Lead, Dental Anesthesia Assistant

About AAC: Ambulatory Anesthesia Care (AAC) is a leading provider of anesthesia services dedicated to enhancing patient outcomes through innovative and effective solutions. We aim to deliver patient-centered care across diverse healthcare settings, with a goal of serving over a million patients annually by 2030.

Position Overview The Lead, Dental Anesthesia Assistant (DAA) serves as a Dental Anesthesia Assistant working in the field. The Lead DAA is also responsible for coordinating the activities of the DAA team in his/her territory, overseeing any off-site supply/equipment hubs, training new DAA and anesthesia staff, rolling out new processes or initiatives in conjunction with the Practice Manager, and communicating cascading messages to the local DAA staff.  The Lead DAA also works closely with the national supply chain team in monitoring the controlled substance inventory for dental offices in their territory.

DAAs are responsible for assisting anesthesia providers in the field with clinical care pre, intra, and post-operatively. Questions regarding the dental procedure itself are referred to the dentist or the dentist’s office staff. The DAA and all anesthesia staff are expected to respect and follow each dental office’s protocols. DAAs expected to understand all anesthesia-related equipment, medications, and supplies and how they are used, assembled, etc. 

DAAs are required to review the schedule daily in anticipation of any special needs at an assigned dental office.  This may include coordinating the pick or return of an “Office Team” (equipment, supplies, medication box) to be used by an anesthesiologist at a specific office. Pick ups and returns occur at the central hub in a territory (e.g., Bonney Lake WA, Yakima WA, or Salem OR) and are coordinated with the Practice Support Specialist or other contact in the territory.  Whenever possible, pick up arrangements should be made at least one week prior to the date of service and returns should be made within 1 business day of being used.

Primary Responsibilities

Lead, Dental Anesthesia Assistant Coordinator

• All Dental Anesthesia Assistant responsibilities (see below).
• Participates in interview process for new DAA staff. Orients and competencies all new DAA staff.
• Completes new anesthesiologist equipment and supply setups. Trains new anesthesiologists on the setup, testing, and breakdown of equipment.
• Maintains equipment, supplies, and medication inventory in off-site storage facilities. Performs inventory counts/reconciliations, places and receives supply orders, tracks release and return of equipment and supply boxes, and coordinates equipment repairs with the Practice Support Specialist. May not apply in all territories.
• Monitors controlled substance inventory at the dental office locations in their territory. Notifies offices when to place orders. Assists new dental offices, in conjunction with the national supply chain team, with the initial setup of controlled substances.
• Serves as MedAxion champion for all DAA and anesthesia. Conducts initial and ongoing training. Ensures that new dental offices are setup correctly to receive daily emails with charts.
• Conducts emergency drills for dental office staff. Trains new DAA staff on how to conduct training so that they can lead this in other territories.
• Assists Practice Manager and national supply chain team with coordinating the annual practice meeting and competency program. Conducts annual competencies for all DAA staff. Assists supply chain team with ensuring all equipment is accounted for and logged into the asset management system, receives appropriate preventative maintenance, and that all emergency medication boxes are stocked and checked for expired medications.
• Attends meetings with business development staff to explain the AAC clinical model and process to potential new dental offices. Conducts facility checks for those offices wanting to contract with AAC for anesthesia services. Leads the onboarding process of new dental offices to ensure a successful first date of service.
• Coordinates DAA staff call-offs and arranges for appropriate staff coverage, as well as any supplies or equipment resulting from the staff change. Notifies the Anesthesia Scheduling Coordinator and Practice Manager of all changes. Alerts the anesthesiologist assigned to a particular office if a DAA assignment changes.
• Troubleshoots any issues that arise for DAA staff in the field. Ensures handoff to the correct person/department if s/he is unable to resolve an issue.
• Partners with the Practice Manager in rolling out new processes and initiatives. Communicates any updates or changes to the DAA staff in his/her territory.

Dental Anesthesia Assistant

• Assists anesthesia providers in the field with clinical care pre, intra, and post-operatively. 
• Assists with patient positioning, starts and discontinues IVs, places and removes monitors, accurately measures vital signs ad notifies anesthesiologist of any abnormal ranges, and appropriate documents all activity in EMR.
• Transports anesthesia equipment and supplies to and from scheduled clinic sites when necessary. Assembles and breaks down all equipment. Comfortable conducting standard testing of equipment and troubleshooting. Notifies Practice Support Specialist of any equipment issues and documents in log, as appropriate.
• Coordinates equipment and supply box swaps with Practice Support Specialist or other key contact within the territory/state, at least 1 week prior to the date of service.
• Completes all documentation in chart accurately and timely, including documentation of post-op call backs.
• Performs daily controlled substance start/end counts and documents counts in Nexus in accordance with AAC policy. Adheres to AAC policies on wasting unused medications and documenting waste appropriately.
• Assists anesthesiologist with airway placement and demonstrates the knowledge of the need for airway intervention and risks for laryngospasm and bronchospasm.
• Remains with patient at all times in recovery. Fluent in criteria required to discharge patient from recovery.
• Completes facility checklists (new and existing clinics) and sees all follow-up items through to resolution. 
• Serves as a “site champion” on day-to-day operational issues include issues related to quality compliance and state regulations. Communicates any issues (real or perceived) to Practice Manager and Anesthesia Scheduling Coordinator.
• Performs emergency drills for dental offices.
• Conducts confirmation calls (if applicable) to offices to confirm number of patients, patient names, times, and door open/first case start times. 
• Reviews the schedule daily for changes. Reviews Microsoft Teams channels/chats and emails every scheduled workday.  Acknowledges and/or responds to emails and messages within one business day.

Qualifications

• Previous experience working as a dental anesthesia assistant.
• BLS, ACLS, PALS certification. If not certified, willing to become certified prior to first independent day in field (AAC will pay for course).
• IV training/certificate. If not certified, willing to become certified prior to first independent day in field (AAC will pay for course).
• Dental Anesthesia Assistant Certified (DAANCE).
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced clinical environment.
• Excellent communication skills for interacting with medical staff and operations teams.
• Understanding of clinical care processes and equipment handling.
• Ability to comply with quality standards and state regulations.
• Ability to stay calm in an emergency.
• Self-motivated and able to multitask while maintaining a safe work environment.
• Able to lift 60 pounds and stand for long periods.
• Willing to drive up to 90 miles (mileage reimbursement provided).
• Ability to thoroughly explain and understand the general anesthesia process and communicate it effectively to parents or guardians.

Benefits: AAC-PNW offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision benefits, vacation, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, and a 401(k) with company match.

Apply today for consideration! Your application will be reviewed, and you will receive a response from one of our team members within 24 hours of submission.

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