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tamer

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I am just beginning the road your taking (will be sitting for Part 1) and have decided to look for a dental assistant job this month.Seeing you've been through all this its only natural for me to ask your(&anyone else whos been through this) advice. I'm foreign trained(obviously) but I do have citizenship.So it isnt really hard to find work as a DA?Will the pay be enough to live off?And my last question ,how are you paying college fees,are you money-dependent or independent?


I will appreciate any replies

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Hi Tamer

Firstly ,I want to wish you luck in your forth-coming examinations and also luck in your job search as a D.A. I do not see any connections between your citizenship and the ease of you finding a job as a D.A. It is very independent on your country of origin.

But once you find one you might be opportuned to see dentistry in a "different" image as compared to what we (or you) did abroad. As a matter of fact some interviewers in some adv standing program interviews actually gives you a plus, having realised that you'd assisted in a dental office.

On the issue of income as a D.A ,you might be able to "survive" on the salary if you live within your means. What do you mean by money dependent or money independent?
 
Hey Guru,


Thanks for replying.Sorry you must of misunderstood me,it wasnt my intention to connect citizenship with finding a D.A. job.I was just reaffirming the statement you made to another person( the Adv.Standing thread) when you said it isnt that hard to find a D.A. job. Oh,thanks for wishing me luck man ,actually I did call up a clinic today that put an ad in the newspaper(I'm in NC).They were pleased that I was a dentist(I'm a 96 graduate)but not so thrilled when they found out I'm foreign-trained,anyways they still scheduled an interview.About income I just heard from a friend in California that he gets 90$/day,now thats not bad.Though I dont know how many hours he works.


About college fees I meant ,do you depend on yourself or say are your parents helping out with payement?Can someone who works part time supply the cash for Adv.Standing?Are there any loans available?Btw how much is ur Adv.Standing program if u dont mind me asking?


Thanks alot and sorry for all these questions:)But I kind of feel lost.
 
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Hi

Most adv standing programs are going for over $100k. The only option opened to me is to sign up a loan to cover for these. Pls do not be discouraged by not being hired for your interview as a D.A but keep on trying........honestly most dental office owners actually prefer hiring people like us as assistants but the truth is that most of them feel we might pose a "threat" to them and also some feel we are worth more than what they want to pay us ...so in other words they'll prefer to hire someone less qualified than us.
 
Hi tamer and guru,

I guess its easy to find DA job if you have valid visa to work and since tamer is citizen it makes easy to find one.Coz from my own experience Since I'm on dependant visa I cannot work or even if i get a job they should be ready to process for another visa otherwise they have to pay me cash, which would definately require some manipulation in their accounts.If I'm wrong pl correct me I might not have all the info.
 
Hi Everyone,

I have not posted here for a long time.But I can add my 2 cents to this one for sure.

I agree with Guru that most dentists are threatened by us and they feel we deserve more than what they want to pay us.So they end up not hiring us.However I would advise you guys to try to look for a dentist who has been in a similar situation years ago and has his practice now.He/she can be more understanding and more willing to hire you.It worked for me.May work for you too.

And Merl is right too.You do need a valid visa to work in US.And I am sure no one would want to sponsor a work visa for a dental assistant.

Good luck to you guys.
 
Hi,
It will be great if you can get a job as a DA , but I feel that if you volunteer in some hospital that will be more useful, so that it will teach you a lot about how dentistry works in this country and about their ways of working and also so much of interaction with so many interns and doctors alike!..
All the best
smilemaker:p
 
Hi group

Basically ,either you work as a D.A or you choose to volunteer in an hospital.......the most important thing is to stay active in the dental field.
 
To those who work/worked as dental assistants:


are there any documentation I should prepare before the job interview,like past experience certificates as a dentist in home country,etc...


Greatly appreciate it if there is any feedback,thanks.
 
Hi Tamer

Yeah , in places I worked as an assistant ,I only had to show my previous resume .I also remember there was a working interview I went where I was asked to make a temporary crown for a patient that came for a crown prep ......which was "a piece of cake".
In some you might be asked to demonstrate your abilities in exposing radiographs ..... like Panorex, bitewings, Cephalometry and periapicals.
 
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