Dental Assisting Degree Programs Information
Dental assisting is a great option if helping people is one of your primary reasons for finding work in the healthcare industry. Dental assistants work directly with patients, answering their questions, dealing with their files and more. But to enter this helpful field, you need to enter dental assisting degree programs.
Featured Schools with Dental Assisting Degrees
- Concorde Career College: Kansas City
Heald College: Concord Campus
American Career Institute: Braintree
Dental assistants work great hours and can get in the workforce fairly quickly by becoming certified through a program that typically takes only a year or so to complete.
Types of Dental Assisting Degree Programs Available
There are dental assisting degree programs at many schools. It may be easier to find work in the field if you go to school to become a certified dental assistant, since you are learning the necessary skills prior to getting the job. These programs also allow you to become certified by passing a state examination.
Some dental assistants decide to continue their education while working and go on to become dental hygienists and then full-on dentists. Others assistants go on to become an office manager, dental product sales representative, instructor or insurance claims processor for dental insurance companies.
Dental Assistant Average Salary
- The median annual salary for dental assistants is $32,380 a year.
What a Dental Assisting Degree Teaches You
To become a dental assistant, you will have to take basic courses in biology, chemistry and health. More specific courses that are a part of your dental assisting program will focus on dental terminology, dental anatomy, interacting with patients, dental instruments and materials, X-rays and radiography, office procedures and more.
Featured Career
Questions to Ask About Dental Assisting Degree Programs:
1. Do I like to help people? Have I always wanted to find a career in the healthcare industry?
2. Am I comfortable working with and for one or more supervisors who will directly oversee all of my work?
3. Do I have reliable manual dexterity? Am I comfortable handling surgical instruments in a stressful and fast-paced environment?
4. Am I organized? Can I work with and around hundreds of important files and patient records?
5. Am I considered reliable and responsible? Do I enjoy working in a team environment?
Still have more questions? Talk with one of our education advisors at 1-866-305-8525 to assist you in your search for schools that offer dental assisting degrees.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Psychologists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos163.htm (visited November 1, 2011).
