Dental Assiting a Good Idea?

[ias2512]

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Hey, just wondering what you guys think about taking a "dental assisting" class in a community college over the summer?
Will this help me find a job(during/after shadowing)?
and will it look good on my application for dental school?
Thanks!
(oh and this class is 6 weeks, and costs $950)

 

[polarnut]

Hey, just wondering what you guys think about taking a "dental assisting" class in a community college over the summer?
Will this help me find a job(during/after shadowing)?
and will it look good on my application for dental school?
Thanks!
(oh and this class is 6 weeks, and costs $950)

that's nice bargain considering i paid $10k for a 9 month RDA course at a vocational school. yes, definitely take it, and yes, definitely take up a dental assistant job if you can. needless to say, it's waaay better than just "shadowing". not only will it teach you basic dental techniques, like making temp acryllic crowns, you get to practice your patient communication skills, not to mention awesome LORs if your boss loves you.

 

[PDizzle]

I did that and it looked great on my app. At the interview, I got to talk about actual proceedures that happen in dental offices all day long. Also, when I shadowed my dentist, she let me do actualy assisting which also looked real good on my app and more importantly, more stuff to gab about at the interview.

If you can spare the $, go for it!

 

[HermeytheElf]

Hey, just wondering what you guys think about taking a "dental assisting" class in a community college over the summer?
Will this help me find a job(during/after shadowing)?
and will it look good on my application for dental school?
Thanks!
(oh and this class is 6 weeks, and costs $950)

The class is a bad idea and a waste of money. Most dentists I know won't hire people who are certified and have lots of experience in dentistry simply because every office works differently and those people come in thinking they know everything, so its harder to teach them. If you really want to be a dental assistant, put together a resume and take it to every dental office in town. If you want to shadow, open up the phone book and give a few dentists a call. In my opinion, shadowing is better because you spend your time talking to the dentist and actually seeing whats going on instead of wiping down rooms and doing random b!tch work(like cleaning instruments and setting up trays) in the lab. Save your money on the class and spend your time shadowing instead.

 

[polarnut]

The class is a bad idea and a waste of money. Most dentists I know won't hire people who are certified and have lots of experience in dentistry simply because every office works differently and those people come in thinking they know everything, so its harder to teach them. If you really want to be a dental assistant, put together a resume and take it to every dental office in town. If you want to shadow, open up the phone book and give a few dentists a call. In my opinion, shadowing is better because you spend your time talking to the dentist and actually seeing whats going on instead of wiping down rooms and doing random b!tch work(like cleaning instruments and setting up trays) in the lab. Save your money on the class and spend your time shadowing instead.

thats funny, most dentists i know wont hire people who dont have sufficient experience in dental assisting because frankly they dont have the time to train an average individual from scratch (2h-4h dentistry, sterlizing, patient communication, treatment procedures, how to hold instruments, name of each instruments, how to mix things, take impressions, set stones, OSHA standards, HIPPA training, etc etc).

it's even worse for college students who wish to go to dental school, because dentists know they wont be around for long, that they are just doing this til they get into dental school, and so they dont want to invest all that time training em as a DA because he/she will leave the office in time.

also, there is more to dental assisting than wiping down someone's spit off the wall (which isn't bitch work, it's part of the process of keeping patient enviornment as sterile and clean as possible, a very important facet of healthcare in my opinion and not something to be disgusted at). i dont know your backgorund or if you have assisted a day in your life, but you do significant amount of actual dental work on patients as dental assistant, provided you have certifications and your boss trusts you.

 

[HermeytheElf]

thats funny, most dentists i know wont hire people who dont have sufficient experience in dental assisting because frankly they dont have the time to train an average individual from scratch (2h-4h dentistry, sterlizing, patient communication, treatment procedures, how to hold instruments, name of each instruments, how to mix things, take impressions, set stones, OSHA standards, HIPPA training, etc etc).

it's even worse for college students who wish to go to dental school, because dentists know they wont be around for long, that they are just doing this til they get into dental school, and so they dont want to invest all that time training em as a DA because he/she will leave the office in time.

