I live in oklahoma….
I know a girl that interned for him and she said he only pays his assistants 8 bucks an hour…which to me is kind of insulting because they pay kids at subway 8 bucks an hour. The only experience I have is an 80 hour internship and school. But still …..8 bucks an hour? I would think at least 10 for starting out
What should I say or how should I negotiate with him?
It would not be proper to negotiate if you really want the job. It is very low if you are trained or experienced and it would be an insult if it were I. But make sure you have other options before you politely tell Dr. Tightwad to shove his job. Good luck.
I cant seem to find a job! I am finished with my internship and have been looking for over a month! I have given out many many resumes and don’t know what to do anymore! HELP!!! 
The job market is apparently tough in all fields especially for those that don’t have work experience. How about looking for clerical jobs that may help to get one’s foot in the door such as a dental receptionist, file clerk, office assistant or such. Perhaps you can apply to a few different temp(orary) agencies and get work experience, if even, an office type of job so that you may be hired elsewhere.
You may also want to go to attend a free (or perhaps very affordable) workshop at the local community college about resume & cover letter writing (please remember to always send a cover letter with a resume since the cover letter briefly expands on the resume) and even job interviewing skills, too.
I am planning on doing dental Hygiene in the end, but thought I would start with assisting while I am getting my pre req.s done for the program. I am a straight man 38. Is it hard for to find a assistant job right out of school in San Diego? As a man? What will I stand to make to start..lowest/highest?
The dental field always has demand for mature, dedicated trained professionals. I want to emphasize the professional part. Acting with professionalism will go a long way in getting hired. Just because one has taken a dental assisting course doesn’t mean they have the tact and caring that is required to be a good clinician. Know your material, be willing to learn, never be afraid of asking a question… there is much to learn beyond what school will teach you.
Being male shouldn’t make much difference, I’ve worked with many male assistants and hygienists. What will make a difference is the quality of school you’ve trained with. Do your research. Call a few dentists and ask if they’d share their opinion on the best schools to attend in your area. DA school can be expensive, make sure you invest your money in a school that is recognized by the field. Also, check with COMDA to ensure the school is accredited.
Wages in SoCal are lower than other areas. I’m not certain on San Diego, but LA you can expect anywhere from $9-15/hr as a starting wage with no experience. Assisting will give you some experience and possibly benefit you when you apply to hygiene, but it isn’t a necessary step. Ace your pre-requisite courses… I mean straight A’s. Hygiene is very competitive to get into so you want a 4.0 GPA on those pre-req’s.
Good luck!
I would like to become a dental assistant while i go to school to study to become a dentist. so what i would like to know how i can be one. Any training needed? what’s the job like? what kind of work and pay can i expect? any info would help. thanks!
You need to finish all the theoretical years of med school in dentist department first.
The assistants that helps a dentist is mundane tasks are nurses who finished nursing school.
How should I word it on my resume?
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I am getting ready to intern for a dental assistant job and I am wondering if you prefer the dental assistant to talk to you or would you rather be left alone? I’m asking because I don’t know if it can be awkward to be in the same room without talking or not. If you do prefer them to talk to you, what type of questions should we ask?
How old are you?
It depends on the patient. When you go in the room to see the patient, just say ‘hello, how are you?’ etc. If the patient gives you long answers, that means that he is a talker. If he gives you short answers, that means that he wants to be left alone. It helps if the rooms have TVs in them, this way the patient is more distracted. Ask him if you can change the channel for him, or if he would like some water. Children don’t really like to go to the dentist. So, they might need some talking to be entertained. Just tell about how teeth are, and the w-ray machine; they love to learn new stuff.
