Certified Dental Assistant - BC Cancer Kelowna

Certified Dental Assistant

BC Cancer

Kelowna, BC

You’re a dental professional who enjoys working in a team environment, and supporting trusted connections with colleagues and patients alike. You are attentive to details, and take pride in helping to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for everyone. Kindness, compassion and care are part of who you are, and you are seeking a work environment where you are valued and appreciated.

Perfect for a Certified Dental Assistant looking to maintain skills through casual shifts, you’ll enjoy learning on the job working with patients requiring dental care as part of their cancer journey. CDA Susanna Chow shares: “Oral Oncology is a unique dental department which treats head and neck cancer patients and some of other cancer patients. Our role is to assist dentists to provide dental care for before, during and after cancer treatment, along with oral hygiene information for maintaining good oral health.”

If you thrive on innovation, collaboration, and making a difference every day, this is your next role. to learn more about BC Cancer’s current initiatives.

What you’ll do

The Certified Dental Assistant is part of the dental team at the BC Cancer – Kelowna regional centre, and supports patients receiving chemotherapy or other cancer treatments to help improve and maintain oral hygiene in order to reduce the risk and severity of oral complications. This position participates in clinic operations functions and direct patient care. Usual tasks include:

• Participate in management of patients with medical compromise and with possible exposure to medical risk; perform all chair-side duties and coordinate booking for the dental clinic and OR procedures. Assist the Senior Certified Dental Assistant with screening of patients and assessment of dental needs to set priorities for dental visits; schedule appointments; contact patients and arrange appointments in the dental clinic.
• Communicate with medical and dental staff in the Agency and in the community as necessary to adjust appointment schedules, while ensuring that patient care is not jeopardized.
• Perform all the chair-side duties of a dental assistant and maintains infection control. Make impressions, deliver fluoride carriers to patients; instruct patients in oral care; perform such other duties from time to time as permitted by the legislation of the College of Dental Surgeons of BC for a certified dental assistant. Assist with OR procedures.
• Ensure patient charts are requested for patient appointments; check patient chart and treatment plan for completeness, file treatment plans alphabetically.
• Maintain a double entry system on content of file; log all work; box and file study models; file photographs, dictation, reports, letters and laboratory reports.

What you bring

Qualifications

• Grade 12 graduation.
• Graduation from recognized Certified Dental Assistant Course
• Current registration with the British Columba College of Oral Health Professionals (BCCOHP).
• 1 year of related experience, preferably in a hospital setting; or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the historic and ongoing impacts of settler colonialism and systemic racism on Indigenous Peoples within social and health contexts. This includes understanding how these factors contribute to current health disparities and barriers to care. Show a clear commitment to identifying, challenging, and eradicating Indigenous-specific racism and all forms of discrimination impacting equity-deserving groups within healthcare settings. This involves recognizing personal biases, institutional barriers, engaging in anti-racism education and training and advocating for systemic change.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of legislative obligations and provincial commitments within BC Cancer contexts found in the foundational documents including Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study, BC Human Rights Code, Anti-racism Data Act and how they intersect across the health care system.

Core Competencies

• Brings an understanding of the Indigenous specific racism and the broader systemic racism that exists in the colonial health care structure, and has demonstrated leadership in breaking down barriers and ensuring an environment of belonging. Embed Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility into all aspects of work. This means creating an environment where Indigenous patients feel respected, valued, and understood. Foster trust through respectful communication, active listening, and honoring equity-deserving people's perspectives on health and wellness. Commit to ongoing education and training on Indigenous health issues, cultural safety, and DEI principles. Participate in workshops, cultural immersion experiences, and continuous professional development to stay informed and responsive to equity-deserving groups. Provide patient-centred care that respects Indigenous ways of knowing and healing, respects BIPOC experiences and world views ensuring that care plans are culturally relevant and holistic.
• Knowledge of social, economic, political and historical realities of settler colonialism on Indigenous Peoples and familiarity with addressing Indigenous-specific anti-racism, anti-racism and Indigenous Cultural Safety and foundational documents and legislative commitments (The Declaration Act, the Declaration Action Plan, TRC, IPS, Remembering Keegan, etc.).

Skills & Knowledge

• A demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and work well with patients and staff.
• Demonstrates a commitment to beginning and continuing their personal learning journey related to Indigenous-specific racism and dismantling systems of oppression, as well as addressing racism more broadly. Shows willingness to articulate and share their learning experiences to contribute to a culture of motivation and inspiration among peers.
• Demonstrates foundational knowledge of the social, economic, and political realities of settler-colonialism and its impacts on Indigenous peoples and equity-deserving groups within social and health contexts. Understands the impact of social determinants of health-on-health outcomes. Shows a commitment to learning about and upholding legislative obligations and provincial commitments outlined in foundational documents such as the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan, Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study, the BC Human Rights Code, Anti-Racism Data Act, and the Distinctions Based Approach.

What we bring

Every PHSA employee enables the best possible patient care for our patients and their families. Whether you are providing direct care, conducting research, or making it possible for others to do their work, you impact the lives of British Columbians today and in the future. That’s why we’re focused on your care too – offering health, wellness, development programs to support you – at work and at home.

• Join one of BC’s largest employers with province-wide programs, services and operations – offering vast opportunities for growth, development, and recognition programs that honour the commitment and contribution of all employees.
• Access to professional development opportunities through our in-house training programs, including +2,000 courses, such as our San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training course, or Core Linx for Leadership roles.
• Access to WorkPerks, a premium discount program offering a wide range of local and national discounts on electronics, entertainment, dining, travel, wellness, apparel, and more.

What we do

provides comprehensive cancer control for the people of British Columbia. BC Cancer is part of the Provincial Health Care Authority (PHSA).

plans, manages and evaluates specialized health services with the BC health authorities to provide equitable and cost-effective health care for people throughout the province. Our values reflect our commitment to excellence and include: Respect people – Be compassionate – Dare to innovate – Create equity – Be courageous.

Learn more about PHSA and our programs:

BC Cancer and PHSA are committed to anti-racism and equity in our hiring and employment practices. With learning and compassion, we are addressing existing inequities and barriers throughout our systems. PHSA is seeking to create a diverse workforce and to establish an inclusive and culturally safe environment. We invite applications and enquiries from all people, particularly those belonging to the historically, systemically, and/or persistently excluded groups identified under the Human Rights Code.

One of PHSA’s North Star priorities is to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism, which includes ongoing commitments to Indigenous recruitment and employee experience as well as dismantling barriers to health care employment at every level. We welcome Indigenous individuals to apply and/or contact the Sanya’k̓ula Team (Indigenous Recruitment & Employee Experience) for support at .

Indigenous-specific anti-racism initiatives are rooted in addressing the unique forms of discrimination, historical and ongoing injustices, and exclusion faced by Indigenous peoples. These initiatives align with an Indigenous rights-based approach, recognizing the inherent rights and title of BC First Nations and self-determination of all First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. PHSA is mandated to uphold legislative obligations and provincial commitments found in the foundational documents including the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study.