Samantha Ferraro

Biology Student
1624 W Chestnut Street
Denton, Texas 76203

March 26, 2014

Jean Cagle
Clinic Director
Mission Arlington Dental Clinic
210 W South St
Arlington, TX 76010

Dear Ms. Cagle,

Attached is a request to create a manual for new workers in the clinic. The plan covers the
positions of chair side assistant as well as front desk worker.

I studied and researched requirements for these positions as well as other tasks to help the clinic
run more smoothly overall. Based on this information, I have come up with a list of job
responsibilities in these areas. For the safety of everyone in the dental clinic, volunteers and staff
workers must abide by these rules at all times.

If you have any questions, please call me at (817) 777-7777 or email me at
SamanthaFerraro@my.unt.edu.

Sincerely,




Samantha Ferraro
Biology Student












Proposal to implement an official instruction manual for various
positions within the Mission Arlington Dental Clinic
By: Samantha Ferraro


Summary
The Mission Arlington Dental Clinic offers free dental service to low income individuals and
families in the Tarrant County area. The Clinic operates mainly consists of regular volunteers as
well as new volunteers occasionally. With inconsistent staff members, a set job description is
needed to keep the clinic more professional and avoid confusion or accidents in the work place.
In the event of acquiring a new volunteer, time may be wasted in figuring out where they are
needed or uncertainty in how they can help. To avoid this and to keep the clinic moving as
efficiently and safely as possible, an instruction manual on specific processes for various job
duties should be established. Included in the manual would be procedure for opening and
closing the clinic and working front desk.

The Problems
Risk of injury, failure to properly sanitize and handle dental equipment, and communication with
patients are possible problems that may arise without a set of rules for volunteers and employees
to follow. Inefficiency in these areas can cause the clinic to run slower which means fewer
patients getting checked out by the dentists and prolonged time in the waiting room. If any
dental instruments fail to be properly cleaned, there is possibility of spreading infection between
both patients and workers.

1. Many dental instruments can be sharp which makes them dangerous. If someone
mishandles the equipment by picking up these instruments incorrectly or handing them to
the dentist on the incorrect side, either the assistant or dentist may get pierced by a sharp
instrument. This can cause concern for many problems such as the spread of diseases.
We take care of all patients, no matter what their other health issues may be, and if a
patients blood were to get on some of our equipment (small amounts of blood are normal
in a dental appointment) and then puncture another person, aids or other diseases in the
blood may be spread.
2. This also brings up the issue of proper sanitation. Not all equipment is disposable so
those that have been used, fallen, or become unclean in any way must be properly
washed. Failure to correctly clean dirty equipment may lead to the spread of sickness
and/or infection.
3. Patient relationships are very important to the Mission Arlington Dental Clinic. We hope
to build relationships with our patients on a worldly and spiritual level. We require
patients to be treated with fairness and respect no matter their appearance or background.
Only in rare cases are patients turned away from our services, but this is only in extreme
cases and only to be done after a meeting with clinic director, Jean Cagle.

Proposed Solution
We want the Mission Arlington Dental clinic to keep its good reputation and for our patients to
trust us. Many steps need to be taken in order to open and close the clinic to ensure nothing is
left unclean, broken, or unaccounted for.

1. Step-by-step handling and sanitation instruction section in the manual. This will clearly
list simple directions to ensure the safety of the patients, assistants, and dentists.
2. Patient interaction:
a. When a patient enters the office, they should be greeted and asked to sign in.
i. Sign in sheet will be at the front desk and new patients must fill out a
general information form to the best of their ability.
b. Patients should be addressed by their proper title (Mr., Ms., Miss, ect.) and name
unless requested otherwise.
c. In many cases patients are in some kind of pain or discomfort and will request
medicine. In this case all we can offer them is a glass of water and a seat in the
waiting room.
d. If there are many complaints toward one person, speak to that person privately
and kindly. If the problem persists see clinic director before taking any other
action.
3. A set of different tasks required for opening and closing the clinic will be split up among
the different jobs to make the process go by quicker and to make sure nothing will be
missed.

Qualifications
My father runs his own professional dental practice and I have been around that setting all my
life. I have worked there during and after hours so my knowledge of what goes into running and
maintaining a dental office is very in depth. I have also volunteered for 2 years in the Mission
Arlington Dental Clinic as both a chair-side assistant and to bring in the patients.
I am experienced in working in the following areas:
Chair side assistant
Front desk
Maintenance

Budget
On my own time, Ill make copy on a dell computer and duplicate copies can be made in the
Mission Arlington central office. The paper will be bought from OfficeMax for $25.99, and
overall one manual will have approximately 15 pages and will cost $27.79.

Conclusion
To ensure the safety and reputation of the Mission Arlington Dental Clinic, this manual should
be seriously considered to avoid any future safety hazards. The goal of this proposal is to
provide an aid to future and current employees and volunteers which will benefit management,
patients, and the reputation of the clinic as a whole.