So you have already decided that you want to be a dental assistant. Now, it’s just a matter of making the decision on where to get the dental assistant training you need to move forward in your career field. The decision on where to pursue training is a very important one and it’s not always clear what the best option is. To help you make sure that you choose the best dental assistant school for you, we came up with a list of questions to ask when looking at schools.
Does your program offer a dental assisting externship experience?
On the job experience is extremely important to potential employers. As a recent graduate, you may not have the experience they are looking for from classroom training. However, some programs have a dental assistant externship built right in. That means on the job training in a real dental office before you even graduate from your program!
In the Dental Assistant program at Ross, we know that real life experience is of the utmost importance. That’s why we have teamed up with dental offices in the community to provide our students with experience in a dental office before they complete our program. Our externship experience gives you the chance to gain insight from other dental professionals and maybe even receive additional focused and specialized training.
Do your dental assistant instructors have real life experience?
While a book may be able to teach you a couple of pieces of information and maybe even give you an idea of how to do a skill, having instructors that have actually worked in the field as dental assistants offers far more opportunities for students. They have real experience doing the job that they are helping to train you to do!
For these reasons, Ross only hires instructors with several years of experience and certification or a plan to become certified. That ensures that they are committed to their field and to its future – your future. We want to put the best into our dental assistant classrooms for our students.
In addition to having extensive field knowledge, having an experienced instructor in the classroom also means that they have real life stories and insights that is unique to their position. That means that they know what it’s like to do the job they are instructing you in.
Are your dental assistant classes hands on?
The dental assistant career is definitely very hands on for the most part. That means that just sitting at a desk with a textbook can’t adequately prepare you for your position. That textbook is important of course, but getting in there and practicing your skills with your classmates and instructor are key to preparing you for your dental assistant career.
The externship experience that Ross offers is so important because it gets you out into the field and into a real dental office. However, at Ross you don’t have to wait until your externship to get that hands on practice and experience. Right there in the classroom, you will be getting instruction on and practicing the skills that you will likely use in the field.
Does your dental assistant school have career support services?
Although at the beginning of the program finding your career may not be the first thing on your mind, it will become the most important thing by the end of the program! When you complete your dental assistant training, you’ll want to get out there and put your skills to work in the field. To make the most of your training, you’ll want to make sure that the dental assistant school you attend has career support services to provide insight and help point you in the right direction.
At each and every Ross campus there is a Career Services team that is dedicated to providing support during and after your dental assistant training. Not only do they help you during externship and beyond, they actually make time during your classroom training to come into the classroom and give tips and demonstrate important skills in professionalism, interviewing, and more. Their goal is the same as yours; they want you to get the skills you need and get into the field fast!
Check out the Dental Assistant program at Ross!
Making the decision on where to pursue dental assisting training can be difficult, but we at Ross believe that we may have exactly what you’re looking for! Head over to our Dental Assistant program page to find out more and see if Ross is right for you!