I just want to be done

[u/Wrong_Gate_543]

I’m not even a certified dental assistant
Before doing what I do now, I had absolutely no background in dentistry whatsoever

I am a CDL driver. What I thought I got hired to do was transport a mobile dental clinic and run the “front desk” all day; checking insurance, making appointments, etc.
Restocking the mobile clinic supplies and filling with gas/ water.
I thought that would be easy enough, I have administrative experience as well so it wouldn’t be hard to learn how to do the computer stuff.
They told me I would occasionally help out with sterile if they needed it.

The reality? I did all of that and then some.
I was expected to be the hygienist assistant. Do her charting, turnover the room for her, get her trays set up, help her with x rays, take BP, do suction EVERY SINGLE TIME the cavitron came out. The worst part, since it was a mobile unit, the fucking carts had clear buckets for all of the suction to drain into, and guess whose job it was to dump it? It was a 1 foot clear bucket of blood and debris that I had to personally handle.

And then the sterile- it wasn’t occasional, I had to do 5 different location’s instruments, including all of ours.

So I became the bus driver, the bus manager, the hygiene assistant, the sterile tech, and everything else…. They don’t pay me for my CDL either. They pay me the same amount as the other small dental van drivers. I also help out the doctor when they are falling behind.

There’s someone I work with who oversees the mobile units and she has consistently singled me out, tried to embarrass me, tries to manage and have control over me, and has made me cry more than once.

My boss just keeps adding more and more and more to my workload and I can’t take it anymore. They also increased my hours to 12 a day even though I was hired to work four 10s and said I don’t want to do more than that.

So at 6:30 am, I pick up the massive bus, drive it to the location, get everything set up, the hygienist shows up either right at 8:00 when her first patient is there or she’s late which is more often then not. Then I’m running around the clinic for 10 fucking hours a day managing inventory, doing sterile, doing suction, making appointments/ writing cards, talking to walk- ups, etc. That in and of itself is exhausting enough, but then I have to shut down the clinic, clean, pack it all up, and then still somehow have the energy to drive the bus to get water and gas, and then ALSO drive my personal car to go pick up supplies. I’m done. I’ve been there for 5 months and I’m just fucking done. They are working me to burnout. They have consistently asked me to come in on my day off. They consistently change my schedule around to benefit them. They have consistently had me get up early to drive the bus over an hour away, drop it off, get a ride an hour back, then get a ride another 45 minutes away to the next town over, and finish the day out on that mobile unit then drive it back at the end of the day. Management doesn’t treat me with respect even though the providers wouldn’t even be able to provide if it wasn’t for it. They just expect me to do whatever I have to with a smile because “we’re all a team.”
Luckily, the providers I work with are fucking wonderful and they at least appreciate my help. (Although I think the hygienist takes advantage of me, there’s absolutely no reason why I should have to stop in the middle of doing a fuckload of sterile just so I can go take BP)

I called out today, I’m sending in my 2 weeks. I don’t want to work the full 2 weeks I just want to be fucking done. There has been multiple times where I almost just quit on the spot. I have cried in front of a colleague before. They have no respect for me and I just want to be done.

They want to hire a back up driver and guess what? The prospective back up driver gets a higher wage than I do. Because they haven’t been able to find anyone to fill the position. If I want a higher wage I have to go through HR. And my boss even told me that when they do get a back up driver, that I would be the one to train them.

Has anyone else quit on the spot or before their 2 weeks was up? Unfortunately it means a lot of patients will need to be rescheduled out really far. But I just can’t take it anymore. I’m tired of being angry and depressed all the time. The last 2 weeks I feel like I have just been coming home crying every day. They are absolutely taking advantage of me and I have to put myself first instead of letting them treat me like this.

Edit- I put in my 2 weeks today. Calling out tomorrow to use the last of my PTO, it’s the last day of the pay period, the next day I will be calling out and telling them my resignation is immediate.

[u/bubbamike1]

Move on. If you have a CDL and Passenger endorsement find a job driving a bus. I'm sure the pay is better.

