Becoming Dental Assistant as PreDent student questions

[cmill628]

Hello!

Kind of new to the website here. I am a Biology/PreDent student in Oklahoma and I was wondering the process to become a dental assistant. I've heard of many PreDent students becoming DAs to get a leg in the field, I'm just not sure where to start. Do I need to go through the training or do I just pay $50 for the certification and start applying? I was mainly looking at getting my DA cert. to volunteer at a nearby clinic, but if I stumbled across an opening for a part time dental assistant I would hop all over it. It seems to be a rather cloudy process because I have been told that you can just buy the cert and get at it, yet every DA at the offices I observe have gone through training.

Sorry if this has been posted about before, I did a search and could not find anything!

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[0Mik3cho]

Frankly, a good variety of shadowing hours in different environments and specialties will be good enough. And just buying the certificate sounds really shady. Does it provide any training?

As for the requirements in Oklahoma...

Every dental assistant in Oklahoma must obtain a Dental Assistant permit from the Board of Dentistry within 30 days of beginning employment. To obtain a permit, one must submit a completed application form and the required fee to the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry. Prior to receiving a permit, the dental assistant must work under the dentist's direct visual supervision at all times.

A dental assistant in Oklahoma may perform basic supportive dental procedures specified by the state dental practice act under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist.

A dental assistant must receive adequate office-based training by the supervisory dentist to ensure that the dental assistant is aware of all requirements and responsibilities of each duty to be performed.

You also need to complete a course (minimum 7 hours long) to get a permit to take X-rays.

Source: Oklahoma Dental Assistant Requirements

 

[laundry]

Hello!

Kind of new to the website here. I am a Biology/PreDent student in Oklahoma and I was wondering the process to become a dental assistant. I've heard of many PreDent students becoming DAs to get a leg in the field, I'm just not sure where to start. Do I need to go through the training or do I just pay $50 for the certification and start applying? I was mainly looking at getting my DA cert. to volunteer at a nearby clinic, but if I stumbled across an opening for a part time dental assistant I would hop all over it. It seems to be a rather cloudy process because I have been told that you can just buy the cert and get at it, yet every DA at the offices I observe have gone through training.

Sorry if this has been posted about before, I did a search and could not find anything!

I know the leadership at OU very well - being an RDA or a DA will not give you any more points than regular shadowing in a clinical setting. I recommend shadowing a few GPs in various settings instead.

P.S. Go Pokes