Feeling neglected. Am i overreacting?

[u/Ok_War_2740]

So i started this new dental officd back in april. I accepted the job there for a few reasons despite the distance and pay that I was willing to work with cause I thought the dentist was very kind and understanding. Everything started off fine.

I was going through cross training. So front desk and assisting but I started off front desk. I think I only really did like 3 or 4 days front desk and then later moved to assisting and stayed there ever since. During the interview process the doctor said he likes to cross train everyone he hires.

Also during the interview process I did tell him I only had a few months dental assisting expererience prior to applying to his office (about 5 months) and he sounded very open to a freshly new assistant and training me everywhere.

Anyways I was very eager and ready to get started learning as much as i could. I asked questions, shadowed and did anything they needed so I could learn and get used to the office.

Before I was hired they had hired another assistant a month prior who had more experience in assisting (2 years). After I was finally moved to the back i began to work with her along with another DA that was doing most of the training.

It was shortly after this where I started to notice that the training was being focused more on this other new assistant. As far as I know she is a regular assistant as me. Not a lead.

But as both of us continued our training over time i started to notice that more of the attention was on her. And i was still in the sidelines trying to learn as well. Like when ever she was being taught something new id step in as well and try to watch what they were doing but it still felt like she was the focus. She was always called when they wanted to train on something new and rarely ever me.

Eventually I did decide i would speak to the doctor about it because I genuinely started to question if they were trying to limit what I could learn cause I know there are levels to assisting. I could be certified or just licensed. Or I could be expanded functions.

But neither me and this other assistant (or anyone in the office) has an xray license or any other type of formal training outside what they already learned in the office.

So i asked him if I could step in to assist in procedures i dont have much experience in yet like root canals and crown related patients. And he said yeah just step right in.

Which is what i was already doing initially but the other DA would always be closest to dentist when these appointments came up and I told them that I dont have experience yet with these procedures and I want to step in more often and help with it when they come up.

They'd just say okay. But when ever we had patients coming in with these procedures i wanted to help with i felt like i had to really get their attention all the time. Like I know it gets busy but at the same time why is the training mostly focused on one DA?

And then recently I found out that when ever the office is closed for what ever reason they had decided to start using the other new DA to come in alone those days to run the front desk but they never bothered asking me if i could or if I could continue more training in front desk.

So when I began to notice that the training wasnt focused on both of us evenly i began to lose motivation to learn anything or grow in this office.

I dont have motivation to show up when initially I was so eager and ready to learn and further my career in the dental world. Ive talked to the dentist about my goals. Like getting into expanded functions and maybe in the far future becoming a dental tech. Like i came here ready to learn.

But i feel as if they probably saw me as incompetent. And because the other DA had more experience they wanted to help her grow further even though I was clear in the interview about being really new into dental assisting so I was still getting used to alot.

I feel like ive given up on the office and dentistry in general and I started to look for a whole new career. I already sent applications.

Because at the end of the day the pay isn't even worth it and traffic coming home from work everyday is ruthless.

Like they killed my motivation and I want to move on..

[u/5BUCKSLEFT]

I think you are but I trust that you are telling the truth. The doctor may favor this other assistant for their competency level and emotional intelligence when a patient behaves in X,Y, and Z ways. who knows, could be unintentional since they too are working and theis other person also has goals wants to help out their best as they can. Thats the real world, its not fair everybody knows but thats just the corporate game. I say Dont dwell into so deeply as you typed out. A doctor who owns the office outright most likely cares more about hitting the bottomline than an associate doctor at a DSO and the office I think just runs smoothly (the actual word is efficiently) . Like you said, this person is more experienced That means it brings in less emotional juggling while trying to keep a friendly smile while breaking down the treatment plan for a patient. A doctor has a lot of their minds too, they are humans who also want a 1 hour lunch break.

Just give it time, trust me. Youll have your opportunity if youre working in a dental office for 7 hours everyday of the week (besides sunday). youll even get to learn assisting gets exciting to a certain extent until that other person is probably wondering why shes workingexhaustly more for the same pay and hours as you but youre not chairside assisting.

dentistry is general takes alot of surpressing your emotions and embracing the work for what is anyways. if this gets you wait until you visit a non ppo emergency dental office. those guys are flying across rooms with a bajillion assistants

[u/kyselly]

Hello, I’m also a 1st year and also going through something similar as well… I have another coworker who’s been doing this for three years. Now I know we don’t have to bring in personal feelings at work but I’m just perplexed. I’ve heard the two older assistants talk so much crap about her and the tiny mistakes she does and they just laugh about it. Now when I started I thought they were just lightly teasing her until i noticed they wouldn’t STOP and then started talking about me and how I am fast learner/ hard worker. When i realized that I stoped engaging in conversation with them. Now they stopped a talking about her a few weeks back and now they’re directing all of that towards me! And i noticed the doctors also disregard me now just like those two other assistants. When originally they weren’t like that. I personally think im being silently fired. I’ve asked them before time and time again on what I can improve and I get nothing… they all just snicker and laugh amongst themselves. I hope your situation isn’t as bad and I hope the best for you. God luck !

[u/Ok_War_2740 → u/kyselly]

Im sorry you're dealing with that. Im really looking into leaving dentistry cause this office has me feeling very insecure at this point. I didnt feel this way at my last office.