I agree that it's going to be very difficult for a pre-dent to get a job as a dental assistant since their employment will only be temporary at best. That's why I encouraged the OP to not spend all that time and money on the class...its going to be incredibly difficult to find someone who would hire him. It would be much easier and, in my opinion, much better to spend your time shadowing. As for the level of experience for dental assistants, I suppose it depends alot on a variety of factors including the dentists personality, the type of office (high volume v slower pace), as well as the state regulations on what a dental assistant is allowed to do.

 

[polarnut]

I agree that it's going to be very difficult for a pre-dent to get a job as a dental assistant since their employment will only be temporary at best. That's why I encouraged the OP to not spend all that time and money on the class...its going to be incredibly difficult to find someone who would hire him. It would be much easier and, in my opinion, much better to spend your time shadowing. As for the level of experience for dental assistants, I suppose it depends alot on a variety of factors including the dentists personality, the type of office (high volume v slower pace), as well as the state regulations on what a dental assistant is allowed to do.

even if nobody hires him, taking the class will give him more knowledge about the field as well as experience. you can only learn so much from just standing behind a dentist and staring him do stuff; often times, if the angle of your vision isnt exactly right, your view gets blocked off and you dont even get to see what the **** is going on inside the patients mouth. and it's not something easy to stick your head all the way down to get a clearer look, most times people just stand there waiting and doing diddly squat.

i'm a proactive person; as such, i highly encourage you to invest that $950 and go learn something, do things that will make you stand out from the rest. maybe someone will hire you and you can be a DA. maybe not. who knows. but you definitely wont if you dont take the initiative.

 

[golfmontpoker]

I actually just found an ad on careerbuilder.com a couple days ago looking for a dental assistant, no experiance, recent highschool grad. So i figure, what the hell? faxed them my resume, and plan to keep up on it calling them asking if they have reviewed it. Would be awsome to get this job for the entire summer and hopefully part time during my senior year... Ill keep everyone posted!

 

[polarnut]

I actually just found an ad on careerbuilder.com a couple days ago looking for a dental assistant, no experiance, recent highschool grad. So i figure, what the hell? faxed them my resume, and plan to keep up on it calling them asking if they have reviewed it. Would be awsome to get this job for the entire summer and hopefully part time during my senior year... Ill keep everyone posted!

👍

 

[Lake Powell Lvr]

I have been assisting for 3yrs now. It definitely helped in the interviews and it doesn’t look good, it is good.
My opinion is if your going to be leaning over and sticking your fingers in peoples mouths all day you better know that you like doing it and see first hand what it’s like. Learning everything you can about dentistry is always a plus. I don’t know how much your college tuition is or your Kaplan class, but if you want to learn something that will actually be useful to you as a practicing dentist the $950 seems well worth it. I got lucky and found someone who would hire me without taking a class, good if you can find it.
One problem is that most dentists want full time assistants. That makes it hard on school and dental schools look more highly on good grades and a high DAT than how much time you’ve put in an office. Also with shadowing you can easily visit several different general dentists or specialists and compare and contrast what you like and don’t like.
If I had to do it again, I’d probably have taken out student loans and shadowed because I could have finished a year earlier and maybe kept my GPA a little higher, but if you need to work the assisting class is the way to go.

 

[golfmontpoker]

I have been assisting for 3yrs now. It definitely helped in the interviews and it doesn’t look good, it is good.
My opinion is if your going to be leaning over and sticking your fingers in peoples mouths all day you better know that you like doing it and see first hand what it’s like. Learning everything you can about dentistry is always a plus. I don’t know how much your college tuition is or your Kaplan class, but if you want to learn something that will actually be useful to you as a practicing dentist the $950 seems well worth it. I got lucky and found someone who would hire me without taking a class, good if you can find it.
One problem is that most dentists want full time assistants. That makes it hard on school and dental schools look more highly on good grades and a high DAT than how much time you’ve put in an office. Also with shadowing you can easily visit several different general dentists or specialists and compare and contrast what you like and don’t like.
If I had to do it again, I’d probably have taken out student loans and shadowed because I could have finished a year earlier and maybe kept my GPA a little higher, but if you need to work the assisting class is the way to go.

