Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Dental Assistants
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at South Puget Sound Community College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Bates, Renton Technical College, South Puget Sound Community College, and Bellingham Technical College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Clover Park Technical College, Renton Technical College, Bellingham Technical College, and Bates.
School Setting
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Yakima Valley Community College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Everest College • Renton, WA
Studying Dental Assisting (completion in 2004)
• 7/13/2011
"I had a good experience going to this school at the time. I believe I learned about every procedure that I needed to in order to be prepared to work in dental offices. Much of the hands-on job skill came from on the experiences."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I believe it is a good choice for those who need a flexible, schedule such as those interested in evening classes. However, there are many other programs at community colleges that are better and much less expensive over all. Had I known at the time about other schools that were available, I would have chosen differently. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | After several years of completing the program, I learned the reputation of the school is much lower than that of other schools in the area. It can sometimes make it harder to find jobs because dentists would rather hire assistants trained elsewhere. |
| Program Quality | 5 | I personally had a good experience attending this school. There was a lot of hands on learning and the instructor was very knowledgeable. However, I know many others who were much less satisfied. The reputation in the area is not great and it has made it harder to find jobs. |
| Instruction | 7 | I believe I was lucky enough to find an experienced instructor who prepared the class for many scenarios. No amount of instruction can prepare you for working in an office when the program is complete, though. |
| How Difficult | 6 | The most challenging part of the program was learning dental terms and their meanings, as well as learning the purpose of each dental instrument. The hands on portion of the program was much easier to handle, in my opinion. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The program was much more hands on oriented when it came to learning how to do certain procedures such as take x-rays, pass instruments, or take impressions. The book learning was mostly learning the dental procedures, the reasons why they are done, and terminology. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The school offers courses during the day or evening. The evening course takes a little longer to complete because they run classes a few days a week rather than Monday through Friday. It is very helpful for those trying to better their career while working at the same time. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | There were multiple classrooms as well as two labs so that more than one dental assistant class can run at the same time. The lab was quite large with several laboratories for practicing x-rays and other dental procedures. It was set up in stations so that part of the class could work on something else to give more hands on practice with the instructors for everyone. The school did not have a library or study group support. |
| Social Life | 1 | This program was at a vocational college and had no athletic program. The students all kept to themselves and rarely socialized outside of school. |
| Placement Services | 5 | The school was helpful in helping give a few job leads and sending out my resume to offices after I graduated. However, none of these leads ever panned out and I was never contacted by potential employers that received my resume. All successful job prospects were found on my own. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | The school has a high rate of people entering the program, but has a much lower completion rate. In my experience, once you complete the program you don't really encounter other alumni since there are so many other schools. I have lost touch with everyone from my class as well as the staff that worked at the school once I found work. |
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