So, you are interested in becoming a dental assistant, but want to know all the good and bad aspects of this career change. We may be biased, but we sure think the good outweighs the bad!
Let's start out with the pros:
1. Short Term Training Available: Unlike many career path's Dental assisting requires little to no training to enter into the field. We offer a 10 week training program that only requires on-site attendance 1 day a week. Many of our graduates also secure positions before finishing the 10 weeks!
2. Good Hours & Flexible Schedule: Many offices follow a 9-5 type of schedule with some even offering a half day or being closed a certain day of the week. No overnights are necessary in this field and you should have the flexibility to decide between part-time and full-time positions. Another benefit to good hours is . . .
3. Good Earning Potential & Benefits: Most offices offer paid holidays, PTO, health insurance, and so much more to their full time dental assistants. Dental assisting is a fast growing field, leading to a lack of dental assistants trained in the field and a lot of open positions. How does this benefit you? This means employers are willing to be more competitive with the wages and benefits they will offer to prospective employees to fill positions.
4. Variation in Daily Tasks: Are you someone who gets bored easily? Have no fear every day looks a little different as a dental assistant. DAs complete a wide variety of tasks including seating patients, assisting in procedures, following sanitization steps, and so much more! There are also many specialties within dentistry if general dentistry isn't for you. You can always look into orthodontics, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, just to name a few. Our training program makes sure to cover the many specialties in dentistry so you have a better idea of what interests you!
5. Job Growth: Not only is dental assisting a new job prospect it truly is a career game changer. You not only have the opportunity to work in different dental specialties, you can also further your education in the future and be able to accomplish more tasks. Specific to Pennsylvania and Delaware you can use dental assisting as a pathway into an Expanded Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) or even a Hygienist. There are also always other facets of the dental team to transition into if you decide to move away from chairside, with your added dental knowledge you make a great candidate for front desk, insurance, billing, and many more!
6. Helping People: The most selfless pro in our book is that dental assisting is a great field for you if you love to help people. The job not only includes assisting your dentist it also includes patient education, patient care, and a great sense of communication with others. This can make dental assisting a truly fulfilling career & give you the chance to make a difference in the lives of others!
Now for the Cons:
1. Bodily Fluids: Dental assisting is not for the faint of heart, especially if you decide to work in a more surgical specialty. Part of the job requires being near people's mouths and helping with procedures, sometimes it can be a tad messy. It also includes cleaning up patient rooms after appointments, and dirty instrument sterilization.
2. Odor: Not every patient you see will have perfect teeth and sometimes this can come with a variety of smells. Different procedures and products can also produce odors. The one benefit is you do get used to it, and we do think the fact that you are helping to make people's smiles better outweighs the smell any day.
3. Occasional Weekend Shifts: Weekend shifts do not apply to all offices, but some will require an occasional Saturday shift. Typically they look like a 8am-1pm or a 9am-2pm every few weekends or maybe even once a month, if at all. Working weekends can be something to think about when applying to an office to see if it would work out with your lifestyle.
4. Time on your feet: This can be taken as a pro or con depending on who you speak to. It has been shown that having an active job can improve your overall health, but consistent standing can also be hard on the body and may not be for everyone.
5. Dealing with Patient Anxiety: Not all patients are calm and collected when they come into a dental office. As a dental assistant part of your job includes finding ways to help and assure patients before, during, and after their appointments. Although this can be difficult to handle, you can be the person that makes a difference in a patient's experience.
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