A trainee is someone who is actively learning the necessary skills for a particular job. This process often includes on-the-job training alongside professionals that enables career planning and career advancement. In the dental field, a few different occupational pursuits exist, and each of these job titles have dental trainee jobs available. An average dental trainee is likely seeking work either as a general dentist or in a specialization such as orthodontics. Dental trainee jobs are also available for dental nurses, dental technicians, and dental hygienists.
The position of dental assistant may be a full-time permanent position, but it can also be filled by dentist trainees. These individuals assist in various procedures relating to the teeth. For example, a dental trainee assistant might perform drilling or help fill in cavities. This individual might also be responsible for obtaining pertinent information from the patient. A dental trainee assistant could be the first professional a patient sees before the dentist arrives, and he or she may work alongside the dentist.
In a similar manner, dental nurses and dental nurse trainees assist the dentist and perform preparatory tasks. Nurses may lead the patient into the examination room and prepare both the patient and the work area for the dentist’s arrival. In addition, the nurse trainee may take necessary x-rays of the patient’s mouth. When the dentist is performing a procedure, the nursing assistant trainee hands the dentist equipment or helps keep the patient’s mouth dry and in proper alignment.
Many dental offices also employ dental hygienists. The hygienist will often begin as a trainee before obtaining full-time employment in the office. This trial period will likely include more experienced hygienists supervising the trainee as he or she learns and performs procedures for cleaning teeth. The specific duties a dental hygienist trainee might perform range from scraping tooth deposits to educating patients about proper tooth care.
Like most dental positions, individuals working as a dental technician must usually be certified and trained. The dental technician creates many of the devices that go into the mouth, including crowns, dentures, and orthodontic pieces. When the prospective dental technician works in the technician type of dental trainee jobs, this presents the opportunity for specialization in specific device creation.
Dentistry is a field of different sub-disciplines, and as such specialization is common. Professionals gain this specialization through a combination of education and dental trainee jobs. If an individual wishes to help patients with improper bites, for instance, he or she may work in an orthodontics office as a trainee. Trainees interested in surgical procedures, on the other hand, might seek opportunities in an oral surgery clinic.
Dental trainee jobs may be classified by the education or experience level of the trainee as well. In general, trainees may come from two primary backgrounds: student interns or post-graduates. In the former case, the dental trainee generally spends a summer working in a dental facility. Interns may range from individuals in high school to individuals in medical school. A post-graduate may pursue work as a trainee following completion of a bachelor's degree program, a master's degree program, or a doctoral program.