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Dental Hygienists
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CheckoutCareers.com
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Dental Hygienists
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Clean teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. May educate patients on oral hygiene, take and develop X-rays, or apply fluoride or sealants.
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Degrees
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Abilities
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Finger Dexterity| | The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. |
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Near Vision| | The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). |
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Problem Sensitivity| | The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. |
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Control Precision| | The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions. |
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Manual Dexterity| | The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. |
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Arm-Hand Steadiness| | The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. |
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Inductive Reasoning| | The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). |
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Oral Expression| | The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
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Extent Flexibility| | The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs. |
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Oral Comprehension| | The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. |
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Deductive Reasoning| | The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. |
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Flexibility of Closure| | The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material. |
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Information Ordering| | The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
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Speech Clarity| | The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. |
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Multilimb Coordination| | The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion. |
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Speech Recognition| | The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. |
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Written Comprehension| | The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. |
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Category Flexibility| | The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. |
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Speed of Closure| | The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns. |
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Selective Attention| | The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. |
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Written Expression| | The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. |
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Memorization| | The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures. |
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Visual Color Discrimination| | The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness. |
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Fluency of Ideas| | The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). |
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Perceptual Speed| | The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object. |
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Originality| | The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. |
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Time Sharing| | The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources). |
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Depth Perception| | The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object. |
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Trunk Strength| | The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing. |
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Visualization| | The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. |
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Far Vision| | The ability to see details at a distance. |
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Hearing Sensitivity| | The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness. |
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Dynamic Strength| | The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue. |
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Wrist-Finger Speed| | The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists. |
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Reaction Time| | The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears. |
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Auditory Attention| | The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds. |
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Gross Body Coordination| | The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion. |
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Static Strength| | The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects. |
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Gross Body Equilibrium| | The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position. |
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Response Orientation| | The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part. |
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Mathematical Reasoning| | The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem. |
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Spatial Orientation| | The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you. |
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Stamina| | The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath. |
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Glare Sensitivity| | The ability to see objects in the presence of glare or bright lighting. |
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Rate Control| | The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene. |
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Speed of Limb Movement| | The ability to quickly move the arms and legs. |
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Dynamic Flexibility| | The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs. |
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Number Facility| | The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly. |
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Interests
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Second Interest High-Point| | Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness |
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Social| | Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others. |
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Conventional| | Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow. |
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Realistic| | Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others. |
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Enterprising| | Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business. |
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First Interest High-Point| | Primary-Rank Descriptiveness |
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Investigative| | Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally. |
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Artistic| | Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules. |
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Knowledge
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Customer and Personal Service| | Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. |
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Biology| | Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment. |
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Medicine and Dentistry| | Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures. |
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Education and Training| | Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. |
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Psychology| | Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders. |
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Chemistry| | Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods. |
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Sales and Marketing| | Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems. |
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English Language| | Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. |
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Production and Processing| | Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. |
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Clerical| | Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology. |
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Therapy and Counseling| | Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance. |
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Computers and Electronics| | Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming. |
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Public Safety and Security| | Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions. |
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Law and Government| | Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process. |
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Personnel and Human Resources| | Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems. |
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Sociology and Anthropology| | Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins. |
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Communications and Media| | Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media. |
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Administration and Management| | Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. |
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Mechanical| | Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance. |
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Philosophy and Theology| | Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture. |
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Mathematics| | Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. |
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Engineering and Technology| | Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services. |
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Economics and Accounting| | Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data. |
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Physics| | Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes. |
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Telecommunications| | Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems. |
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Geography| | Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life. |