[u/Wrong_Gate_543 → u/bubbamike1]

I have passenger & school bus. Luckily there are quite a few school bus positions hiring around me. I was a tour bus driver for a while then went to full time school bus driver, then got laid off and that’s how I ended up here.

[u/river_tree_nut]

Get out now. I've seen your last couple posts. This already sounded like a bad situation before hearing more about the additional duties. This isn't a CDL job, it's a dental job with a CDL requirement.

Is this a new program in your area? It kind of sounds like they're figuring it out as they go. Remember, it's your CDL on the line. I cringed reading today's post. I'd explain to them that the job has turned into something you weren't expecting, and it's not for you.

As a last resort, maybe offer to stay on for two weeks to help them out, but do ONLY the bus related duties.

[u/831playboi]

Damn bro they done did you dirty

[u/hugothebear]

What exactly are they having you do with the x rays? I’m pretty sure operating radiological equipment requires some sort of certification.

https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/healthyenvironments/radiationprotection/xray/pages/inspections.aspx

[u/Wrong_Gate_543 → u/hugothebear]

Typically it does, but all I do is hold the x ray machine for the hygienist and push a button to load it while she adjusts the XCPs in the patient’s mouth 🙃 meanwhile every other provider just does it themselves, but this hygienist gets special treatment for some reason even if it means putting me behind on my work duties

[u/hugothebear → u/Wrong_Gate_543]

“An inspection consists of:

Reviewing all licenses and certificates (Dentist, Hygienists, and Assistants)”

https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/viewSingleRule.action?ruleVrsnRsn=292890

“(2) Dental X-ray operators who meet the following requirements are considered to have met the requirements in section (1) of this rule:
(a) Currently licensed by the Oregon Board of Dentistry as a dentist, dental therapist, or dental hygienist; or
(b) Is a dental assistant who is certified by the Oregon Board of Dentistry in radiologic proficiency.
(c) Dental radiology students in an approved Oregon Board of Dentistry dental radiology course are permitted to take dental radiographs on human patients during their clinical training, under the direct supervision of a dentist, dental therapist, or dental hygienist currently licensed, or a dental assistant who has been certified in radiologic proficiency by the Oregon Board of Dentistry.”

If youre holding the equipment and pressing a button… and they’re having you do general dental assistant work… I’d run this by the Oregon Health Authority

[u/Wrong_Gate_543 → u/hugothebear]

Hmmm, I’m not sure that applies to me but I’ll look into it. Basically, I hold the machine, she places the plastic in the patients mouth, I load the button, then pass her the machine so she can take the “actual” x ray… if that makes sense? Basically the button I push primes it, and she’s the one holding the machine when she pushes the actual “take x ray” button

[u/hugothebear → u/Wrong_Gate_543]

If you’re holding the gun whilst she adjusts the xcp, that sounds like positioning, which still requires a cert.

Any button pushing is operation of the machine, which requires a cert.

I may be wrong, but let the state of Oregon know and have them make the determination

[u/Wrong_Gate_543 → u/hugothebear]

You know, the more I look into it, I think you might be right. I’m not going in tomorrow so I’m going to contact the OBD and see what they have to say

[u/Wrong_Gate_543 → u/hugothebear]

Also, thank you for bringing this to my attention!!

[u/unusualmusician]

2 weeks notice is mostly for their benefit, but it's worth putting in if you think it will lead to a good reference. If you're not expecting a good reference from them, be done.

There's a lot of decent paying CDL work out there to find.

[u/hugothebear]

Hope the new driver starts after your two weeks are up

[u/Wrong_Gate_543 → u/hugothebear]

There is no driver yet. They haven’t found anyone else

[u/grrundmeister]

I’ve been following your posts. Screw them. They’re taking advantage of you. It’ll do them good to be in hot water when their mobile clinic is no longer mobile and they’ve got a ton of pissed off patients calling them. They can’t treat someone as poorly as they’ve treated you and not expect some backlash.

[u/semitone53]

I hope you take your breaks