to you before you had written that, and then afterwards you wrote it. And I was just, I was so honored to meet you. I thought, oh my goodness, this is an author, and she's written an OSHA manual, and you really actually had extended your reach, not only in Tennessee, but hearing in California and Nevada, people have heard of you, had your OSHA manual. I would go to dental offices and I would see your modern practice solutions manual on the shelf. And something else that you didn't mention is that you created a career path for many others. You had so many people that work for you and people that run your consulting business and people that work for you in your law firm. And so there's lots that maybe you learned how to run a business in a dental office, or at least saw how a successful business is run by a good leader. Like Mary mentioned, that she had was very fortunate to have a good leader. I actually had a good leader myself. My father was a dentist and I started working for him when I was in high school. And I actually got high school credit for work experience. I think I was paid like $2.30 an hour back then. But it was great because I go straight to after my morning classes to go to my career in dentistry, where my father taught me at the chair side and then also gave me some study materials. And I was getting close to graduating. I had one more term paper, a thesis to write, and I wrote my thesis on this new category of dental assistant called an expanded duties dental assistant. Now, last week's podcast, coincidentally, is what has culminated from the original plan for a dental assistant to do more things to what's called an expand, a registered dental assistant and expanded functions. And we interviewed three RDAEFs who shared with us their career trajectory and how they empower others to take the same steps by teaching RDA functions in programs at school programs. And so my story, long story short, is that when my dad decided to give up general dentistry and go back to dental school, I didn't have a job. So I put myself out as a temporary person. And I started to get hired by dentists in our area. I couldn't take all the jobs for people that needed someone for maternity leave or someone when they had someone out sick or for when people would take vacation. So I recruited my friends from my dental assistance association. We had a local component in my area that was very, very healthy, lots of dental assistant members. And pretty soon I found myself, like Mary, running a dental assistant staffing agency. And I was my dad was very supportive of this and you know, saw that I enjoyed being entrepreneurial and having my own business. And from that, when I moved out of the area I lived in and moved to Northern California, I went back to work in a dental office again. And I said to myself, you know what? I really liked running my own business. And so I pursued going into training on OSHA, and I trained my own office on OSHA requirements, that the one that I work with. And dentists in my community started to hear that I was pretty good at conducting this OSHA training, which was confusing to most people when it first became required when the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard came out. And I started to get invitations to speak for dental study clubs and dental societies. And I decided that I better get myself better educated. So I became an authorized OSHA outreach trainer, which is a program that someone can go to. You go to the OSHA.gov website and you can find out where you can get the training to become authorized as an OSHA outreach trainer. And that's where the skills in dentistry and the skills and understanding regulations really came together. But I have to say that the one thing we would all agree on is that the foundation of much of our information about regulatory compliance, safety in dentistry, and dental office people, and getting people to do the right things in a dental office really comes from our beloved, what was called OSEP, or Organization for Safety, sepsis, and prevention, which is now called the Association for Dental Safety. I think we I know I would not be doing what I'm doing today as a speaker, consultant, coach, and trainer without having the Association for Dental Safety as where I get and where I get my information. And of course, the collaboration with other dental professionals like yourself, Mary, and our Diva Linda, who couldn't be with us today. And the reason she couldn't be with us today is that she was given an award over the weekend. She had to travel for it. It's called the Dinobi Award. So we're all very proud of her. And she is, yeah, has her own story of how she moved from dental hygienist to consultant to business owner. And in our entrepreneurial efforts, we have all developed a lot of friendships along the way. And we've all developed some collaboration. And I know Linda would want us to mention some of the collaboration that's important for dental assistants to maybe consider reaching out to the dental industry, where we have sales reps, we have multiple dental companies that sell supplies and having someone like a dental assistant who has boots on the ground experience with not only with patient care, but how a dental office runs, but also dental material and dental procedures is a huge benefit. So looking into areas where you might consider being a dental rep for products or dental equipment or supplies. And then I just like to call on my fellow divas to share some thoughts on what other things you might do to enhance your skills in getting to where we've gotten today of being able to speak and consult. Any thoughts?
