Dental Assistant

Dental Assistant (fluent in Spanish is required)

Location: Winters, CA (primary), with occasional fill-in at our Esparto facility. 

Expected Hire Date: April 1, 2026

Hourly Rate:  $26.25 - $30.00/ hour plus full health insurance benefits* 

Hours per week: 32 (must complete 8 weeks at 40 hours per week for Foundational Onboarding Period, prior to becoming eligible for 4 Day Work Week) 

Effective July 1, 2025 - June 21, 2026, Winters Healthcare is piloting a 4-Day Work Week. During this pilot, full-time employment is defined as 32 hours per week, with compensation equivalent to a 40-hour workweek. 

*Foundational Onboarding Period
All newly hired employees are expected to complete an 8-week (320-hour) Foundational Onboarding Period at 40 hours per week. This period is designed to support training, integration, and success in the role.

• During onboarding, employees are paid at their standard hourly rate ($21-$25/hour) for 40 hours worked. 


• Upon successful completion of the onboarding period, employees transition to the 32-hour workweek and receive compensation equivalent to 40 hours per week, in alignment with the 4DWW pilot structure.

If you are reading about this position on Indeed, please go to our Careers website for full consideration of your application: https://wintershealth.bamboohr.com/careers/135?source=aWQ9MTc%3D 

Please Note: 

• The Dental Assistant MUST have infection control certification, and we prefer x-ray certification as well.


• This position will primarily be at our Winters location, with occasional fill-in at our Esparto location. 

We are on the lookout for a motivated, engaged, and community oriented RDA! As an RDA, you will be responsible for making each patient as comfortable as possible, learning about their dental history, charting notes, taking digital and panoramic X-rays, setting up procedure trays, and providing chairside assistance.  In addition to direct patient care, you will follow all OSHA and blood-borne pathogen safety standards to ensure the utmost safety for yourself, your peers, and the patients we serve. You will perform lab duties including making casts of the teeth and mouth from impressions taken.

The ideal candidate is a quick learner, engaged in patient care, and bilingual in English and Spanish. The ideal candidate enjoys working with people, making connections, and building relationships; strong communication skills are a must, – listening included – and the ability to establish effective, trusting relationships, and passion to provide exceptional care to the patients of Winters Healthcare. Can you see yourself here? We hope so!

Responsibilities:

• Communicate, collaborate and work in a team-oriented environment supporting our model of care


• Greet patients, take medical/dental history, x-rays, assist chairside, sterilize instruments, rooms and equipment, setup dental procedure trays, coronal polishing, infection control, exceptional customer service, team-work and collaboration, make casts for teeth and perform other lab duties.

Qualifications:

• Bilingual fluency in English/Spanish is required (ability to read, write, and speak)


• Dental Assistant with current x-ray, infection control and coronal polishing certifications preferred 


• Significant background providing outstanding customer service


• Strong computer skills; knowledge of Ochin Epic and Dexis is preferred.

Working Hours:

• This position is 32 hours per week* following Foundational Onboarding Period of 8 weeks (or 320 hours, whichever comes later);


• A minimum of one evening per week (11 am – 8 pm) is required. Additional and/or occasional evenings may be required as business needs dictate.
  

Winters Healthcare is piloting a 4-Day Work Week. During this pilot, full-time employment is defined as 32 hours per week, with compensation equivalent to a 40-hour workweek. We are currently evaluating the continuation of the 4DWW pilot for an additional six-month period.

Foundational Onboarding Period
All newly hired employees are expected to complete an 8-week (320-hour) Foundational Onboarding Period at 40 hours per week. This period is designed to support training, integration, and success in the role.

• During onboarding, employees are paid at their standard hourly rate for 40 hours worked.


• Upon successful completion of the onboarding period, employees transition to the 32-hour workweek and receive compensation equivalent to 40 hours per week, in alignment with the 4DWW pilot structure.

Compensation and Benefits:

• As of July 1, 2025 Winters Healthcare is operating under a 4 Day Work Week pilot. Current hourly rate range for a DA under the 4DWW pilot is $26.25 - $30.00, and is determined on experience and qualifications. This amount is offered after the successful completion of the Foundational Onboarding Period. Hourly rate for onboarding period is $21 - $25/ hour DOE. 


• Covered insurances include medical, dental, vision, supplemental long-term disability, life insurance/ AD&D, and employee assistance program all 95% sponsored for employee, and 70% sponsored for dependents


• Paid time off : 45 Wellness days per equivalent year, 9 paid Holidays off, additional 2 weeks of PTO (based on years of service, hours worked, and 4DWW hours), plus 8 hours of CEU. (~60+ days off)


• 401K retirement match at 3%, and a Flexible Spending Account (FSA)


• Continuing Education Unit (CEU) Reimbursement: RDA License Reimbursement, $300 CEU Funds, & 8 hours of paid time off for CEU for RDA.


