Dental Assistant Program

A Rewarding Career in Dental Assisting Begins Here

Prepare for an externship in a variety of dental practice settings, which will enable you to gain real work experience and apply that knowledge to clinical practice.

TRAINING IN THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES:

• Instruction on how to become a professional member of the dental health care team and provide dental care to patients under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist.
• Learning dental anatomy and physiology, terminology, preventative dentistry, two-handed and four-handed chairside assisting, radiography, sterilization, infection control, instrumentation, pharmacology and laboratory procedures.
• Learning administrative dental office procedures, including controlled records management, effective appointment scheduling, communication skills, and a basic foundation of bookkeeping
• Preparation for employment in a variety of dental practice settings, including solo and group practices, specialty practices, hospital dental practices, dental schools, and public health clinics.
• Externship component that will allow students to assimilate the knowledge acquired in the program into clinical practice.
• Training includes radiography and follows the Michigan Dental Association radiography training program.

Call 888-422-1188 for more information, or contact us.

Dental Assistant – Disclosures

• How can I find out more about this career?

For more information about a career in Dental Assisting, please visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET website at http://www.onetonline.org/crosswalk/.  The Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code for this career is 31-9091 and the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code for this program is 51.0601.  Additional career information specific to the State of Michigan can be found at the Career One Stop website, which is sponsored by the U. S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.  Go to http://www.careerinfonet.org/; under browse occupations type “Dental Assistant” in the key word search box, and then continue to select the State of Michigan.

• What is the total cost of the Dental Assistant program?

Tuition and fees for a student to complete the Dental Assistant program within the normal time frame of twelve months (as published in the school catalog) currently totals $16,560, which includes the cost of books and supplies. Total tuition may change based on a student’s decision to change programs, repeat classes, withdraw or interrupt training for any reason.  Total tuition also includes one medical scrub uniform which is distributed during the student’s program as specified in the enrollment agreement, CPR certification and the graduate’s cap and gown.  Additionally, Dorsey’s Dental Assistant program includes the opportunity to sit for the RHS and the ICE certification exams, which are two components of DANB’s CDA exam. To calculate the total cost of education, including indirect costs of room and board, personal expenses, transportation costs and loan fees associated with the cost of attendance, go to http://www.dorsey.edu/cmsAdmin/uploads/DS200-Cost-of-Attendance-COA_FA-web-page.pdf.

• What percentage of Dental Assistant graduates completed their program within the normal time frame?

For students who graduated between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, 71% completed the program within the normal time frame of twelve months (as published in the school catalog). 

• What percentage of Dental Assistant graduates found employment related to their field of study?

As reported in Dorsey Schools’ most recent annual institutional report to our accrediting agency, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), 60% of students who graduated between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 found employment in their field of study, or in a related field, by November 1, 2012.  Additional graduates may have found work in their field of study, or in a related field, after November 1, 2012; however, those placements are not included in this calculation.

• How much student loan debt does a typical Dental Assistant graduate have to repay after graduation?

The median loan debt of graduates who chose to finance their education during July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012 was as follows:

• Title IV, HEA program loans, $7,232
• Private education loans, $0
• Institutional financing plans, $0

NOTE:   The Michigan Department of Community Health, Bureau of Health Professions and the Board of Dentistry, are responsible for the licensing of individuals who want to practice dentistry, dental hygiene and advanced levels of dental assisting. Students attending a course in dental assisting that is offered by a licensed proprietary school that is not accredited by the American Dental Association are not eligible for licensure by the State of Michigan. Dorsey Schools is classified as a licensed proprietary school and is not accredited by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation. Graduates of this program are not eligible for licensure as a Registered Dental Assistant. However, graduates of this program may challenge a certification exam offered by the Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. after completing 3,500 hours of dental work experience. Dorsey’s Dental Assistant program includes the opportunity to sit for the Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) and the Infection Control (ICE) certification exams, which are two components of the Dental Assisting national Board (“DANB”) Certified Dental Assistant (“CDA”) exam.  Graduates of this program may complete the third exam component necessary for DANB’s CDA credential, which is challenged after completing “a minimum of 3,500 hours work experience as a dental assistant, accrued over a period of at least two years (24 months, if employed full-time) to a maximum of four years (48 months, if employed part-time) which employment must be verified by a licensed dentist.”