黑料不打烊

From Dental Assisting student to Dental Assistant

carrington dental assisting studentMaritza Estrada was recently featured in one of our Student Spotlight blogs; she stood out for her dedication to her studies, her positive attitude, and her commitment to helping fellow students and mentees. We now follow up with Maritza, who is enjoying her first job. Maritza Estrada began her first job the day after passing her Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam; she was ready.

鈥淪he took her exam on a Friday morning and started her job on Saturday,鈥 explains Sasha Czyzewski, her instructor. 鈥淥nce you have that certification, you can practice taking x-rays on an actual patient.鈥

Maritza was one of the nine cohorts who prepared, studied, and passed the exam together鈥攁 milestone that can significantly boost their chances of finding employment. Maritza鈥檚 employer鈥擱isas Dental and Braces鈥攈ad been eager to hire her since she had done her externship with them; she was offered the job before her exam. She is excited to now be part of their team as an Orthodontic and Dental Assistant, gaining valuable experience every day. 鈥淢ost of the time I work in general practice, so we handle children and adults,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e do cleanings, fillings, extractions, and root canals. Other times I work as an orthodontic assistant, doing braces. Right now, I do adjustments on patients. My coworkers who are more experienced do starts (people getting braces for the first time).鈥 Her favorite part of her job so far?

鈥淚 really enjoy meeting new people,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 get to meet all sorts, from all professions, and hear so many different points of view. It鈥檚 interesting to get to know them, to build a rapport with your patients.鈥

Working in the dental field in the time of COVID-19 means more precautions, of course. 鈥淲e take precautions to protect patients from exposure to each other,鈥 Maritza explains. 鈥淲alk-in or early patients wait in their cars; we don鈥檛 let a lot of people into the lobby鈥攎aybe three patients at a time. The PPE for us is mostly the same as it had been before COVID, but we wear two or three masks instead of just the regular one. We aren鈥檛 allowed to take them off鈥攏ot even in the lab or the back. We can only take it off when we are eating in the break room, and when we do, we take off lab coats or PPE so we don鈥檛 transfer anything from PPE to our breakroom.鈥 During her fourth term at 黑料不打烊, while still learning virtually, Maritza herself had COVID-19; despite that challenge, she was able to turn her work in on time and not miss a beat. She chose to keep her illness private until she was fully recovered and medically cleared to go back to school.

鈥淚 was well enough to go to school, and I didn鈥檛 want special treatment,鈥 she explained. 鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 want to fall behind.鈥

Maritza showed integrity, compassion, and kindness as a student, and was dedicated to helping her fellow classmates, mentees, and instructors. We know she will do the same in her career, providing the best possible care to her patients and to those who work with her. Congratulations, Maritza, on your new job!

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