Discover Dental Assistant Programs
Dentistry is an area of medical practice that will always be in demand. Dental assistants are convinced of their career prospects.
It takes years of training and learning to qualify as a full-fledged dentist, but if a person wants to invest their energy in an area that has less professional responsibility than a dentist, then dental assistant programs can be a good choice. Getting into the right school with a solid education makes a great career in the family healthcare industry worthwhile.
A dental assistant works collaboratively with the rest of a dental care team to ensure the best patient experience and maximum efficiency. Dental assistants support the dentist in all phases of the treatment and ensure that the patient visit runs smoothly. Know here more about Dental Assistant Programs near me.
Dental Assistant Programs
Before you put your name on any of the dental assistant programs, you need to consider how long the program will be and how rigorous the training will be. The duration of classic training is between 6 and 9 months. Start earning sooner with 6-month dental assistant programs.
But your level of knowledge will be different than that of a 9-month dental assistant as they cover a wider range of issues related to dental care. With one of these longer, more in-depth programs, you’ll be better placed to receive more job offers.
However, if you intend to pursue further dental education in the future, a program of shorter duration may prove sufficient to provide you with the required certification.
Even if you are not aiming for a degree, a 6-month basic training gives you the opportunity to participate in internship programs and find a good job.
Goals And Objectives Of Dental Assistant Programs
- Graduate students who demonstrate the knowledge and skills needed to be a competent entry-level dental assistant.
- Provide quality education and training that develops each student’s potential to become a productive, responsible, and professional member of society and a qualified member of the dental auxiliary workforce.
- Provide our students with an open approach and a supportive environment that fosters student success in the classroom, lab, and in the field.
- Prepare students to organize, prioritize, and delegate care by communicating effectively with dental team members.
- Adhere to professional standards that include the legal and ethical responsibilities of a dental assistant.
- Encourage students to have professionalism, integrity and high standards.
- Adhere to professional standards that include the legal and ethical responsibilities of a dental assistant.
Dental Assistant Programs Information, Duration And Schedule
Program information, length and schedule are subject to change. Please review the attached addendum for changes and updates and contact the Admission Advisor for more information.
The Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts Dental Assistant programs offers a library and classrooms equipped with modern audiovisual teaching aids, textbooks and simulators. The teacher-student ratio is 1:12 in the laboratory and 1:30 in the face-to-face lecture and 1:25 in an online dental assistant programs lecture.
Classes start every 4 weeks. The program consists of seven (7) didactic/laboratory courses in 4-week blocks. DA 100 Infection Control is taught before students begin any of the other courses. Upon completion of the DA-100 course, students complete all courses. DA 200 to DA 205 are offered regardless of the order. Before starting the DA 300 Externship course, students must complete all teaching/laboratory courses.
Students must be available Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for didactic and laboratory work. During an internship, students may need to accommodate alternate schedules based on the institution’s business hours. Students must be able to complete these specific rotations on the schedule provided.
Students will receive two hundred (200) hours of didactic and three hundred eighty-four (384) hours of laboratory instruction and one hundred and eighty (180) hours of clinical practice. This allows students to apply their knowledge of lecture topics and practical laboratory skills in practice when housed in a dental facility. Students take technical courses that can be delivered on campus, online, or a combination of both formats.
One hundred and eighty-two and a half (182.5) hours is the minimum required part-time work for the student. The curriculum provides students with the technical, clinical, and interpersonal skills needed to succeed in the dental assistant field. A certificate is awarded upon completion of the program. The normal completion time for this program is thirty-two (32) weeks, excluding holidays and vacation periods.
Class times can and may be rescheduled to another day of the week (Sunday to Saturday) to ensure that the dental assistant program near me is completed on time and required program hours are met.
- Lab Hours
The laboratory lessons are carried out with daily theory teaching and are carried out under the guidance and supervision of the instructor. - Outside Work
Instructors will assign outside work in correlation to daily theory topics and skills. Tasks vary daily depending on the tasks to be completed in the students’ free time and the given due dates. - Clinical Externship
The clinical externship involves a student placement in an institution that performs various skills and demonstrates theoretical concepts and hands-on practice opportunities. The externship allows students to assist the institution’s staff with daily tasks in the front and back office under the supervision of the staff. This marks the transition from studying to becoming a dental assistant. The externship serves as an unpaid externship to help students apply learned skills in the classroom. Students have a variety of tasks to complete and document for review. Daily attendance and performance at the site are verified by the facility’s staff.
What Does A Dental Assistant Do?
A dental assistant’s responsibilities include assisting the dentist with a variety of treatment procedures, helping patients feel comfortable and reducing their anxiety, and teaching patients the skills needed to maintain and improve oral health. The patients can take the advantage of Dental Grants to fulfill their oral health needs.
