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Dental Assisting, Certificate
Dental Assisting, Certificate
at Northern Virginia Community College- Medical Education Campus
Washington, D.C. Catalog
This curriculum is designed to prepare students to perform chairside assisting, minor laboratory, and basic office procedures. Students learn the theory and skills to assist in the dental operatory through coursework in the areas of chairside assisting, radiology, dental materials, dental and biomedical sciences, as well as clinical practice. Graduates can perform certain additional tasks allowing them to become productive and valued members of the dental health team. Upon successful completion of this program, students are eligible to sit for the Dental Assisting National Board Examination (DANB). After successful completion of this examination, the credential Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) is awarded.
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Dental Assistants
Perform limited clinical duties under the direction of a dentist. Clinical duties may include equipment preparation and sterilization, preparing patients for treatment, assisting the dentist during treatment, and providing patients with instructions for oral healthcare procedures. May perform administrative duties such as scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes.
Showing wage data for:
Entry
Median
High
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Hourly Wage
$36,260
$47,810
$60,880
$17.43
$22.99
$29.27
Admissions
Admission Requirements: Students must:
- Comply with all General Admission Requirements for Allied Health Programs.
- Have a high school diploma or GED.
- Take or self-place into MTH 133 or Math Unit 3 or higher: https://www.nvcc.edu/academics/placement/index.html.
- Pass ENG 111, and SDV 101 with a grade of “B” or higher prior to admission into the program.
- BIO 145 or BIO 141 and BIO 142 with a grade of “B” or higher prior to admission into the program (Please note: BIO 141 requires the completion of BIO 101, or NAS 2 or a placement test as noted at: https://www.nvcc.edu/academics/divisions/health-sciences/).
- Be willing to repeat courses or to complete evaluative testing for credits earned more than ten years ago.
- View an information session located on the Dental Assisting web site https://www.nvcc.edu/academics/pathways/health-sciences/dental-assisting.html. Continuation Requirements: All courses (including General Education courses) program must be completed with a grade of “C” or better before taking the next course in the sequence and to satisfy graduation requirements (note: some prerequisite requirements may require a higher grade).