| FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
What
do Dental Assistants do?
What
do dental assistants earn?
What
is the job outlook like?
Do
I need to have a license to be a dental assistant
in Illinois?
Do
you offer financial aid?
Do
you offer job placement assistance?
What
other programs do you offer?
Do
I get a diploma or certificate?
What
does the tuition include?Dental assistants
perform a variety of patient care, office, and
laboratory duties. They work chairside as dentists
examine and treat patients. They make patients
as comfortable as possible in the dental chair,
prepare them for treatment, and obtain their dental
records. Assistants hand instruments and materials
to dentists and keep patients’ mouths dry
and clear by using suction or other devices. Assistants
also sterilize and disinfect instruments and equipment,
prepare trays of instruments for dental procedures,
and instruct patients on postoperative and general
oral health care.
Some dental assistants prepare materials for impressions
and restorations, take dental x rays, and process
x-ray film as directed by a dentist. They also
may remove sutures, apply topical anesthetics
to gums or cavity-preventive agents to teeth,
remove excess cement used in the filling process,
and place rubber dams on the teeth to isolate
them for individual treatment.
Those with laboratory duties make casts of the
teeth and mouth from impressions, clean and polish
removable appliances, and make temporary crowns.
Dental assistants with office duties schedule
and confirm appointments, receive patients, keep
treatment records, send bills, receive payments,
and order dental supplies and materials.
Dental assistants should not be confused with
dental hygienists, who are licensed to perform
different clinical tasks.
Median hourly earnings of dental assistants
were $13.10 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned
between $10.35 and $16.20 an hour. The lowest
10 percent earned less than $8.45, and the highest
10 percent earned more than $19.41 an hour.
Benefits vary substantially by practice setting
and may be contingent upon full-time employment.
According to the American Dental Association,
almost all full-time dental assistants employed
by private practitioners received paid vacation
time. The ADA also found that 9 out of 10 full-time
and part-time dental assistants received dental
coverage.
According to the U.S. Dept.
of Labor: Job prospects should be excellent.
Dentists are expected to hire more assistants
to perform routine tasks so that they may devote
their own time to more profitable procedures.
Most assistants learn their skills on
the job, although an increasing number are trained
in dental-assisting programs; most programs take
1 year or less to complete.
Dental assistants held about 266,000 jobs in 2002.
Almost all jobs for dental assistants were in
offices of Dentists. A small number of jobs were
in offices of physicians, educational services,
and hospitals. About a third of dental assistants
worked part time, sometimes in more than one dental
office.
In addition to job openings due to employment
growth, numerous job openings will arise out of
the need to replace assistants who transfer to
other occupations, retire, or leave the labor
force for other reasons. Many opportunities are
for entry-level positions offering on-the-job
training.
Population growth and greater retention of natural
teeth by middle-aged and older people will fuel
demand for dental services. Older dentists, who
have been less likely to employ assistants, are
leaving the occupation and will be replaced by
recent graduates, who are more likely to use one
or even two assistants. In addition, as Dentists’
workloads increase, they are expected to hire
more assistants to perform routine tasks, so that
they may devote their own time to more profitable
procedures.
Most States regulate the
duties that dental assistants are allowed to
perform through licensure or registration. Licensure
or registration may require passing a written
or practical examination. States offering licensure
or registration have a variety of schools offering
courses—approximately 10 to 12 months
in length—that meet their State’s
requirements. Many States require continuing
education to maintain licensure or registration.
A few States allow dental assistants to perform
any function delegated to them by the dentist.
Individual States have adopted different standards
for dental assistants who perform certain advanced
duties, such as radiological procedures. The
completion of the Radiation Health and Safety
examination offered by the Dental Assisting
National Board (DANB) meets those standards
in more than 30 States. Some States require
the completion of a State-approved course in
radiology as well.
Certification is available through DANB and
is recognized or required in more than 30 States.
Other organizations offer registration, most
often at the State level. Certification is an
acknowledgment of an assistant’s qualifications
and professional competence and may be an asset
when one is seeking employment. Candidates may
qualify to take the DANB certification examination
by graduating from an accredited training program
or by having 2 years of full-time, or 4 years
of part-time, experience as a dental assistant.
In addition, applicants must have current certification
in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. For annual
re-certification, individuals must earn continuing
education credits.
We offer several options
for which to pay for your tuition. If you pay
in full prior to your first day of class, the
tuition amount is $2595.00. Or, you may pay
half the tuition or $1200.00 prior to the first
day of class and make a weekly (10 weeks) payment
of $120.00 at the start or each class day. You
may also qualify for financing, if you complete
the application form. Financing your tuition
will allow you to take 3-12 months to pay off
your tuition, interest free.
We do offer job placement
assistance for all our graduating students like
providing professional resumes, teaching job
interview techniques, and working with outside
Dental Staff Placement Services. Although we
cannot guarantee we can find you a job, there
are opportunities for employment in the dental
field everywhere. Your own family dentist is
a great start to seek internships or employment
as a dental assistant or receptionist.
We currently offer two training
programs: Dental Assisting & Dental Office
Administration & Reception. Our assisting
program is offered for 10 weeks (80 class hours)
on Saturdays only, and our dental office administration
classes are offered on Wednesday and Friday
evenings for 5 weeks (40 class hours).
All our graduates receive
a professional certificate of completion of
the course and dental assisting pin. You are
not becoming a certified dental assistant (CDA),
until you take and pass the Dental Assisting
National Board Exam (DANB). Our office administration
course graduates receive a certificate as well,
along with a letter of recommendation and modern
resume.
Tuition includes:
Registration Fee
Textbook
Workbook
CD ROM training disc
CPR Training & certification
Lab supplies and dental materials
X-ray film (assistant class)
Scrub Uniform
Safety Eyeglasses (assistant class)
Complete set of radiographs of his/her dentition
(assistant class)
Set of study casts of his/her dentition (assistant
class)
Bleaching trays-Optional (assistant class)
|
