Dental Receptionist

Dental receptionists greet people at a dentist's office, assist clients, schedule appointments and perform other administrative tasks.

NOC Code: 1414

Job Duties

Dental receptionists greet people at a dentist's office, assist clients, schedule appointments and perform other administrative tasks. You may work for a dentist's office or for a dental distribution or manufacturing company. You may also be called an admitting clerk, appointment clerk or information desk clerk.

Generally, dental receptionists:

  • Greet people as they come into the office.
  • Answer clients' questions.
  • Schedule appointments.
  • Take and process payments.
  • Perform administrative tasks (answer the phone, take messages, contact clients, file records, basic accounting, and more).

Source: HRSDC

Job Requirements

Education

This job requires: High School

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobLevel of Education Required
Dental Laboratory Bench WorkerHigh School
Dental AssistantHigh School
Dental ReceptionistHigh School
Technical Sales SpecialistCollege or University

Experience

This job requires 0 - 2 years of work experience.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobYears of Work Experience Required
Dental Laboratory Bench Worker0 - 2
Dental Assistant0 - 2
Dental Receptionist0 - 2
Technical Sales Specialist2 - 5

Source: HRSDC

Essential Skills

As a dental receptionist, you need to:

  • Speak, write and read English.
  • Read forms, office supply catalogs and other documents.
  • Have fast, accurate data entry skills.
  • Use word processing, spreadsheet, scheduling and tracking software.
  • Have good interpersonal and organizational skills.
  • Work well with other people and on your own.

Source: Ontario Skills Passport

Language Skills

You need to communicate in person, on the phone and in writing with clients, other visitors, the dentist and other staff. You also need to write down phone messages and write letters or other documents.

Labour Market Information

Trends

Receptionist positions are usually considered entry-level jobs. Job opportunities for dental receptionists will increase as workers retire or change jobs. You need good computer skills because you do most of your work on a computer.

Prospects

The work prospects for this job are: FAIR

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobWork Prospects
Dental Laboratory Bench WorkerLimited
Dental AssistantFair
Dental ReceptionistFair
Technical Sales SpecialistFair

Source: HRSDC

Wages

The average hourly wage for this job is: C$15.38/hour.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobAverage Wage/Hour
Dental Laboratory Bench Worker$23.00
Dental Assistant$19.00
Dental Receptionist$15.38
Technical Sales Specialist$25.00

Source: HRSDC

Retraining

Educational Programs

These links will give you a list of related educational programs or where you can search for them. There may be other schools that have similar programs, such as private career colleges. You may be able to get advanced standing.

Bridging Programs

Here is a list of some bridging programs. These programs can help you assess your education and skills, get practical training or improve your language skills so that you can work in your field.

Language Training

Here is a list of some language training programs, such as Enhanced Language Training (ELT) and Occupation Specific Language Training (OSLT).

Work Experience Programs

Many college programs and bridging programs in this field include co-operative (co-op) work experience.

Voluntary Membership Opportunities

 

Helpful Links

The data in this profile is provided for informational purposes only. Some of the information may have changed since this profile was written. Please check the source for the most up-to-date information.