Dental Hygienist

Department
 

BSD MED – Center for Health and the Social Sciences – Oral Health

About the Department
 

The Center for Health and the Social Sciences (CHeSS), founded in 2005, strives to continue the legacy at the University of Chicago for being a leader in both research and training at the intersection of health and the social sciences. We foster innovation and collaboration, as well as excellence in research, scholarship, and training. CHeSS staff supports the writing and submission of grant applications and fundraising proposals, brainstorms and coordinates new research initiatives and projects, and provides expert research methods consultation during formative and operational phases of work.

Job Summary
 

The Dental Hygienist has the responsibility of providing preventive, therapeutic, and educational hygiene services for the patient of the University of Chicago Dental Research Study Clinic.

Responsibilities

• Records periodontal charting in the UCM Dental EHR system.
• Examines teeth and surrounding hard and soft tissues for disease, lesions, and other abnormal conditions.
• Removes supra and sub gingival soft/hard deposits and stain from the teeth and endosseous dental implants, whenever necessary.
• Exposes and processes dental radiographs (intraoral and occlusal).
• Provides oral hygiene aids and educates patients on oral hygiene care.
• Administers local medicaments to periodontally involved areas, whenever necessary.
• Administers anesthetic and nitrous in accordance to licensure guidelines, whenever necessary.
• Administers fluoride, whenever necessary.
• Records patient vitals, whenever necessary.
• Schedules appointments for patients due for their prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance appointments, whenever necessary.
• Assists with several aspects of research in patient outcomes assessments that are required for data collection and analysis.
• Maintain general office environment. The position requires sitting for extended periods of time, visual acumen, manual dexterity and fingering for instrumentation and computer use.
• Serves as an integral part of the health care team, assisting in the navigation of medical questions, preparing and recording medical information in collaboration with the patient, family, physician, nursing staff, and other members of the health care team.
• Supports the health care team through documentation, preparation and pre/post health care work.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• Experience as a Dental Hygienist, handling administrative tasks, and managing a dental office.

• Research experience in an Academic Medical Center setting.
   

Preferred Competencies

• Full knowledge of oral health clinical practice including visual identification of oral health disease and adversity, minor and major ailments.

• Ability to learn and use ICE dental EMR, REDCap, Epic EMR, MouthWatch software, and Dexis software.

• Familiarity with general business practices.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Commitment to providing a high level of service and high degree of professionalism.

• Attention to detail.

• Ability to learn and complete processes of research study participant recruitment.

• Ability to learn processes and complete processes of administering questionnaires for survey-based research.

• Ability to read and understand complex documents, e.g. protocols.

• Ability to handle confidential information with utmost discretion and in compliance with HIPAA guidelines.

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.

• Ability to communicate with tact and diplomacy.

• Ability to absorb large amounts of information quickly.

• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and under tight deadlines.

• Strong analytical and organizational skills.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)

• Cover Letter (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Healthcare & Medical Services

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Non-Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Biweekly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

24

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

Yes

Health Screen Required
 

Yes

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward .
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University’s Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

The University of Chicago’s Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu . Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.