As you narrow down your options in dental assistant schools, we urge you to prioritize hands-on dental assistant training with live patients. While classroom training is essential, nothing compares to working in a clinical setting. Here are the top benefits of prioritizing live training.
Personalized Learning
Classroom training is essential for learning the basics but in a live dental clinic, your training is personalized. Your supervising dentist will guidance regarding your individual areas of opportunity. This empowers you to learn from your mistakes and refine your skills before applying for your first job. A live clinic also exposes you to a range of patient scenarios you wouldn’t have exposure to working only with plastic dummies.
Boosts Your Confidence
Dental assisting requires steady hands. If your first day on the job is your first time working with a live patient, your nerves may get the best of you. With live training in a dental clinic, you won’t have as much pressure while you practice and learn. Patients understand that you are learning, and the clinic team is there to help you grow. This boosts your confidence as you begin your new career. You may still be nervous on your first day, but far less so with hands-on training.
Develop Your Patient Skills
In addition to your technical skills, you will need to develop your patient skills. Part of your job duties is ensuring patient comfort. Your hands-on training provides you with an opportunity to learn how to respond with compassion to your patients, assess patient needs, and ease patient nerves and anxiety.
Your hands-on training also provides practice working together as a team.
Strengthen Your Resume
Once you are certified and ready to apply for a position as a dental assistant, your hands-on training will provide you with a competitive advantage. If a dentist is deciding between you and another candidate who they believe would be a good fit for their practice—your additional training ensures you stand out.
Where to Get Hands-On Dental Assistant Training in Colorado?
The American Institute of Dental Assisting (AIDA) in Colorado Springs provides the hands-on training you are searching for. Our students train in a live dental clinic with real patients under the guidance of Colorado State licensed dentists. Our program is designed to meet the needs of working adults, which is why we offer evening and weekend classes. With AIDA, you can launch a rewarding career as a dental assistant in as little as 13 weeks.
We invite you to reach out today to learn more!