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Building and Construction| | Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads. |
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History and Archeology| | Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures. |
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Transportation| | Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits. |
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Fine Arts| | Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture. |
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Design| | Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models. |
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Food Production| | Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques. |
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Foreign Language| | Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation. |
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Wages
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| District of Columbia | $65,320.00 |
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| North Carolina | $59,040.00 |
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| South Carolina | $46,660.00 |
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Related Careers
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Dental Assistants| | Assist dentist, set up patient and equipment, and keep records. |
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Dentists, General| | Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums and related oral structures. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting vitality of teeth. |
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Orthodontists| | Examine, diagnose, and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies. Design and fabricate appliances to realign teeth and jaws to produce and maintain normal function and to improve appearance. |
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Prosthodontists| | Construct oral prostheses to replace missing teeth and other oral structures to correct natural and acquired deformation of mouth and jaws, to restore and maintain oral function, such as chewing and speaking, and to improve appearance. |
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Radiologic Technicians| | Maintain and use equipment and supplies necessary to demonstrate portions the human body on x-ray film or fluoroscopic screen for diagnostic purposes. |
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Respiratory Therapists| | Assess, treat, and care for patients with breathing disorders. Assume primary responsibility for all respiratory care modalities, including the supervision of respiratory therapy technicians. Initiate and conduct therapeutic procedures; maintain patient records; and select, assemble, check, and operate equipment. |
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Surgical Technologists| | Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeon's assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments. |
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Skills
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Active Learning| | Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. |
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Reading Comprehension| | Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. |
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Active Listening| | Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. |
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Time Management| | Managing one's own time and the time of others. |
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Critical Thinking| | Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. |
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Learning Strategies| | Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things. |
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Writing| | Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. |
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Speaking| | Talking to others to convey information effectively. |
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Coordination| | Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. |
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Social Perceptiveness| | Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. |
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Instructing| | Teaching others how to do something. |
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Equipment Selection| | Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job. |
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Persuasion| | Persuading others to change their minds or behavior. |
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Service Orientation| | Actively looking for ways to help people. |
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Monitoring| | Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. |
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Judgment and Decision Making| | Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. |
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Complex Problem Solving| | Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. |
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Science| | Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems. |
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Equipment Maintenance| | Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed. |
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Troubleshooting| | Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it. |
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Operation and Control| | Controlling operations of equipment or systems. |
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Negotiation| | Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences. |
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Mathematics| | Using mathematics to solve problems. |
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Operation Monitoring| | Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly. |
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Operations Analysis| | Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design. |
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Technology Design| | Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs. |
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Management of Material Resources| | Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work. |
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Quality Control Analysis| | Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. |
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Systems Evaluation| | Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system. |
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Management of Personnel Resources| | Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job. |
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Installation| | Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications. |
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Repairing| | Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools. |
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Systems Analysis| | Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes. |
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Management of Financial Resources| | Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures. |
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Tasks
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| Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments. |
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| Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease. |
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| Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist. |
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| Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer. |
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| Apply fluorides and other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay. |
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| Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease. |
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| Expose and develop x-ray film. |
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| Provide clinical services and health education to improve and maintain oral health of school children. |
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| Place, carve, and finish amalgam restorations. |
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| Administer local anesthetic agents. |
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| Remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth. |
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| Make impressions for study casts. |
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| Conduct dental health clinics for community groups to augment services of dentist. |
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| Remove sutures and dressings. |
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| Place and remove rubber dams, matrices, and temporary restorations. |
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Tools
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| Amalgam carriers |
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| Attachments or replacement parts for dental instruments |
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| Rotating caps |
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| Dental amalgamators |
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| Mechanical mixers |
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| Dental bite blocks or wings or tabs |
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| Bite wings |
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| Dental cutting or separating discs |
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| Angle formers |
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| Dental dam supplies |
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| Rubber dams |
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| Dental examination chairs or related parts or accessories |
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| Dental chairs |
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| Dental film processors |
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| X ray development equipment |
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| Dental hygiene instruments |
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| Electronic calculus detectors |
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| Dental impression trays |
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| Impression trays |
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| Dental instrument sharpening accessories |
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| Instrument sharpening devices |
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| Dental laboratory air abrasion units |
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| Air abrasion equipment |
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| Dental lasers |
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| Caries detection aids |
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| Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Nd:YAG dental lasers |
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| Dental matrices or sets |
