The Profession Everyday

Nowadays the dental assistant is very well trained. They carry out the following tasks independently :

• Welcome the patient into the office , by phone. Professionalism must be clearly seen as it is for many patients the business card of the cabinet .
• Assistance to the chair : Preparation of instrumentation, filling materials and fingerprints, processing and classification of radiographs advice in the field of prevention
• Maintenance of the instrumentations and different devices : cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of surgical instrumentation, application and maintenance of hygiene in the office
• Administration : making appointments and keeping records, order supplies and inventory management , management of telephone requests from patients and mail processing , management laboratory , establishment and monitoring of notes ‘ fees, professional correspondence

Requirements requested

• High sense of responsibility , accuracy , cleanliness
• Understand and execute quickly and easily
• Have good basic academic skills
• Taste for scientific and commercial matters
• Not sensitive to chemicals
• Personable-works well with people and is comfortable around people.

Duration of the training and certification

The Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET) apprenticeship lasts three years and leads to the award of a federal certificate of capacity dental assistant (CFCs). The new training plan for the dental assistant came into effect in 2010.
The training and testing depend on the Federal Department of the Economy and each person is responsible for their own application.
Wages of apprentices-
1st year: 550 Fr – .
2nd year: 900 Fr – .
3rd year : Fr 1’300 – .
You are paid these wages 13 times per year.

Opportunities for post- graduate education (3)

Assistant Prophylaxis (AP)
This additional training can be performed upon graduation from CFC after minimum one year of professional practice and after passing the entrance exam .
The AP works under the direction of mouth dentist . They identify with individual characteristics of patients in the field of oral hygiene . They manually or mechanically remove gum deposits. They inform and motivate their patients in the application of oral hygiene. They can also perform vital tooth bleaching .
Dental Secretary
This additional training can be performed upon obtaining CFCs.
Dental Secretary supports the management of all administrative work and general office organization .
They are knowledgable about dental computer programs , know the dental costs , manages billing correspondence and relations with patients , laboratories and insurance. They take care of equipment orders and stock,  and is co- responsible for the training of apprentices and organizing the dental team .
They have their own offices or clinics.
Dental school instructor
Dental school instructor is not a professional dental care profession. They are chosen and trained to strictly teach preventive tasks primarily in kindergartens with children of school age .
They work in organizations and public authorities such as dental schools, and in institutions like hospitals, nursing homes etc..
Monitoring of medical and dental care for their patients is provided by polyclinics or independent dentists .
(more information on www.sso.ch,  Professions cabinet )