those working as a DA?

[TheElite127]

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a question for those working as a Dental Assistant: did you just keep shadowing until you were asked? or did you do a AA Certification somewhere?

i wouldn't mind working and making money as a Dental Assistant while finishing up my bio classes.

thanks for your reply folks.

 

[ADH03]

I dont know about others, but I volunteered as a dental assistant at a free clinic first. Then, I applied as a dental assistant at a general practice. Some doctors love training pre dental students. You just have to look.

Maybe you can ask the doctor you are shadowing if he/ anyone he knows need an assistant. Then you can go from there. Sometimes, they start you off with the sterilization area so you'd get a grasp of what the names of the instruments are/which instruments go together..etc.

 

[MLT1234]

My dentist whom I shadowed asked me on the last day that I would be in his office shadowing.

 

[DiNoZeRo2o9]

I volunteered at a clinic for a while then searched for a job and now still have it

 

[TheElite127]

how long do you think i'd need to shadow for? i logged about 10 hours at my GP and about 6 at the oral surgeons office.

i dont mind getting down and dirty with temp crown shaping and casting, but i do need to get some practice at it.

 

[DiNoZeRo2o9]

how long do you think i'd need to shadow for? i logged about 10 hours at my GP and about 6 at the oral surgeons office.

i dont mind getting down and dirty with temp crown shaping and casting, but i do need to get some practice at it.

Most schools require a minimum of 40, but if you have low GPA/DAT I would recc. 500+. Working full time i've logged over 2000 hours in an office, but I still took the time to shadow other offices and specialties to just improve my app even more since my GPA is a little low.

 

[206127]

start by sterilizing.. this requires no degree... sooner or later you be suctioning and at that point, technically you are a dental assistant... but as someone already stated, some doctors love to teach predents...

 

[TheElite127]

well i'm already suctioning. should i ask to sterilize?

 

[323oc323]

i found an unofficial "internship" in an ortho office through my college's job search office, then graduated and searched for DA jobs on craigslist and found one in a perio office that was willing to train me w/ my little experience. in that job, they sent me to get my x-ray license (took one weekend), then i decided to leave and get better experience in a general office and found another doctor willing to train. it's out there, you gotta just look.

the only negative thing i encountered, was trying to find work through a temp agency. one lady told me that i shouldn't tell the doctors i wanted to go to dental school b/c that implied that i 'didn't really want that job' meaning, 'i didn't really want to be their assistant' ... but i didn't take her advice, and have had 3 different jobs in the field so far ...

 

[206127]

well i'm already suctioning. should i ask to sterilize?

sure why not... do as much as they will let you...