SPEAKER_00Olivia? Well, I just want to echo what you said earlier about OSAP, ADS. That that was something I did early on, as all of us have, is that membership is key. If you're going to get into compliance, you need to be a member. But another thing that I did early on is I read a lot of books on starting a business and management and motivating people, speaking styles, just you know, educate yourself. And Mary and I had an advantage because we were on the speaking circuit. And after every presentation, the participants would fill out an evaluation. And, you know, it maybe most of them would say they loved it, but the few would tear us up. And that gave us an opportunity to grow. I mean, they might even pick on something that we had on, something that I wore. But it was so helpful to have that criticism from the evaluations to grow and expand and to learn what your audience wants.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely, Olivia. You're so right. And I include a lot of times as resources for some of the programs that I do, uh, a reading list, list of suggested books, and I'm constantly updating it and so forth. And I remember a long time ago, I recommended, oh, it was a business book, and I don't even remember what the title was, but I had two doctors who just took great exception to that. That has nothing to do with dentistry. It doesn't matter what happens in the corporate world, like, oh yeah, it so does. Because we and even calling what we do to interact with our patients customer service. I can remember dentists in my audiences saying this isn't customer service, this is not a business, it's a dental practice. Yep, it's a specialized business, and yes, it's all about customer service. So you have to expand your horizons outside the dental office a little bit to know that there's so much to learn out there and be willing to do that. And now I just finished a program with five, four of their speakers at the Chicago Midwinter meeting, and I was very impressed at the savvy of the dental assistants who were in the program about they get it, they understand that there's so much to learn from corporate America and just business principles in general to understand. And so again, I don't want our message to be so much that dental assistants need to run away from dental practice and go do something different, like what we did, because there's so much to do in that practice. Be the tech leader, be the cheerleader for. Everyone, and it there's just so so many opportunities.
SPEAKER_01And you know, Mary, it's true that we we don't want to lead people away from dentistry, but then just also plant the seed that they're, you know, don't give up on dentistry if you're maybe not doing what you want to do, or your your shoulder wears out, or you get carpal tunnel, or you know, perhaps in your area, perhaps in your office there's not enough room for growth. And so some of the things that I also wanted to touch on, I just wanted to recap what Olivia was saying, because you know we we always improve our skills to do better. And I think that helping other dental offices is so gratifying. I so enjoyed being able to help someone understand what they were doing with safety data sheets or how to set up protocols and and where it was something that was overwhelming to bring in a sense of a process and organization and give people a path and a plan to follow was so helpful. And what Olivia also mentioned, which brought up something else, is that sometimes we do get some feedback that is like sometimes hard to hear about a way we were presenting or our parents or maybe even the content itself. And I want to encourage anyone who's thinking about presenting programs to others, whether it's speaking or whether it's consulting or doing training, to join your local Toastmasters and get some feedback and some critique in a safe environment from people who want to see you succeed and will help you with refining your skills. And when it comes to something like regulatory compliance, you know, it can be a little bit of a dry subject. So learning how to present in front of a group is not only helpful for speaking engagement, but it's helpful for interpersonal relationships with people that you actually are conducting the training for, whether it's your own office, whether you're climbing in the corporate career in a dental DSO, or whether you're going to put out yourself out there as an entrepreneur, a solopreneur, and know that there are resources out there. There are groups that of dental management consultants that you can join where you can learn from others who are working their way through the steps of a career path of being a consultant or a speaker. There's many different ways you can go. We'll leave some resources in our show notes about that. And uh I certainly don't want to leave this program or end this program without saying the sky is the limit when it comes to careers in dentistry and whether you want to be in a dental office working side by side as a partner with your dentist or your dental group, or whether you'd like to move into something like telephone skills or clinical efficiency or marketing uh specialty dental practices, and think about all the different ways you could promote yourself and your skills and your knowledge and expertise that will serve others. And you'd be surprised when you take a look at all the different types of careers that exist in dentistry today. And if you're happy continuing on as a dental assistant on the other side of the chair, I know that your patients appreciate you and they appreciate seeing a familiar face. And I know that your doctors appreciate you because there is a real workforce shortage out there. So, with that, the compliance divas bring clarity and simplicity to compliance by navigating regulatory compliance to keep you on course. If you have questions, please submit them to support at the compliancedivas.com. All the resources that we mentioned will be listed in our show notes of your podcast app. And we invite you to subscribe to our podcast so you can never miss an episode. And please leave us some feedback on your podcast app, if you will. And with that, we close another session of the Compliance Divas podcast. And recognizing dental assistants this week as we're recording this podcast happens to be Dental Assistants Recognition Week. So, to all dental assistants, have a great day and have a wonderful dental assistant career.