Employment Opportunities
Are you thinking of a challenging career as a Dental Assistant, or another exciting profession within the Dental industry? Opportunities are plentiful when you graduate from Columbia College’s Dental Assistant Professional Program.
If you choose to become a Registered Dental Assistant, you will unlock doors to careers in many different areas, including:
- Registered Dental Assistant
- Dental Hygiene Assistant/Coordinator
- Public Health Dental Assistant
- Dental Specialty Assistant
- Dental Assistant Educator
- Denturist Assistant
The above positions require you to be a Registered Dental Assistant in order to be permitted to perform intra-oral skills on patients.
If you choose not to become a Registered Dental Assistant, you will still be able to pursue many other employment opportunities, such as:
- Clinical Float Assistant
- Infection Control/Sterilizations Clerk
- Continuing Care Coordinator
- Dental Administrator/Receptionist
- Financial Coordinator
- Treatment Coordinator
- Public Educator in Oral Health Prevention
- Dental Lab Assistant
- Dental Sales Representative
- Dental Benefits Representative – Insurance Company
As a Registered Dental Assistant, you will be required to continue learning and updating your skills through evening and weekend seminars and courses. The profession of dentistry is forever changing, so the opportunities for further education, career advancement and upward mobility within the dental industry are enormous.
Outstanding Success
Columbia College is proud of the fact that its Dental Assistant Professional Program graduates, as a whole, have consistently scored higher than the passing score on the National Exams. We believe this independent assessment of our graduates is a testament to the quality of our faculty and staff, learning environment, students, and program.
Introduction and Philosophy
Columbia College’s Dental Assistant Professional Program is a nationally accredited program. Being an accredited program is very important, as this means that when you graduate from our program, you may be eligible to become licensed in your province of choice. Accreditation is a process that provides assurance to the public that graduates have been trained to perform a specific array of duties to a national standard. The program provides you with relevant and current course content in a supportive environment. Our faculty are professionals who continue to develop their dental and educational knowledge, and whose main objective within the Dental Assistant Professional Program is to help you succeed.
Our Dental Program personnel work cooperatively and collaboratively with leaders from business, government and labour to ensure the program recognizes and adapts to the changes taking place in the profession in order to provide you with the most up-to-date program available.
The Dental Assistant Professional Program is designed to provide you with the skills, technical knowledge and clinical experience that is essential for you to become an effective member of the dental healthcare profession.
Program Mission Statement
The mission of the Columbia College Dental Assistant Professional Program is to build an academically superior Dental Assistant program that focuses on active and collaborative student learning.
This program will be recognized by employers, professional bodies, and the public for the outstanding knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours of its graduates. The Dental Assistant Professional Program provides these motivated learners with accelerated theory and high quality, case-based clinic skills.
Program Objective
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- Identifies problems and situations arising in clinical settings and applies theory to determine appropriate solutions.
- Practices within the scope of practice of dental assistants in accordance with provincial regulations.
- Practices clinical and administrative skills to a competent level desired for entry level in the workplace.
- Applies theoretical principles developed through active and collaborative learning to solve problems and situations arising during a practicum in a general dental practice.
Students will gain skills in the following areas:
- Conduct Appropriate to a Professional Setting
- Dental Health Education
- Dental Sciences
- Clinical Support Procedures
- Clinic Care Procedures
- Practice Management Procedures/Administrative Dental Assistant
- Laboratory Procedures
- Intra-oral Procedures
- Producing Radiographs
- Application and removal of dental dam
- Make preliminary impressions for study casts
- Application of treatment liners
- Application and removal of matrices and wedges
- Personal oral hygiene instruction
- Dietary counseling (relative to oral health)
- Selective rubber cup polishing
- Application of anticariogenic agents (fluoride)
- Post-treatment instruction
- Application of pit and fissure sealants
- Application of topical anesthetic
- Application of desensitizing agents
- Suture removal
- Fabrication and placement of temporary (interim) restorations
- Dental probing techniques
Length of Program
The Dental program offers 28 weeks of intensive training and education. Students gain dental knowledge related to theory, practical, clinical and administrative procedures including four weeks (160 hours) of practicum in a general dental practice.
Detailed Information
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