Why You Should Get Your Dental Assistant Certification
Before you start smiling about the great promising future that awaits dental assistants like you, it is best to first consider the requirements that are needed to become a dental assistant. Most dental assistants do learn on the job, making some people think that further education and training is not necessary. However, the job market across the country is getting tighter these days.
When local dentists are looking to hire staff, many want their dental assistants to have some formal education beyond their on the job training. This is the main reason the search for the right dental assistant school is increasing.
Your years of experience should be enough to stand for your expertise and skills on the area. However, more and more dental assistants are getting certified in hopes of better career opportunities and advancement. The question is: should you too?
Certified versus Non-Certified Dental Assistants
You might think that there’s really not that much difference between a certified and a non-certified dental assistant particularly if they both have the same years of experience. However, certified dental assistants get to enjoy much more than non-certified ones.
According to the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) in a survey which was conducted in 2015, they found out that certified dental assistants earn more and stay longer in their chosen profession compared with non-certified assistants. DANB recorded certified dental assistants earning more than the median rate per hour compared with non-certified assistants. In fact, the average dental assistant salary for someone who is certified is at $18.73 per hour while non-certified assistants earn around $16.46 per hour – a big difference since from there, we can deduce that a non-certified assistant will probably earn around $31,000 in a year while a certified assistant gets to have an annual income of $36,000. The salary alone is more than enough reason for you to already have your dental assistant certification.
More than the salary though, certified assistants according to the DANB survey stayed got to keep their jobs longer. Certified dental assistants who participated in the survey have been in their current job for more than 8 years while they have been dental assistants for more than 15 years on average. Why would certified dental assistants have higher job retention and employer loyalty? A dental team member who has attended a certified dental assistant school is trusted with more responsibilities and gets to perform more clinical duties as some states regulate the profession and only allow those who are certified to perform certain tasks like taking the x-ray of a patient for example.
An employer would more likely keep a certified assistant since certified dental assistants get to do more compared with non-certified dental assistants who are limited in their capacities.
The DANB survey further showed that assistants who received formal training at an accredited dental assistant school enjoy more benefits from their employers. They receive benefits such as the 401(k) or pension plan, free dental care, reimbursement for state registration renewal as well as other benefits. Certified dental assistants clearly enjoy higher pay, better employment and more benefits compared with non-certified assistants.
More than enjoying the pay and benefits though, a dental assistant certification is basically about recognition. It means that a reliable and trustworthy third party has reviewed your background and your knowledge and saw you fit for the job. By being recognized, you gain employers’ and patients’ respect for you have done all the proper steps and got all the necessary accreditation which proves that you are indeed suitable to practice.
The benefits of getting certified clearly outweigh any loss or risk on your part so you should definitely consider being certified before you start your job as a dental assistant.
Not all Dental Assistant Certifications are the same
If you search for it online, you will find that a lot of schools and educational institutions offer certification or dental assistant certificates. In fact, almost every dental assistant school and program offers a certificate at the end which you can show your employer. There are also certification offered online as well as state certifications and license. With all these certificates being offered, it is difficult to know which is which and what certificate to get.
States regulate dental assistants in order to make sure of the quality of their output and the well-being of their patients. This is why most states have a licensure exam or certification process for their dental assistants. However, state certifications are a tricky thing because you might be certified in California but if you change address and practice in New York, you might have to get certified again. The best thing to do would be to find an organization that is recognized by most states and offer certification. Registered dental assistant schools in California are much different from those in New York.
There is an organization that is connected with the American Dental Assistants Association as well as recognized by the American Dental Association to provide reliable and trustworthy accreditation to competent dental assistants. The Dental Assisting National Board provides qualifying exams and gives accreditation to dental assistants and is recognized, even required, by 36 states. DANB offers three certifications which are: Certified Dental Assistant, Certified Orthodontic Assistant and Certified Dental Practice Management Administrator.
Dental Assistant to Dental Hygienist
Another benefit of formal training through a dental assistant program is that the training hours will count if you ever decide to attend one of the dental hygiene schools in California.
Many dental hygienist programs give preference to students who have prior formal dental assisting training. As an example, if you apply to the Cerritos College dental hygiene program, you will receive 10 preference points if you became certified in a dental assistant program.
If you decide to complete a dental hygiene program, you can look forward to an increase in the amount of procedures you’re allowed to do. Along with the added responsibilities comes much higher pay. The dental hygienist salary is now over $80,000 annually in many states!