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What Lessons Can We Learn from the Recent Flu?
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 Dentistry in the News |
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Contact Us
RDH
Temps, Inc.
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P.O. Box
2056
Dennis, Massachusetts 02638
1-800-462-8367
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| RDH Temps Calendar
of Events |
Learn how RDH Temps is becoming
more f l e x i b l e.
RI Dental Meeting
RI Convention Center
May 27, 2009
Watch this space for new info each month!
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Annual
OSHA Training-
Are You
in Compliance?
OSHA requires all dental personnel to complete Hazard Communication, Blood borne Pathogens and General Safety Training every year.
Employees of RDH Temps, Inc. can get OSHA training online, 24/7 from any internet enabled computer. Employees of RDH Temps, Inc. can earn continuing education credits while complying with the workplace safety federal laws.
Email RDH Temps to Register or call us now. 800-462-8367
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Greetings!
Memorial Day Weekend is upon us; the unofficial start of summer! Planting,
parades, barbecues and remembrance fill our days. Summer fun is not far behind.
Recently the news has been filled with not so fun stories about the H1N1 Flu (previously referred to as the Swine Flu). While the prevalence seems to have
peaked it is not the time to become complacent about our understanding of communicable diseases and the ways to protect ourselves and our patients from
disease.
With these thoughts in mind, this month's RDH Temps eNews takes a
look at OSHA Regulations and CDC Guidelines
as they relate to dentistry. We hope you will
review this information and update your own training and immunizations as needed. As always, please forward any and all training certificates and
immunization records for your file.
If you are in the Greater Boston area and seeking to update your immunizations, we may be able to
arrange a health screening to include necessary immunizations and/or blood titer confirmation of antibodies at no cost to you if you meet the qualifications
of one of our facilities. Please contact RDH Temps main office staff for more information.
Also, The discount on our OSHA (Bloodborne Pathogens) course has been extended through June 15th. Complete all other necessary requirements to receive a $10.00 discount on
our online course. See the full details below.
RDH Temps Calendar of Events is approaching summer mode! We have truly enjoyed meeting so many
of you at meetings this spring. Be sure to watch for additional dates when September approaches. In the meantime enjoy the
Summer!!!
On the other hand, Summer is typically the busiest time of year for
temping. With that in mind, as well as recent increases in demand from our dental facilities, we have lifted the hiring freeze for the month of
May. Moving forward we will continue to evaluate our ongoing needs for staff in all geographic areas we serve.
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| What Lessons Can We Learn? |
The recent H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak can offer valuable lessons -
if we take the time to listen.
The recent flu outbreak is a reminder of how important proper infection control procedures are for keeping dental professionals and their patients safe. When we mention infection control often the first thought
is "cleaning the room" or sterilizing instruments. Infection control has many aspects which must be
considered.
OSHA and the CDC
OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) is a division of the US
Department of Labor. OSHA's mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. Since the agency was created in 1971, occupational deaths have been
cut by 62% and injuries have declined by 42%. Dentistry is but one of the thousands of industries that must comply with OSHA Guidelines.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is one of the major operating components of the
Department of Health and Human Services. Many of the guidelines regarding workplace safety as it relates to disease transmission and prevention are developed by
the CDC and enforced by OSHA.
In dentistry the term "OSHA" has become the catch all word used in place of more accurate terminology such as
Occupational Safety, Bloodborne Pathogens and Standard Precautions as well as their related education and training. The CDC Guidelines for Dental Settings provides a wealth of
valuable information we should all be aware of and strive to meet.
Relevant excerpts are as follows:
Education and Training
- DHCP (Dental Health Care Personnel) subject to occupational exposure should receive infection-control
training on initial assignment, when new tasks or procedures affect their occupational exposure, and at a minimum, annually.
- Education and training should be appropriate to the assigned duties of specific DHCP (e.g., techniques to prevent
cross-contamination or instrument sterilization).
Immunization Programs
- DHCP are at risk for exposure to, and possible infection with, infectious organisms. Immunizations substantially
reduce both the number of DHCP susceptible to these diseases and the potential for disease transmission to other DHCP and patients. Thus, immunizations
are an essential part of prevention and infection-control programs for DHCP, and a comprehensive immunization policy should be implemented for all dental
health-care facilities.
- On the basis of documented health-care--associated transmission, DHCP are considered to be at
substantial risk for acquiring or transmitting hepatitis B, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chicken pox). All of these diseases are
vaccine-preventable.
- DHCP who have contact with patients can also be exposed to persons with infectious TB, and
should have a baseline tuberculin skin test (TST), preferably by using a two-step test, at the beginning of employment.
