Dental Office Receptionist Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

 If you are searching for the job description of a dental office receptionist, this post will help you to understand the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities that make up the role in most organizations.

This article will also help you to know the requirements recruiters commonly set for hiring for the position of dental office receptionist, so you will be able to make good preparation for the job if you are seeking it.

Please, continue reading:

Who is a Dental Office Receptionist?

A dental office receptionist is someone who works at the front desk of a dental office with the responsibility to attend to the needs of clients/patients who come to the clinic before they are allowed to see the doctor.

The job involves effective and courteous communication with clients to understand their needs and purpose of visit.

The job description of the dental office receptionist entails receiving clients’ inquiries at the front desk and over the phone, and providing them a satisfactory response.

He/she is expected to sit by the phone to receive calls and direct some to the doctor when necessary.

He/she must demonstrate a high level of courtesy and human relations skills when communicating with patients and visitors to the clinic so as not to give them a negative impression about the clinic, which could affect its business.

The receptionist’s role in a dental office also involves scheduling appointments for clients to see the dentist at different times with regards to the doctor’s availability, and ensuring that clients are attended to on time, without keeping them waiting on long queues.

He/she collects information from clients and enters the data into the computer systems, and makes them available to the doctor for use in carrying out appropriate examination and diagnosis of patients’ health condition.

His/her duties also include ensuring that client data are constantly updated to reflect the changes that may occur over time.

The receptionist also prepares patients insurance documents and enlightens patients on stated conditions relating to the insurance policy, as well as processes documents for insurance claims.

To succeed on the job, the receptionist must endeavor to keep client information confidential and handle them with discreteness to ensure that they don’t fall into the hands of unauthorized persons.

The receptionist’s work also includes keeping files of patients in a clean and private area, arranging them in orderly pattern for easy access upon client visit to the clinic, and making them available to the doctor when demanded for.

He/she ensures that files are kept safe and orderly to avoid them being misplaced.

Dental office receptionists facilitate smooth communication between patients and doctors by passing on patients’ requests and complaints to their doctors, while also ensuring that doctors’ instructions are passed on to patients.

Dental Office Receptionist Job Description Example/Sample/Template

Dental office receptionists perform various functions, ensuring that patients have an enjoyable visit to the dentist.

Shown below is an example of the job description of dental office receptionist in most establishments.

• Answer telephone calls from clients and speak with them when they visit the clinic in person
• Provide answers to clients’ questions regarding activities in the clinic and direct them to relevant persons for more clarifications
• Get appointments for clients from doctors and inform both parties about cancelled appointments
• Register new patients in line with acceptable standards of the clinic
• Guide patients in filling medical forms at the clinic to avoid errors and inaccurate information
• Explain clinical procedures to patients in order to clear whatever doubts they might have had
• Inform patients of the various dental services offered by the clinic
• Ensure that patients stick to scheduled appointments to avoid clash between patients
• Keep patients’ records from unauthorized persons to ensure their privacy and guaranty their safety
• Keep financial records of patients’ billings
• Confirm appointments and recalls in line with office protocols
• Sort out patients’ files when they visit the clinic.

Dental Office Receptionist Job Description for Resume

The job description sample above consists of specific duties, tasks, and responsibilities generally performed by receptionists working in a dental office, which can be employed in writing a resume for the post.

The professional experience section of the resume can be prepared using this information.

Dental Office Receptionist Requirements –  Abilities, Skills, and Knowledge for Career Success

To be considered for employment by the majority of employers, individuals applying for the position of dental office receptionist are usually asked to meet certain requirements.

This is important for applicants to prove that they can perform the obligations, purpose, and objectives set for the dental office receptionist role by the hiring organization.

See below for major dental office receptionist requirements applicants must fulfill to be considered for the job:

• Possess High School diploma or a GED equivalent, or graduated from a formal medical receptionist training program or customer service program
• Good knowledge of common terminologies in dental practice
• Ability to use computers in recording and processing information
• Good knowledge of dental insurance and ability to verify the eligibility of patients for it
• Excellent knowledge of, and the ability to apply information management principles to work on a daily basis
• Ability to keep records and patients’ personal information private
• Must be initiative
• Possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Outstanding customer relations skills to effectively handle clients from diverse backgrounds
• Strong ability to register new patients and arrange scheduled visit for re-call and returning patients
• Some experience working previously in a dental or medical front office position or in a customer service position
• Strong organizational skills and ability to work under pressure
• Strong ability to effectively handle multiple tasks and interruptions without getting frustrated.

Dental Office Receptionist Resources

To help in making you a better dental office receptionist and taking your career to the top, here are useful resources you can access:

Professional Organizations

Useful Blogs

Helpful Books