Lesson learned: How the dental assistants affect you and your career

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the last few days, we’ve all heard about the Tulsa, Okla., dentist, Dr. Scott Harrington, who allowed his staff to perform illegal procedures, among numerous other violations.
The dental assistants at the forefront of this argument claim they were sent to seminars in Chicago to be trained on IV sedation, although it is not legal for dental assistants to perform IV sedation in Oklahoma. They claim they were doing what they were told to do by their employer … just doing their job. Have you ever questioned your employer about something you were told to do?
When the oral surgeon was questioned about his infection control procedures, he directed the questions to his team, saying, “They take care of that, I don’t.” It is the responsibility of the dentist to know what is going on in his or her practice. But isn’t it our responsibility, as well?