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Dental Assistant: A Career You Can Smile About
June 14, 2007
by Richard Barrington
Business Programs Columnistt
Training as a dental assistant can get you into a profession with some job security. It can also serve as the first step in a dental hygiene program, which could mean a higher salary.
Dental Assistants Have Job Security
To find a career with job security in today's economy, you need to consider two factors:
- Demand. Look for a profession with stable or rising demand
- Outsourcing protection. With so many jobs being outsourced to remote locations, you should look for a profession that requires a local presence.
Dental assistance rate well on the above criteria. With the population growing, demand for dental services should continue to increase, and, certainly, people can't ship their teeth out of state or overseas to have them cleaned!
Current Job Market for Dental Assistants
There are currently about 270,000 dental assistant jobs nationwide, so it is a pretty broad market. Also, if you choose a dental school with a full dental hygiene program, you may want to view the dental assistant level as the first step toward qualification as a dental hygienist.
The requirements for dental hygienists are more stringent, and the jobs are a little more select, but it can be worth it. At $60,620, the average annual salary for dental hygienists is well above the national average of $37,870.
Education is the Starting Point
Dental assistant school is the first step. Make sure you choose a school which meets your state's licensing requirements. If you'd like to eventually become a dental hygienist, you may want to choose a dental program from a school also offering a complete dental hygiene program.
With the right education, you can join a profession which most people depend on regularly. So brush twice a day, and start researching which dental school is right for you!
Sources:
About the Author:
Richard Barrington is a freelance writer and novelist who previously spent over twenty years as an investment industry executive.
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