subject: Combining Work And School A Viable Option For Dental Assistants [print this page] Oft time they are called a dentist's second pair of hands. They stand by the chair, applying suction when needed, handing the doctor the implements and in general keep the patient from bolting out of the office like a wounded deer. They are also helping ensure Americans have good dental hygiene. So it's no wonder the dental assistant is one of the fastest growing occupations in the U.S. and no wonder so many new assistants are training through online degree education.
While most dental assistants can find jobs with only a high school degree, there are still things they should know. Before getting out of high school one should take classes in biology and chemistry, be experienced with computers and have, for lack of better term, a good chair-side manner.
Still, sooner or later, they will have to advance their education if they really want to make this a career. Every state requires professional certification, but each also has its own standards. So consulting with a career counselor is a good idea. From there, there are two ways towards becoming an assistant.
The advantage of this approach though, aside from already having a job, is that over 90% of dental assistant's jobs are in dental offices, and each dentist likes to run said office his or her own way. This can take a couple of months in its own right. It also means when it's time to go on for certification, the vocational school or online college one goes to will more than likely give out some credit for the work-related experience.
There is another way, and that is to go to school first. There are a large number of schools out there that are sanctioned by the Professional Dentistry Association (the industry's governing body). The program usually means one to two years of classes, learning everything from the difference between a drill and a cotton swab, proper techniques to keep a patient controlled, and terminology. Where the schools really come in handy is prepping the student for the certification process, which is generally unavoidable if one really wants to advance. The other thing is having graduated from school makes looking for a job much easier.
For the record, as it stands, the need for dental assistants is so tremendous it's quite common for pros to work for two different offices at the same time. As it happens, over 90% of those employed work for dentist's offices. So the way the assistant handles all this is to keep an eye on each offices hours and time themselves accordingly.
The Bureau estimates the average dental assistant's salary at slightly over $32,000. They state the upper 10% bracket to go considerably higher, over $46,000. Over 90% of all assistants work in dentist's offices, but they can find work in hospitals and other similar institutions.
The biggest news is, again according the Bureau, that while there's over 300,000 dental assistants in the U.S. as of 2008, there is a need for an additional 36% - slightly over 100,000 - more by 2018. This makes the position one of the fastest growing in the country. When you consider that, that's quite incredible for a person who is only trying to improve their patient's teeth.
