In-office dental assistant training has arrived for the many CDA members who continue to have difficulty finding and hiring qualified dental assistants for their practice.
The Dental Assistant Training Program offers 12 weeks of supportive e-learning to be used alongside in-office training to help train potential dental assistants effectively and into the office as quickly as possible. The program teaches participants the fundamental skills required for a successful career in dental assisting, including those who have no prior dental knowledge or experience.
Help solve dental assistant shortages
Available to members for a nominal cost, the training program is CDA’s latest offering to address and help solve the staffing shortages facing dental practices across California.
Surveys show dental staffing challenges persist in the United States. In an ADA Health Policy Institute survey distributed to participating dentists in June, nearly 58% of respondents said recruiting dental assistants was “extremely difficult,” and 33% rated it as “very difficult.” . Nearly 40% said they had recently recruited or are currently recruiting dental assistants – more than any other position in the practice and slightly higher than the number reported just over a year ago.
Difficulties in recruiting and retaining dental assistants have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the “Great Resignation”. The training adds a new, immediately usable option for dental practices, building on CDA’s ongoing legislative and budget advocacy, as well as existing pilot training programs launched in 2021 as part of the Smile Crew CA campaign and in partnership with external training partners.
Provide basic skills: Focus on training
The dental assistant training program builds on the most recent (13th) edition of “Modern Dental Assisting” allowing dentists to train a new dental assistant on the job in conjunction with supportive online courses.
Twelve weeks of online learning through individual course modules cover areas of interest such as:
- Dental terminology
- HIPAA guidelines and policies
- Infection control and aseptic techniques
- Use and maintenance of equipment and materials
- Basic procedure configurations
- Introduction to chairside dental assisting techniques
In each lesson, interactive activities based on real-life scenarios test trainees’ reading comprehension, and each lesson ends with an exam to ensure that trainees fully understand the content.
CDA members who want to see the content up close can watch a video highlighting the training, but course content can also be easily viewed on the learning platform.
The trainee dental assistant will need to complete the separate required certifications in order to sit for the RDA exam. Dental assistant training materials include a link to training providers approved by the Dental Board of California for specific certifications.
Use additional recruiting resources and other CDA resources
To help practice owners ensure that their trainee is successful, the purchase of the training program comes with a brief introductory course for dentists that describes the program and explains how to use all of the recruiting resources, d hiring, onboarding and CDA training to help with every stage of onboarding. an onboard dental assistant, from pre-hire assessment to managing expectations.
The entire program is available to CDA members at a special price of $255, and each single license entitles the trainee dental assistant to access the program online for three years.
Buy the program online now or learn more from the FAQ and video. Also available as a free benefit of membership is the Dental Assistant Education Roadmap – a downloadable collection of CDA recruiting, hiring and onboarding resources.
To learn more about CDA’s other dental staffing efforts, including successful state budget advocacy and the Smile Crew CA dental assistant training bootcamps, visit the newsroom at the CDA.
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