I recently started a new job two days ago and quickly began to notice that their infection control is extremely lacking. We clean our own instruments but the dentist does not have an assistant so he cleans his own as well. He does not scrub his instruments or put them in the ultrasonic. I sat a patient for him and opened his instrument pack and they were clearly not cleaned properly. He touches everything with dirty gloves and does not properly wipe his room down. While I can clean my own instruments and room properly it makes me feel very uneasy knowing what’s going on in his room. My gut is telling me to run but it’s so awkward quitting after only two days. I have only been out of school for a year and I am having trouble finding an office that fits. I don’t know how to handle this situation and would appreciate any advice/insight.
Thank you!
Oh no! Perhaps the first step would be to print off the CDC infection control guidelines and go through and note where the office is lacking. The office should be holding a once per year OSHA/infection control training, so asking about when this takes place may put focus on the issue as well.
If bringing the issue of lack of infection control to the doctor’s attention does not change protocol, I would highly suggestion reporting to your state’s board of dentistry (and maybe OHSA, depending on the infractions you witness). We have a duty to report if we witness issues that should be reported, otherwise you could be held liable for knowing and not taking action.
Best of luck, this is not a fun situation!
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