Presently many of the facilities requesting staff from RDH Temps require that staff sent to work in their facility be
current with annual Infection Control Training and Immunizations. While this may seem to be an annoyance the recent flu outbreak can offer everyone the opportunity
to review and understand the importance of such requirements.
Why not take the time now to update your own OSHA Training and Immunizations? As health
care workers we must lead by example.
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| Get to Know Katherine! |
Katherine joined RDH Temps in August of 2008.
Originally from Springfield, KY, Katherine moved to Boston in 2000. She worked as a dental assistant in a large dental practice prior to moving to Cape Cod in
2007.
Katherine is a Personnel Coordinator at RDH Temps main office assisting facilities and staff with their temporary
employment needs. She is also one of our Area Representatives visiting dental offices on Cape Cod and the South Shore.
In her spare time Katherine enjoys taking long walks on the beach and spending time with her fiance,
Brian. They are busy planning an October wedding.
The next time you have an opportunity to speak with Katherine be sure to tell her you enjoyed getting to know
her!
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| Screening Your Calls? Missing Out on
Work? |
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Have you missed an opportunity for work by screening your
calls? Recently several people have told us they did not answer a call from RDH Temps as they did not recognize the number or the call was private. In some cases the job was filled by the time the person received
our message and returned the call.
Many of the phone lines used to dial out from RDH Temps
main office or off-site locations are not incoming lines. Some will show as Private, particularly on weekends when the covering person may be making calls
from their home phone.
Jobs book quickly! Don't miss out on an opportunity to work by missing
the call. When calling RDH Temps, please use our main number, 800-462-8367, as opposed to dialing a number on Caller ID.
Remember to consider following RDH Temps on Twitter to be notified quickly of many of our available
jobs!
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| We Tweet - Do
you? |
 "Tweet, tweet, tweet" has a whole new meaning! Tweets are the short updates sent by millions of people each day using Twitter. Twitter is a
service to communicate in real time answering one simple question: What are you doing?
Add RDHTemps to the people you follow on Twitter. We will be
using Twitter to get the word out quickly about last minute jobs. We may also use tweets to notify our followers about other jobs available.
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| The Winners
Are........... |
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Recent winners of either a Flexible Keyboard or a Starbucks Gift Card are:
Dr. Paul Matrullo, Cranston, RI
Amy L. of RI
Debbi C. of MA
Each attended a recent meeting and visited the RDH Temps exhibit booth. Congratulations to all.
Watch for your winning prize in the mail soon, if you have not yet received it!
Winners from the CT and NH Dental Meetings as well as the remaining RI Meeting on May 27th will be announced next
month.
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| Find RDH Temps on
Facebook! |
Check out RDH Temps on Facebook! 
RDH Temps is excited to announce that we have created a Facebook Page. If you are
already on Facebook you know how much fun it can be. If you are not registered at Facebook, check it out. There are lots of fun things
happening.
We would love to have you become a fan of RDH Temps on Facebook! Just click the 'Become a Fan' link on our
Facebook Page.
Facebook recently made changes which resulted in RDH Temps page being much more like your personal Facebook Account - check it
out!
In the months ahead we plan to update the page with news and events of interest to our dental offices and dental
staff. If there is something you would like to see posted, please let us know!
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| Tell a
Friend |
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If you enjoy RDH Temps eNews,
the best compliment you can give us is to recommend it to a friend. We would appreciate it.
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RDH Temps is the premier dental staffing agency in New England. We continue to place
temporary and permanent dental hygienists, dental assistants, dentists and administrative staff. Our continually
expanding staffing requests include more dentist positions than ever before.
Flexible Rates are very successful!
With 30 years of experience, exclusively in the dental field, RDH Temps is your best choice for ALL dental staffing and
employment needs.
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$10 Discount on OSHA Course!
~Offer Extended through June 15, 2009~
Complete all other ACE
Requirements between now and June 15, 2009 and you will be eligible to take RDH Temps Online OSHA Course at $10 of the regular registration
fee.
A.C.E.
Jackpot
· Work at the most facilities (some offices now require this
documentation)
· RECEIVE $25 after the first time you work for RDH Temps, Inc., once approved^
· RECEIVE $25 annually when you renew your ACE status^
· RECEIVE additional $10 for submitting current CPR certification^
· RECEIVE additional $10 for submitting current CDA certification^
· RECEIVE additional $10 for submitting current Anesthesia Permit^
^Amounts paid are considered reimbursement for expenses incurred while obtaining this
documentation
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