Pursuing A Career As A Dental Assistant
Dental Assistants perform various duties that include patient care, office and laboratory duties. Though registered and licensed similar to dental hygienists, their duties are different. The majority of dental assistants acquire their skills through ‘on the job’ methods although some do get formally trained by undergoing dental assisting programs offered by a number of institutions like trade schools, community and junior colleges or the Armed Forces . Students interested to pursue a career as a dental assistant should opt for subjects like biology, health, chemistry, office practices etc, while undergoing high school education. The usual duties of a dental assistant while engaged in patient care consist of making a patient as comfortable as possible in the dental chair, making preparations for treatment and obtaining the patient’s dental records. Other duties include, but are not limited to, cleaning and sterilizing instruments and other equipment, setting up the tray prior to dental procedures, handing instruments and other required materials to the dentist during work, using suction devices and/or other means to keep the mouth of the patient dry and providing post operative and general dental care instructions to patients. To pursue a successful dental-assistant career you must possess certain special attributes. For example you need to have good manual dexterity, be reliable and a good team worker. Although you do not require a degree to become a dental assistant, some states may require you to clear a written or practical test/examination and obtain a license or get yourself registered as a dental assistant. In case you are involved in specialized work like Radiological procedures in course of your professional duties, you may need to clear an examination in Radiation Health and Safety that is offered by the DNAB (Dental Assisting National Board) also. Some states may require you to clear a state approved radiology course. There is also a lot of scope for career advancement in this field. If you have good education you may be able to get elevated to the position of an office manager. Alternatively you can get into dental product sales or become a dental-assisting instructor. You may also opt for further education to become a dental hygienist. The job outlook in this field is excellent with employment opportunities slated to increase sharply over the coming years. In fact dental-assistant career opportunities are expected to grow at a much faster pace than the average for all other occupations, in the next six years. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified dental-assistant careers as the third fastest growing occupation which does not require a degree. Its data pertaining to earnings of dental assistants relating to May 2006 reflects median hourly earnings of dental assistants as $14.53. The highest and the lowest figures for dental-assistant earnings are shown as $20.69 and $9.87 per hour. Employment figures for 2006 stand at 280,000 dental assistants and the projected increase in employment is reflected as 82,000 by 2016 to bring the total number of dental assistants to 362,000.
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