Dental Assistant

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[anida123]

I've worked as a DA I for a good 4 years before being accepted to school, so I can tell you that it is great if you can show that you have work experience in dental field. FYI I took a year off between my sophomore and junior year in college (for personal reasons) and luckily worked at this office that I shadowed as full time DA and then worked part time while finishing school. You will definitely need X-ray certification and a dental anatomy class will also help.

 

[JustwantDDS]

Depends on your state and its regulations.... But u dont need much u can learn it all while working, thats how i did it

 

[Dentalslc]

I am not sure where you are from.. but if you are in the New England area Boston University has a radiology certification program. You do a class online and then go to the University for the day to take a test and practice taking X-rays on a dummy to get the certification. Super easy.

http://www.bu.edu/dental/about/offices/ce/online-courses/radiology/

This link has the info.

After I got this certification I landed a full time job as an assistant during my gap year into school.

Anyway hope this helps.

 

[dentalprodigy]

Depends on your state and its regulations.... But u dont need much u can learn it all while working, thats how i did it

Same.I also got"in house"training and worked my way up to a full fledged DA.



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[dentwise]

I called several offices, explained my goals of becoming a dentist and my immediate intentions of becoming a dental assistant to learn as much as possible about the field. The second office that I interviewed at offered me an entry level DA position. Dentists were understanding and very receptive to me willing to learn all I can about the field prior to dental school. The experience had been amazing and prepared me for the dental school (clinical experience) as well as understanding doctor/patient interaction. If you have an opportunity to work as a dental assistant, I greatly recommend it. Hopefully you'll find an office that will offer on-the-job training and let you get engaged in procedures. Good luck.

 

[Duriel]

I called several offices, explained my goals of becoming a dentist and my immediate intentions of becoming a dental assistant to learn as much as possible about the field. The second office that I interviewed at offered me an entry level DA position. Dentists were understanding and very receptive to me willing to learn all I can about the field prior to dental school. The experience had been amazing and prepared me for the dental school (clinical experience) as well as understanding doctor/patient interaction. If you have an opportunity to work as a dental assistant, I greatly recommend it. Hopefully you'll find an office that will offer on-the-job training and let you get engaged in procedures. Good luck.

This. I found a dentist that wanted to train an assistant. It was pretty far from my house but I took it anyway. I've been there for almost 2 years and its been a really good experience. It might even be the reason why I got accepted into dental school since my stats aren't stellar.

 

[We Are PS]

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[colorific]

Does anyone know how to get X-Ray Certification in CA?

 

[yueru]

Is the course open to all people or only for dental school students/dentists? Thanks a lot!

I am not sure where you are from.. but if you are in the New England area Boston University has a radiology certification program. You do a class online and then go to the University for the day to take a test and practice taking X-rays on a dummy to get the certification. Super easy.

http://www.bu.edu/dental/about/offices/ce/online-courses/radiology/

This link has the info.

After I got this certification I landed a full time job as an assistant during my gap year into school.

Anyway hope this helps.

 

[Dentalslc]

It is open to anyone. It seemed that most of the class was made up of dental assistance and dental hygiene students. But I took the class before I was hired as an assistant.

 

[RemiLunaDDS]

@colorific: check the California Dental Board website for approved X-ray programs.

 

[bkpredent]

I started off by shadowing and was offered a paid position about 3 months in. It will definitely not result in you becoming a da, but if you are super helpful and hard working while assisting, it'll make the doctor think twice about what role you can play in the office.
Also, being a floater is awesome for when your in undergrad. If its busy, I assist, I do most of the x-rays and also work in the front a lot. But, because I'm not the main assistant, the doctor is ok with my schedule changing.