In order to make an informed choice about the suitability of a course, you must take into account the essential skills and knowledge in addition to the critical aspects of assessment of a course or qualification.
Please review this informed choices information and think about whether you might experience challenges in meeting the student expectations and inherent requirements.
- If you think you might experience challenges related to a disability or mental health condition, you should discuss your concerns with the Head of Programs or Principal Lecturer, or an Accessibility and Learning Support Officer.
- If you have made an informed choice that this is not the right pathway for you, please consider another qualification.
Please read the following information carefully. The accordions below set out the expectations and inherent requirements of a student training in the following qualifications and give you an idea of how a typical work day as a dental assistant would run:
- Certificate III in Dental Assisting
- Certificate IV in Dental Assisting
Assisting dentists, hygienists and therapists with a variety of dental procedures
- Preparing for and cleaning up after procedures, including the preparation of materials used in these treatments
- Decontamination and sterilisation of dental instruments
- Assisting the dentist during these procedures e.g. passing instruments, operating suction apparatus
- Efficient administration of the practice including stock control
- Developing and mounting X-rays, and operating digital imaging equipment (to do this you may need to obtain a radiation license from your state’s licensing authority)
- Acting as the first point of contact for patients at reception - taking payment, scheduling appointments, preparing them for procedures, explaining courses of prescribed treatments, updating patient records
Physical Daily Demands and requirements of a Dental Assistant
include but not limited to:
- 󠄀 using both hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls
- repeating the same movements
- frequent bending or twisting the body.
- standing for long periods
- holding the arm and hand in one position or hold the hand steady while moving the arm
- using fingers to grasp, move, or assemble very small objects
- using one or two hands to grasp, move, or assemble objects
- bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out.
- using stomach and lower back muscles to support the body for long periods
- using muscles to lift, push, pull, or carry heavy objects up to the single person lift capacity of approximately 20kgs
- using muscles for extended periods
- manually decontaminate instruments leaning down in to a sink scrubbing instruments
- submerged under water safely for prolonged periods of time- including sharps assembly and dismantling
- loading and unloading metal trays of dental instruments safely from the above bench autoclaves reaching temperatures 134 degrees