• We provide a $350 scrub allowance upon hire, and $200 scrubs allowance each year after the first.

We are big on fit, and while we will assess that fit, we understand that you are doing the same. In your brief cover letter, let us what your interests are and let’s collaborate together to do great things for our patients and our community! 

See the full job description below: 

Dental Assistant

Reports to:         Dental Department Manager

FLSA Status:       Nonexempt, hourly

Summary of Duties:

The Dental Assistant (DA) works within a model of team based care as part of the dental care team and cares for patients and supports the team by performing a variety of patient care, office and laboratory duties.  Key among these are making patients as comfortable as possible, building a connection and a relationship with the patient, preparing them for treatment, and obtaining dental records. The DA is responsible for providing chair side dental assistance to the dental provider, within scope of DA certification.  Other functions include sterilization of instruments and equipment and prepping trays for dental procedures. 

Essential Functions:

• Follow all strict and necessary OSHA and state dental sterilization and safety procedures and regulations


• Ensure all dental instruments, exam rooms, lab equipment, and dental areas are clean and sterilized. 


• Safely collect, transport, clean, and sterilize dental instruments, following sterilization procedures


• Maintain instruments and sterilization equipment in accordance with manufacturer guidelines


• Ensure sufficient inventory of clean and sanitized instruments are available during each shift. 


• Prepare tray setups for dental procedures and restock supplies where necessary


• Assist dental team in cleaning, sanitizing, and setting up rooms and trays between patients. 


• Proper sterilization and/or disposal of potential infection sources. 


• Support the Winters Healthcare Dental Department in maintaining a strict adherence to specific cleanliness guidelines in order to prevent infections and promote sterilization 


• With appropriate experience and/or training, provide chair-side dental assistance to the dental provider; 


• Participate in continuing education, staff development training, and attend staff meetings.


• Support quality improvement efforts, and participate in related activities as required.


• Assist front office with reception duties (e.g. register patients, schedule appointments, receive payments.


• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements

Education, Certification/licensure and Work Experience

• High school diploma or equivalent


• A desire to advance in the dental field is a plus!


• Current infection control certification, and CPR certification


• Experience providing exceptional customer service

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Spanish fluency (speak, read, and write)

• Knowledge of OSHA, bloodborne pathogens, and general safety procedures.


• Ability to be flexible and shift gears quickly to assist other dental assistants and providers in patient care


• Well-organized and detail-oriented with the ability to establish and maintain working relationships with patients, employees and the public


• Requires effective oral and written communication skills, excellent interpersonal skills, and computer literacy.


• Experience operating standard office equipment

• Ability and comfort in building relationships with coworkers and patients


• Demonstrated team experience and proven successes in the implementation of team goals


• Significant background providing outstanding customer service


• A passion and dedication for serving the healthcare needs of our clients


• Knowledge of Dexis, OCHIN Epic, and Microsoft software applications


• Previous experience with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), low-income or medically underserved populations preferred

Other Requirements:

• Authorization and consent for Winters Healthcare to investigate candidate’s background with a consumer report for employment purposes, to evaluate candidate/employee for employment, promotion, reassignment, or retention as an employee

Operating hours:

• Monday, Tuesday and Thursday: 8:00 am – 8:00pm; Wednesday and Friday: 8:00 am – 5:00pm.

Working Hours:

• This position is full-time at 32 hours per week, one to two evenings per week. Note: First 8 weeks will require 40 hours/week for Foundational Onboarding Period. 

Physical Demands:
While performing the duties and tasks of this job, Employee is regularly required to stand; walk; work on irregular surfaces;  reach with hands and arms; use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee is occasionally required to sit and stoop, kneel, crouch, bend, squat, twist, or crawl. This job requires physical effort and the ability to place or retrieve items below waist level may be required.

The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision and depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.  Employee occasionally may be required to transfer patients to/from a wheelchair. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by Employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Environmental/ Working Conditions:

The environment is a standard dental office environment.  Regular office hours are Monday through Friday. Occasionally, evenings, weekends and overtime may be required.  Office hours may be changed as business needs dictate.  The working environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

While performing the duties of this job, the Employee is occasionally exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals, required to work near moving mechanical parts and sharp instruments, and may be at risk of electrical shock. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.