In less than four months, students at St. Charles Community College can now become a dental assistant. Through a partnership with CareerStep, the online program is combined with in-person training at a local dentist office.
The non-credit program is designed to help students pass the Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) exam with American Medial Technologists (AMT) and the NELDA component exams (AMP, ICE, RHS).
“Dental assisting jobs are expected to grow by 19 percent by 2026. It's a very high demand field,” said Sue Propper, SCC health occupations coordinator. “Many students can work with a Missouri Jobs Center and get 100 percent of tuition covered for the program.”
The dental assistant program is self-paced. While the training is designed to be completed in four months, but students are allowed up to 12 months to complete the program.
“Students will learn about dental ethics, principles and techniques of instrument processing and sterilization, anesthesia and pain control and much more,” said Propper.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, dental assistants make an average salary of $37,630 per year.
An informational webinar and Q&A session will be held on Wednesday, May 5 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. If you are interested in attending the webinar, please email Sue Propper - spropper@stchas.edu.