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| Matrices/matrix retainers |
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| Dental operatory retraction cords |
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| Retraction cords |
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| Dental probes |
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| Calculus explorers |
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| Caries explorers |
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| Nabers furcation probes |
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| Periodontal probes |
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| Dental pulp or vitality testers |
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| Pulp testers |
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| Dental radiology film |
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| Periopical films |
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| Dental saliva ejectors or oral suction devices or supplies |
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| Saliva ejectors |
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| Suctioning equipment |
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| Dental scalers or accessories |
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| Autoscalars |
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| Cavitron equipment |
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| Curettes |
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| Hand scalers |
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| Hollow handle scalars |
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| Solid handle scalars |
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| Ultrasonic scalers |
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| Dental syringes or needles or syringes with needles |
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| Aspirating syringes |
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| Dental needles |
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| Dental x ray units |
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| Dental x ray machines |
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| Digital dental x ray units |
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| Panoramic dental x ray units |
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| Portable dental x ray units |
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| Digital cameras |
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| Electronic blood pressure units |
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| Mechanical stethoscopes or accessories |
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| Mechanical stethoscopes |
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| Medical radiation films or badges |
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| Film badges |
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| Medical radiological shielding aprons or masks or drapes |
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| Lead aprons |
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| Mercury blood pressure units |
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| Manual blood pressure cuffs |
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| Microscope slides |
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| Notebook computers |
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| Orthodontic pliers |
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| Cotton pliers |
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| Oxygen therapy delivery system products accessories or its supplies |
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| Nitrous oxide administration equipment |
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| Oxygen administration equipment |
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| Personal computers |
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| Scanners |
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| Computer scanners |
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| Steam autoclaves or sterilizers |
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| Autoclaves |
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| Teeth cleaning devices or accessories |
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| Air-driven dental polishers |
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| Air/water syringes |
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| Dental polishers |
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| Motor-driven dental polishers |
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| Ultrasonic cleaning equipment |
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| Ultrasonic sterilization units |
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Technology
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| Calendar and scheduling software |
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| Scheduling software |
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| Data base user interface and query software |
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| Dental office management software |
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| Dentrix software |
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| Electronic mail software |
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| Internet browser software |
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| Web browser software |
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| Inventory management software |
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| Medical software |
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| Dental digital radiology software |
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| Dental imaging software |
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| Dental intra-oral imaging software |
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| Voice-activated perio charting software |
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| Office suite software |
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| Dental billing software |
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| Dental charting software |
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| Dental clinical records software |
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| Word processing software |
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Career Activities
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| Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events |
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| identify body response variations |
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| understand technical operating, service or repair manuals |
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| Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge |
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| follow clinical radiation safety procedures |
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| follow dental or medical office procedures |
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| follow dental or medical x-ray procedures |
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| follow infectious materials procedures |
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| follow patient observation procedures |
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| use clinical sterilizing technique |
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| use darkroom procedures in radiology or medical or dental lab setting |
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| use dental treatment procedures |
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| use emergency medical procedures |
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| use hazardous materials information |
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| use interpersonal communication techniques |
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| use knowledge of dental terminology |
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| use knowledge of medical terminology |
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| use quality assurance techniques |
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| use sanitation practices in health care settings |
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| Assisting and Caring for Others |
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| administer anesthetics |
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| administer injections |
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| administer medications or treatments |
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| perform dental hygiene procedures |
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| prepare patient for dental work |
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| work with persons with mental disabilities or illnesses |
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| Getting Information |
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| collect clinical data |
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| collect dental laboratory diagnostic data |
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| Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings |
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| observe patient condition |
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| Documenting/Recording Information |
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| inventory medical supplies or instruments |
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| maintain dental or medical records |
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| record medical history or data |
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| Handling and Moving Objects |
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| set up dental equipment |
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| Analyzing Data or Information |
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| analyze dental data |
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| analyze medical data |
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| Controlling Machines and Processes |
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| operate dental equipment |
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| Communicating with Persons Outside Organization |
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| communicate technical information |
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| make presentations on health or medical issues |
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Career Context
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| Contact With Others |
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| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls |
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| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets |
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| Physical Proximity |
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| Frequency of Decision Making |
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| Exposed to Disease or Infections |
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| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions |
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