Good points... Either way, i dont study much anyways, so i can easily work 20 hours a week next year, seeing how i do other things anyways. If this dentist hires me, it would be fantastic 😍

 

[Lake Powell Lvr]

Good points... Either way, i dont study much anyways, so i can easily work 20 hours a week next year, seeing how i do other things anyways. If this dentist hires me, it would be fantastic 😍

Good luck.

 

[Lake Powell Lvr]

Good points... Either way, i dont study much anyways, so i can easily work 20 hours a week next year, seeing how i do other things anyways. If this dentist hires me, it would be fantastic 😍

Tell the dentist you hate office drama and you don't get emotional! 😉

 

[HermeytheElf]

I have been assisting for 3yrs now. It definitely helped in the interviews and it doesn’t look good, it is good.
My opinion is if your going to be leaning over and sticking your fingers in peoples mouths all day you better know that you like doing it and see first hand what it’s like. Learning everything you can about dentistry is always a plus. I don’t know how much your college tuition is or your Kaplan class, but if you want to learn something that will actually be useful to you as a practicing dentist the $950 seems well worth it. I got lucky and found someone who would hire me without taking a class, good if you can find it.
One problem is that most dentists want full time assistants. That makes it hard on school and dental schools look more highly on good grades and a high DAT than how much time you’ve put in an office. Also with shadowing you can easily visit several different general dentists or specialists and compare and contrast what you like and don’t like.
If I had to do it again, I’d probably have taken out student loans and shadowed because I could have finished a year earlier and maybe kept my GPA a little higher, but if you need to work the assisting class is the way to go.

You make some very valid points but in the end it all comes down to what kind of dentist you are working for. I was a dental assistant for several summers and I can tell you that I gained far more from the time I spent shadowing than I ever did from being a dental assistant. I suppose I was just unlucky and ended up in the wrong office. In my experience, the dental assistant, especially the part time dental assistant (me), spent most of their time cleaning rooms, doing work in the lab, and developing x-rays. Patient contact wasn't a really big part of the job, whereas with shadowing, I got to work with some great dentists who let me get close and see everything that was going on. If you have the opportunity to be a dental assistant at any kind of office, do it because it does look good on your application. I'm just trying to point out that not every office is going to turn you loose on patients right away.

 

[Lake Powell Lvr]

You make some very valid points but in the end it all comes down to what kind of dentist you are working for. I was a dental assistant for several summers and I can tell you that I gained far more from the time I spent shadowing than I ever did from being a dental assistant. I suppose I was just unlucky and ended up in the wrong office. In my experience, the dental assistant, especially the part time dental assistant (me), spent most of their time cleaning rooms, doing work in the lab, and developing x-rays. Patient contact wasn't a really big part of the job, whereas with shadowing, I got to work with some great dentists who let me get close and see everything that was going on. If you have the opportunity to be a dental assistant at any kind of office, do it because it does look good on your application. I'm just trying to point out that not every office is going to turn you loose on patients right away.

Very good point. At the office where I work there have been over 8 different dentists and 2 oral surgeons who have all really supported me and taught me a lot. There was one temp. dentist we hired in-between full time dentists. Let's just say if that had been the only dentist I worked for I'd be off to law school or prison.

