dental assistant

[bumpski20]

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i have been shadowing the same orthodontist on a weekley basis since october. I am going to be working as his assistant this fall semester through my schools co-op program (which i wrote about in my application). he recently fired one of his full time assistants and hired me to fill in. its the real deal...im there full time this summer and my fall schedual is already made to fit around the hours of the office, so ill be there full time this semester too. i went from shadow/future intern to full time assistant. i was just wondering, since i already e-submitted, is there a way to notify schools about this huge update in my dental experience?

 

[amalgamgrillz]

i have been shadowing the same orthodontist on a weekley basis since october. I am going to be working as his assistant this fall semester through my schools co-op program (which i wrote about in my application). he recently fired one of his full time assistants and hired me to fill in. its the real deal...im there full time this summer and my fall schedual is already made to fit around the hours of the office, so ill be there full time this semester too. i went from shadow/future intern to full time assistant. i was just wondering, since i already e-submitted, is there a way to notify schools about this huge update in my dental experience?

wow..shadowing--> assistant, that's pretty impressive. well, working as an Ortho CDA, your certification would go under education, wouldn't it?

 

[bumpski20]

yeah i was freaking out when he asked me if i could work full time 😀! the course is not a sure thing...i still need more info on it and i need to make sure it doesnt conflict with classes. being a dental assistant is for sure though...should i just wait and bring it up at interviews?? the whole thing was very gradual...the past few weeks one of the assistants was on vacation so on busy days he would have me fill in, but as of monday i was put on the pay roll and im there whenever they are!!

 

[rewJW]

I am definitely not trying to be a party pooper, but make sure that you are allowed to be doing what you're doing in his office. I don't know if adcoms would really care but given that dental ethics is a big issue, if they know of the NJ laws and know you're doing something you 'legally' can't, I don't know if that would cause a problem or not with them. I live in NJ too and work at a multi-specialty practice, and because I'm not an RDA I am not allowed to do too much in ortho because in the state of NJ (it may be national, I haven't looked into if it's just statewide) you have to be an RDA (CDA doesn't cut it) to do basically anything that involves being in the patient's mouth, i.e. removing bands, placing brackets, taking impressions, etc. etc. The orthodontist at my office doesn't want to get himself in trouble so he only uses RDAs- those who aren't registered like me work with the other specialists and the generalists. When I do work with him it's just to pass him instruments or brackets, stuff like that, but I can't directly be in the patient's mouths (other than general suctioning and retracting). I have learned a LOT more working as an assistant than I had just shadowing, so I wish you the same, and most of all have fun 🙂

And btw, just to restate, I'm not trying to put you down or anything, I just don't want you to get in trouble with adcoms or anything. And I realize that more than one person on this forum has been allowed to do something by a dentist they've worked with or shadowed that they probably legally shouldn't (what comes to my mind is the guy who claimed he was allowed to extract a second molar or something... lol)

 

[bumpski20]

no worries! im not doing anything i shouldnt be doing. i have mainly been seating patients, steralizing instruments, setting up tables, retracting for pictures, taking pictures (not x-rays of course) and some little things like lining the trays for impressions with wax. I will eventually be suctioning but i havent yet. i agree...i have learned WAYYY more working there this passed week then i have for the 9 months of shadowing!! and im having a ridiculous amount of fun!! how do you become an RDA in NJ?? could i take a couple classes this summer or fall or is it a few years of commitment?? thanks!

 

[rewJW]

RDA programs run from 9 months to 2 years (the 2 year one got an associate's, the shorter ones didn't) from what I've been told by the RDAs I work with -- seriously not worth it to do it if you're planning to go to d-school IMHO. One of the girls is finishing up her 9 month program but similar to dental school itself it was an 8 to 5 every day program .. plus a 160-hour externship (which is the step she's at now) .. neat idea but just focus on d-school I would say 😛 To be a CDA you can either take courses like an RDA (most of the ones I work with who went to RDA school got their CDA in the same process) or work as a dental assistant for 2 years then 'challenge' the CDA exam. I am hoping I don't end up having to work as an assistant for two years before dental school anyway, lol. You can take an xray course, they are something like 3 months long one or two nights a week, to get your xray license without being CDA or RDA. I am looking into signing up for one but am not worrying about it until after the DAT. I figure if I'm going to be working as an assistant for a year before dental school I might as well get my xray license and get paid better

Of course all my information is just based on word of mouth from the dentists and assistants I work with so if any of the above is incorrect, I apologize.

 

[bumpski20]

thanks 👍

 

[doc toothache]

i have been shadowing the same orthodontist on a weekley basis since october. I am going to be working as his assistant this fall semester through my schools co-op program (which i wrote about in my application). he recently fired one of his full time assistants and hired me to fill in. its the real deal...im there full time this summer and my fall schedual is already made to fit around the hours of the office, so ill be there full time this semester too. i went from shadow/future intern to full time assistant. i was just wondering, since i already e-submitted, is there a way to notify schools about this huge update in my dental experience?

It may be huge for you but it is unlikely that it newsworthy enough to send the pony express with the update.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527523

 

[amalgamgrillz]

yeah i was freaking out when he asked me if i could work full time 😀! the course is not a sure thing...i still need more info on it and i need to make sure it doesnt conflict with classes. being a dental assistant is for sure though...should i just wait and bring it up at interviews?? the whole thing was very gradual...the past few weeks one of the assistants was on vacation so on busy days he would have me fill in, but as of monday i was put on the pay roll and im there whenever they are!!

oooo ok, i thought you already had your CDA + Ortho module (i guess americans call it RDA?) certification. As an "assistant," are you doing everything, like tying in, removing bands/brackets, xrays, inserts, etc.? or are you just working there full time as an office assistant..like, doing pour-ups, welding TPA attachments, assisting with inital exams/recalls?

if its the latter, definitely dont think its anything worth rushing to tell them..and like the others have said, if you are doing ACTUAL ortho assistant work in the mouth, make sure you're legally allowed to do so. I'm an ortho office assistant as well in Canada, and we have a dental law/act or whatever that says i can do certain things as long as a dental professional has full trust in my capabilities/knowledge. But when i apply to dental school in the states, i dont want to have to explain that law if they ask me why/how I got to do probe readings or apply topical anaesthetic haha.