Career Day - 2019
May 2nd, 2019
For this year's Career Day, I shadowed at my internship site, which is a private dental practice called Solana Beach Family Dentist. I arrived on site at approximately 9:50 a.m. and got a general tour of the area from Dr. Anu Rajasekaran, my internship mentor. I walked through the waiting room, around the front office, and through the operatory rooms. I got to see the small lab where the dentures are cast, tools are stored, and chemicals are kept. I was informed that because I was in high school, I would be mostly working in the front office for the duration of my internship. I came to know that the staff got there at around 10:00 a.m. and left at 5:00 p.m., sometimes at 6:00, depending on how many patients had appointments. After the tour, I returned to the front office, where the receptionist, Ms. Chantelle Hume, guided me around the software that the practice used to keep track of appointments, the filing cabinets that held patient information, and proper telephone etiquette.
For a while, I watched as Ms. Hume received emails from patients and took note of them on the digital spreadsheet. There were no patients that day, as the only one who had an appointment then cancelled last-minute due to illness. Nevertheless, I found it a very educational experience. I had my internship contract reviewed by the site manager, Ms. Lydia Mullaly. Upon doing so, she informed me that since I was looking to intern there, I would have to complete a HIPAA compliancy and certification course, which I am currently doing. HIPAA stands for Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and is a healthcare legislation that protects the privacy and security of patients' health information. When I become HIPAA-compliant, that means I agree to protect the privacy of any sensitive patient information. I enjoyed learning how a dental practice works behind the scenes, and what I would be doing over the four weeks of internship.
For this year's Career Day, I shadowed at my internship site, which is a private dental practice called Solana Beach Family Dentist. I arrived on site at approximately 9:50 a.m. and got a general tour of the area from Dr. Anu Rajasekaran, my internship mentor. I walked through the waiting room, around the front office, and through the operatory rooms. I got to see the small lab where the dentures are cast, tools are stored, and chemicals are kept. I was informed that because I was in high school, I would be mostly working in the front office for the duration of my internship. I came to know that the staff got there at around 10:00 a.m. and left at 5:00 p.m., sometimes at 6:00, depending on how many patients had appointments. After the tour, I returned to the front office, where the receptionist, Ms. Chantelle Hume, guided me around the software that the practice used to keep track of appointments, the filing cabinets that held patient information, and proper telephone etiquette.
For a while, I watched as Ms. Hume received emails from patients and took note of them on the digital spreadsheet. There were no patients that day, as the only one who had an appointment then cancelled last-minute due to illness. Nevertheless, I found it a very educational experience. I had my internship contract reviewed by the site manager, Ms. Lydia Mullaly. Upon doing so, she informed me that since I was looking to intern there, I would have to complete a HIPAA compliancy and certification course, which I am currently doing. HIPAA stands for Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and is a healthcare legislation that protects the privacy and security of patients' health information. When I become HIPAA-compliant, that means I agree to protect the privacy of any sensitive patient information. I enjoyed learning how a dental practice works behind the scenes, and what I would be doing over the four weeks of internship.