Dental Assistant Job Description
Choosing to further education as a dental assistant, to better the life of you and your family, is a great idea and can be achieved faster than you might think. Before most people dive into any schooling or dental assistant training, they often want to know what is the average starting dental assistant salary? True you can take a national average, and I will at least get you close to what you might make, but in reality it is good to research what the average starting dental assistant salary is where you currently live, or plan to get a job.
Before we discuss the average salary of a dental assistant, let’s see exactly what the job description of a dental assistant is, and what kind of training is necessary to achieve a degree as a dental assistant.
A dental assistant is under the direct supervision of a dentist. What a dental assistant will do is assist with oral surgery and other procedures. As a dental assistant you would prepare and arrange the tools and instruments that are needed for particular schedule procedures. After you have prepared the necessary instruments needed for a particular procedure, a dental assistant will hand the necessary tools and equipment to the dentist, and will provide any assistance that the dentist may need during a treatment.
Some other tasks that you will do as a dental assistant is, record findings that the dentist may make, you will change barriers, and sterilize equipment between patients. So what kind of degree is required to become a dental assistant? What experience is needed to get a job as a Dental assistant? What factors play a part in how much money you can earn as a Dental Assistant?
At minimum, you must have an Associates degree from an accredited program, and the more experience you have a better. Experience is not required to get a job as a dental assistant, but the more experience you have the higher your dental assistant salary will start at. It is a good idea that you are familiar with standard concepts, practices and procedures of what is required of a dental assistant when helping a dentist perform any procedures. As a dental assistant, the dentist will rely on you to use good judgment, learn from your experiences, and use what you learn to accomplish your goals.
As a dental assistant, you will be required to perform a variety of tasks while working under general supervision, and not alone. The job role also requires a bit of creativity, and the ability to interact with people on a daily basis.
Filed Under Dental Assistant | Leave a Comment
Dental Assistant Salary in California
Knowing how much you can make at a certain job, is one of the main factors for the majority of people to determine whether or not they will pursue a career with that job. So if you are going to pursue a long-term career as a dental assistant, is a good idea to ask the question what is the average dental assistant salary?
Well depending on where you live, depending on your education and your experience, the amount of money you can expect to make as a dental assistant will vary quite a bit. A dental assistant salary will vary for someone who lives in California as opposed to the dental assistant salary of someone who lives in Texas. So with a little research I’ve tried to pull together some averages throughout the United States of what you can expect to get paid as a dental assistant.
Let’s start with Anaheim California. The majority of dental assistants and Anaheim California earn between $33,000 a year to $41,000 a year as of March 2009. However there is a lower percentile that make below 30,000 year, and there is another lower percentile of those who make over 44,000. So from these numbers you can see that even in one area the amount of money you make will vary depending on your skill level and experience level.
Now moving to Santa Barbara California, as a dental assistant you could expect your salary to be between 32,000 and $40,000 a year, with the low end being 29,000, and the high ambient 43,000. The average dental assistant salary for Santa Anna California was very similar to Santa Barbara and Anaheim California.
Going onto the larger Los Angeles California, as a dental assistant living in LA California you can expect on average for your dental assistant salary to be between 33,000 and $40,000 a year. The lower percentile making just under 30,000 a year and another lower percentile making little over $43,000 a year.
You can expect your salary and San Francisco California as a dental assistant to be between $36,000 a year and $44,000 a year. The lower end of that spectrum making as little as $32,000 a year and as high as $47,000 a year.
If you’re living in Sacramento California and are considering pursuing a job as a dental assistant you can expect a salary between $32,000 and $39,000 a year. On the lower end of that spectrum you can expect as little as $28,500 a year and as high as $42,000 a year.
What is the average dental assistant salary for someone living in Santa Cruz California? Will the norm average is between $33,000 a year and $40,000 a year. However you can expect to see as little as $29,500 dear and as much as $43,500 a year in Santa Cruz.
And the last city in California that I researched and found some dental assistant salary numbers was Irvine California, or orange county California. You can expect a dental assistant salary to range as low as $29,000 a year and as high as $44,000 a year. However the most average dental assistant salary and Irvine California ranges between $33,000 a year and $40,000 a year.
So as you can see from the numbers above even in one state the amount of money that a dental assistant will make will vary quite a bit. So you can only imagine how it will vary from state to state and from one side of the country to another. There are many factors that come into play as to how much money you can make or expect to see as a dental assistant.
Filed Under Dental Assistant Salaries | Leave a Comment