In addition to directly assisting the dentist with oral care, the dental assistant handles office management tasks such as scheduling appointments, billing, answering phone calls, and communicating with vendors and suppliers.
What Will You Learn With Dental Assistant Programs Training?
Pima Medical Institute prepares its students to be effective, qualified dental assistants by teaching them the following skills:
- Prepare patients for examination and treatment
- Carrying out X-ray examinations (radiography)
- Sterilizing and disinfecting instruments and equipment
- Preparation of tray setups for dental procedures
- Provision of post-operative instructions
- Educate patients about proper oral hygiene
- Preparation of materials for making impressions and restorations
- Performing office, laboratory and other duties
Admission Requirements For The Dental Assistant Programs
Please review the following requirements: General admission requirements for all programs.
Applicants must:
- Submit an essay (no longer than one page, typed or handwritten with double-spaced lines) describing the following:
- Reasons for applicants’ desire to become dental assistants;
- Personal characteristics of the applicant that support the applicant’s ability to complete the dental assistant programs;
- People, routines, and resources available to the applicant to support the applicant’s efforts throughout the dental assistant program.
- Fill out a questionnaire about distance learning.
Performance Requirements For Dental Assistant Programs
To ensure the safety and well-being of our students and patients, each of our programs has a specific set of physical and non-physical requirements. Almost all of our students (check with an Admissions Advisor if necessary) must be able to:
- Dealing with stressful situations related to technical and procedural standards and patient care situations.
- Respond quickly and appropriately to emergencies in English.
- Communicate effectively with patients and staff, both verbally and in writing, in clear English.
- Read and interpret (or learn how to do this) patient records and requests.
- Tolerates strong, unpleasant odors.
- Provide physical and emotional support to patients during the procedure.
- Report clearly and legibly with progress notes in patient charts.
- Meet class standards for successful course completion.
- Collect, interpret and integrate data about patients.
- Recognizing and responding appropriately to people of all ages, genders and races, from socioeconomic, religious and cultural backgrounds.
- Manage the stress of heavy workloads, demanding patients and life-threatening clinical situations.
- Recognize potentially hazardous situations and respond appropriately.
- Demonstrate the physical and emotional ability to work a 40-hour week during clinical rotation.
- Be ethical, competent, compassionate, and professional in the classroom and clinic.
- lifting/carrying: A. 1-5 pounds. often – image receptors, lead aprons, files. B. 20-50 pounds. occasionally – patient transfers and patient positioning. C. 50-70 pounds. rarely to occasionally – patient transfers.
- Stand and walk for up to eight (8) hours a day.
- Carry at least 9.07 kg (20 pounds) while traveling a distance of 30.48 m (100 feet).
- Bend or bend your upper body forward up to 45 degrees and bend your lower body into a squat position.
- Rotate the torso left and right up to 30 degrees.
- Reach at least 1.83 m (72 in) off the ground or full arm’s reach.
- Use the sense of hearing to communicate effectively with patients and caregivers.
- Use the sense of sight in all lighting levels in the hospital, ranging from low light levels to bright light levels.
- Sit in class for up to six (6) hours a day.
- Feel anatomical structures and manipulate injured body parts without injuring the patient.
- Apply manual resistance to a patient’s arm, leg, or trunk during exercise.
- Move with appropriate agility and speed to ensure patient safety.
- Walk and balance well enough to help patients walk and transfer with or without equipment while avoiding injury to patients and yourself.
- Safely gripping and handling small objects and setting dials on electrical equipment.
- Use visual, auditory, and tactile senses to observe patients and collect and interpret data.
- Respond to warning tones, machine alarms and calls for help.
Facts And Fun Stats About Dental Assistant Programs
The Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts offers the Dental Assistant Programs near me on the Modesto campus. Let us share some facts with you:
- Dental Assisting program is a great career choice if you enjoy working with people and crave an environment where every day is different. This profession attracts people with social and realistic interests.
- Population growth and the preservation of natural teeth among middle-aged and elderly people should boost demand for dental services.
- In California, forecasts suggest that dental assistant job growth will increase by 16.5 percent, or 8,100 jobs, between 2016 and 2026.
What Career Opportunities Do Dental Assistants Have?
Dental assistant programs training equips graduates to apply their skills in a number of different roles, including dental assistant, orthodontic assistant, oral surgery assistant, dental implantation and dental assistant programs for surgery. You can work in a variety of different settings, including individual dental practices, group practices, hospital dental clinics, dental clinics, and specialty practices.
Related career opportunities for dental assistants include working as a sales representative for dental products, processing dental claims for insurance companies, and training future dental assistants.