 

[galangvu]

I think being a dental assistant is well worth it b/c you see WAY more than you see when you're shadowing alone. I've worked as an assistant for almost 3 years now and I see everything from insurance claims to root canal treatments. Not only do you see all the the procedures, you see how to interact with patients (because they don't all come in nice). Sometimes when you shadow, you aren't able to see the kids who would rather fight their way out of the chair for 2 hours than open their mouths for a 10 minute filling. It's crazy at time, but if you can handle those patients, you can handle ANYONE!!! It's also pretty hard to get a nice dentist to shadow b/c it's really hard for the dentist to work with so many people in the room with them (i.e. doctor, patient, assistant, and you) and you just get in the way. overall, my biggest gain when working as a dental assistant is the interaction with patients. I get to see everything the doctor sees when we're working on the patient, but I spent much more time with the patient than the doctor. most of them see me every step of the way from the waiting room to the chair, through to procedures and back out the door. Ok, im just babbling now. I hope that helps.

 

[polarnut]

what you also get to experience as a dental assistant is the inner workings of a dental practice. patient-doctor relationships are important, but your relationship with your co-workers, your employees, etc are equally as important. you begin to learn teamwork, how to deal with certain co-workers, what you should take from the practice to your future practice, what you shouldnt take, you see both the goods and the mistakes taht you will take to good use.

i think being a dental assistant for couple years now will, in the future, make me more appreciative and respectful of those who are working under me. when i do become a dentist, i will know exactly what to expect from my assistants and what they expect from me!

these are things that will not be extensively covered in dental school. such experience will pay off immensely upon graduation from dental school.

 

[bosoxDMD]

As a dental assistant for the past 4 years, I can tell you that assisting will definitely help you in dental school for sure. However, I would not advise spending the time or money, for that matter on dental assisting class. Despite what people have said in here, there are infact many entry level dental assistant jobs available if you want one. I was trained in a dental office and never went to a dental class (besides xray certification later on). Also, it is not primarily the dentist who trains you....it is the other assistants, etc. Many dentists prefer a dental assistant they can train so that they will work the way the doctor needs, and not only the way they were generally taught. Let me encourage you to not take the class...it is a waste of your money. Call dental offices and ask to be trained as an assistant...many offices are quite willing to do this.

 

[54807]

I suggest you shadow lots of places if you have the time and find the dentist that connects with you. You can then ask if there is a need for any help around the office. Or, I just sent out resumes and cover letters saying I wanted to observe the entire office and was willing to train for free. I only sent out 10 letters and got 3 responses before I could call them.

I considered the dental assistant training as well, but the curriculum I was looking at had to many remedial things that seem to only apply to people fresh out of HS or with no work experience. Your curriculum may be less fluffy though.

 

[ElDienteLoco]

Lots of good discussion on this thread.

My assisting experience gave me a great headstart on dental school and taught me what it was like to be in a dental office 8-5 for enough time to know I wanted to do it. That is something that shadowing does not do as well.

Frankly, I can't believe they even have dental assisting schools. What in the world do they do for 6 weeks or nine months? I was trained in an office and in two weeks, I had everything down. You pick up so much faster than someone whose aspiration is to be the assistant. Since you really want to learn and understand all of the procedures instead of learning what day you get paid on....

Don't go to school...Don't pay any money...do assist!

So here's what you do...

Open up the phone book and call every dentist within 30 minutes of where you live or go to school. Offer to work for a month for free if they will train you as a dental assistant who will work part-time during your pre-req's (paid of course). With the skyrocketing cost of dental education, it shouldn't take long before you find a dentist who says to himself, "Free labor for a month...I can do that..."

That worked for me in Provo, UT and I worked at that office for a little more than a year, met my suga-mama (hygienist wife) at that office and also was able to hook up another pre-dental friend with my job when I left for dental school. He, by the way is going to RDEP Creighton at the U of U this Fall, so if you are interested in working at that office, I could put in a good word. Just let me know.

Believe me...shadowing is just barely scratching the surface...it is the MINIMUM. If you want to learn about being a boss, playing card games when all the patients cancel, annoying patients and staff drama, then you need to spend more than an hour here and an hour there. Sure it looks good on an app, but it will mean so much more to your career than that.

Good luck Pre-dentites!