Are you considering pursuing a career in dental assisting and starting on your way to earning a dental assistant salary? If so, it’s a smart move. With a lack of job openings in many other career fields, thanks to the slow economy, the health care field has just as many job openings as ever. Why? Because even in a slow economy, there are certain career fields that always have job openings, due to their necessary role in people’s health. People always need dental care, so there are almost always dental assistant openings, no matter what the economy is doing.
Of course, the economy does have an effect on a dental assistant salary. So how much can you expect to earn as a professional in this line of work? That depends a lot on your education. For example, if you have a 1 year degree certificate that shows your education included both clinical and classroom training, you can expect to make around $32,690 a year – which is the mean dental assistant salary in the US. But to get a clear picture of how much you might earn as a dental assistant, you need to know what type of education is required to become a dental assistant – and how much you can earn for each level of education.
Any dental assisting program you choose should include a balance of classroom learning and clinical practice. In addition, it must be accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). To get this type of education, where you learn in the classroom and then have a chance to practice what you are learning, you have two options. You can pursue a traditional 1 year certificate or diploma, by attending a training program at a community or junior college, technical or vocational school, or a career center. Or, you can pursue an undergraduate degree by attending a community college or a four year university.
The degree, certificate or diploma you will earn at any of these institutions will be adequate to help you get a job as a dental assistant. But you’ll earn a higher dental assistant salary with an education provided by a traditional college or university. Which means that a big factor to consider when choosing an educational program is how much of a dental assistant salary you want to make, and whether you want to continue your career later on. For example, if you know that you want to work as a dental assistant for a few years, and then move on to being a dental hygienist, a degree from a college or university would be most helpful for doing this.
By investing time in a proper education and training, you’ll be on your way to a rewarding dental career and you’ll have the opportunity to earn a dental assistant salary.