The dental assistant job description focuses on the job responsibilities and requirements. Dental assistants are similar to medical assistants in that they can have responsibilities in administrative and clinical tasks. These professionals are an integral piece of the dental office, helping to ensure efficiency and streamlined care.
Being a dental assistant is a rewarding profession with a short training period needed. Throughout this article, readers will learn about what a dental assistant does, the essential skills and education needed, what the work environment is like, and if the prospects for jobs in the future are promising.
What Do Dental Assistants Do?
A dental assistant will do many different things on a daily basis. These tasks all revolve around helping patients and the dental team, either through administrative or clinical responsibilities. Two-thirds of dental assistants work full-time. A small proportion of these professionals will be expected to work evening or weekend hours. However, their typical working environment is dictated by the normal hours of dental care.
Dental assistants earn their certificate from a variety of institutions and can complete the program in about nine months, although accelerated options are available. The typical salary ranges from $22,000 to $44,000.
Dental Assistant Job Description for Resume – Responsibilities
The dental assistant job description requires inclusion of tasks dental assistants are competent in. that will help their resume to stand out among the crowd. The bulleted list below contains some of these skill descriptors.
- Maintain a sterile work environment by cleaning and sanitizing equipment.
- Ensure that a patient is comfortable and ready for procedures to begin.
- Assist dentists by providing necessary tools and using suction on the patient.
- Collect x-rays and lab tests and send to the appropriate party.
- Keep patient records organized.
- Schedule appointments, call patients for appointment reminders, and keep a cancellation list.
- Make patients aware of what their expected payments are and how to work with dental insurance to identify coverage.
Dental Assistant Required Skills
Administrative skills. Because dental assistants are able to work in any part of the office they must have good administrative skills. These skills include scheduling appointments, recording accurate information, ordering necessary supplies, working with computer software, and greeting patients with a smile.
Interpersonal skills. Dental assistants work under the tutelage of a dentist and are regularly expected to interact with patients. Being able to interact and communicate effectively with different groups of people are essential to the job. They must be able to interact with dentists in a way that conveys needed information and with patients in a way that ensures confident and compassion in patient care.
Organizational skills. Dentists are too busy to organize and effectively retrieve patient records. Dental assistants need to be able to create an effective system for retrieval of patient information. New records need to be added to old records in an accurate and systematic way.
Medical skills. Dental assistants will help with many dental procedures and may complete other procedures independently. Acting in a safe manner when performing actions such as cleaning teeth, taking impressions, taking x-rays, or applying bleach treatments is vital to minimizing medical mistakes.
How to Become a Dental Assistant
Dental assistants typically need their dental assistant certificate to be qualified in this career field. The education typically takes nine to eleven months to complete. Experts in this field will become board certified by passing a national test. A dental assistant can work in the field without their certificate, but this is not preferred as formal education creates entry-level assistants who are ready to provide quality patient care.
Education & Training Requirements
Dental Assistant education varies by state. For the most part, dental assistants need to receive certificate. The typical program is 9-11 months offered by a community college. However, there are accelerated and part-time, and distance and hybrid programs. The coursework will cover the clinical aspects of dental care as well as how to effectively complete administrative tasks.
Professionals who attend accredited dental assistant programs can choose to become board certified. The examination is called the Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) examination. This examination indicates that the individual is fully prepared to serve in their role. For individuals who have not graduated from an accredited program, they can take the Dental Assisting National Board’s examination after working in the field full-time for two years. Additional regulation varies by state.
Dental assistants who receive board certification may be capable of completing tasks of increasing responsibility such as applying fluoride or polishing teeth. In addition to the board certification, these professionals have to be certified in CPR and many gain additional certification in areas such as taking and processing x-rays.
Work Experience
Being a dental assistant is absolutely a job that one can get without work experience. In fact, many dental assistants gain experience in the field through this position and continue on to become dental hygienists or dentists (insert citation). The education of these professionals provides them with necessary entry-level skills to be employed upon graduation.
For dental assistants who did not attend an accredited program, there are ways to train on the job and gradually fill the role. These professionals need to learn on the job and may need to engage in some sort of job shadowing or observing role until they have mastered the dental assistant job description requirements.
Work Schedules
Two-thirds of dental assistants are employed full-time and one-third are employed part-time. Full-time is considered greater than 30 hours a week. Dental assistant jobs rate higher than average in job flexibility. Job hours depend completely on the dental office in which they are employed. A few dental assistants may need to work evenings or weekends.
Extra hours are not typically a requirement for this position. Being a dental assistant requires significant concentration and hand-eye coordination. Extra or overtime hours may impair the ability of these professionals; this may lead to an increase in medical accidents.
Career Prospects
As can be seen from the dental assistant job description of the needed skills and given responsibilities it is clear that this is a highly visible and common job. Being a dental assistant offers advantages from a financial point of view in the typical salary based on education investment.
Dental assistants who are certified will typically only have to invest in a year of education. The median salary of $35,980 in 2015 is slightly higher than the average of all health care occupations. These professionals experience a fair amount of flexibility and variety in their job. This allows them to have a good work/life balance.
A consideration of people looking to become dental assistants is that the vast majority do not report having health care benefits. If this is a necessity for you, it would be wise to seek out dental offices that do offer this benefit to assistants.
The field is predicted to grow 18% by the year 2024. This is faster than the national average. Due to the high predicted job growth, it is not very competitive to obtain the job of being a dental assistant. In addition, choosing to be a dental assistant offers a high opportunity for career advancement and increased salaries. Being a dental assistant is an excellent job in its own right. It can also be a stepping stone to other dental care jobs.
Conclusion
Being a dental assistant is a rewarding career with an excellent job outlook and potential for growth. These professionals are vital to the field of dentistry and are akin to medical assistants. They are well-respected and can expect many job opportunities after graduation from their certificate program. In summary, this dental assistant job description should provide you with a complete understanding of the path to become a dental assistant and what you will do in that position.