Dental Assisting (Associate of Applied Science) - Southaven
Program offered at: Southaven, Mississippi
Dental Assisting (Associate of Applied Science) Mission Statement
The Dental Assisting program prepares students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed for success in an entry-level position. The program aims to guide students in developing proficiency, professionalism, empathy, and accurate technique while learning to interact professionally with dentist, coworkers, and patients.
Learning Objectives / Instructional Outcomes
The program includes general education courses covering mathematics, written, verbal, and nonverbal communications; interpersonal skills; critical thinking; the sciences; and the humanities. Learning objectives include achievement of sufficient theoretical knowledge and practical skills in which students are required to successfully complete radiological written and skills assessments.
Career Overview
The Dental Assistant makes an important contribution to the success of a dental practice as a valuable member of the dental healthcare team. The Dental Assistant’s responsibilities may include preparing patients for procedures, assisting the dentist with instrument transfer during procedures, maintaining treatment planning records, exposing and processing dental x-rays, reviewing oral hygiene and postoperative care instructions with patients, performing laboratory work, and managing such essential functions as inventory control, infection control and OSHA compliance. The Dental Assistant may also be called on to assist in the business office with filing records, preparing insurance reports, maintaining records on the computer, and scheduling appointments.
In order to graduate from the Dental Assisting (Associate of Applied Science) program, students must successfully complete the following curriculum:
* These courses are offered online.
Admission to the Program
Students who have successfully completed the Dental Assisting diploma program from the same campus, or are transferring into the program with the equivalent approved content from another Dental Assisting diploma program from a regionally or nationally accredited post-secondary educational institution recognized by the United States Department of Education, will receive block transfer credit totaling 35 semester credits for CPSO1111, CPSO1112, CPSO1113, CPSO1114, CPSO1115, CPSO1116, DNTA1431, DNTA1433, DNTA1435, DNTA1437, DNTA1439, DNTA1441, DNTA1201 and DNTA1202 as outlined in the chart above. The remaining number of credits required to complete the program is 27. No student may enroll into the Dental Assisting Associate of Applied Science degree program without first completing a Dental Assisting diploma program or equivalent.
A graduate of a Concorde Dental Assisting diploma program is exempt from additional entrance requirements. For other applicants, all other entrance requirements as outlined in the Admissions section of this catalog also apply.