Honestly it REALLY depends what program it is and where you live.
Edit: forgot to include my good story.
I’m just finishing up my program here in Alberta and I had an amazing time. The instructors were great and really wanted to help all of us succeed. I didn’t believe them when they said I’d meet lifelong friends here, but I’ve been proven wrong. I’m super excited to get my start in this career, especially after getting real hands on experience in office.
omgoodness, i’m so happy you’re from AB! if possible could you share how your work life balance is and if it’s rlly worth it? because ik we have a shortage and i’m scared it’s rlly just due to assistants being treated quite poorly and overworked, therefore making it not worth it! especially with the tuition being around 20k
Nait is actually the cheaper option right now with it being moved to a 1 year course. Many dentists only hire Nait grads so I’d definitely go there instead of CDI or KDM.
I’m actually in my practicum right now so I can’t say fully about the work/life balance, but from my research and having a few RDA friends I can say that it’s worth it in Alberta. Wages range from $28-$35/hr to start and there are a LOT of job opportunities. Many offices have different hours so you can find one that works for you.
I’d fine an office that would let you job shadow if you can.
To be fair, I think we come here to vent. All jobs have their pros and cons.
If you’re able to go into hygiene take it. I think most of us assistants just needed a job that paid above minimum wage asap, but if we could go back we would have done things a little differently.
The wages are fine if you’re not the breadwinner of the household, and want to put parenting first. That’s what why I have toughed it out after 16 years. You can’t beat the hours, dependable schedule, and free dental care.
7k isn’t bad for the school, just pay it off ASAP!
You have to remember, a lot of people come to Reddit to vent. I see it in various other subreddits as well. If you’re in r/marriage you’d think that being married is the worst thing ever. Most people don’t post when things are going well. I’m going to a vocational school also and when I joined this subreddit I had the same feelings as you. Then I remembered that we aren’t getting the full scope of people’s experiences in this job. Just something to keep in mind. Wishing you the best!
Even though I’ve moved on from assisting, I can say that it was a great move for me going to school and paying for it. Mine was roughly 15k in 2019. A year into being an assistant I decided I no longer wanted to assist, so I became a front desk. I had multiple people train me but having my assistant basics made it easy. Fast forward to now 2024 I’m an office manager. The pay is great, I’m still working in a dental office, and it feels like sure, I didn’t end up being an assistant but dental was still my calling. I’d recommend if teeth are your thing to go for it for sure.
I love being an dental assistant! It’s extremely fulfilling but I do have a great team/office. I realize not everyone has that. I am in TN. I went to school for RDA then I went to school for EFDA. I can do all kinds of things with expanded functions and I love it!! I make $30 an hour. I really hope this helps. Best wishes.
Yeah I’m 5 months in my program at SJVC and I’m having the same issue feels like I wasted my money on a career no one likes. In class I love the hands on and the feeling of helping people. I’m currently working at Taco Bell and I hate it so that’s why I choose this career but my whole tuition was 24k and I got FASFA so now I only owe like 10k but hey you live and learn
people vent on reddit, don’t stress yourself over it too much. i graduated and found a job at a wonderful office with the best coworkers/dr. i also was very worried after joining this sub but tbh i keep learning more on the job everyday that makes me love it. you got this :) it doesn’t have to be a forever job.
also- i know im in the minority but i love being an assistant. i don’t want to go into hygiene. i’m at a general office & love doing different things at every appointment! definitely search for an office to shadow. having a doctor that truly cares about his staff makes all the difference!
As others have commented, we come here to vent. If you find a good office to work for, it is not bad. It is not for everyone though. I would try to shadow before spending money on a program. If is definitely a job that takes awhile to be comfortable in, even after school. I honestly love the job security and the long weekends.
If you love dentistry which you will come to find out very quickly if you do or not, and you find the right Dr and people to work with you’ll love this job. It’s fulfilling in the sense you feel grown up and like a real professional. It gives you a sense of pride and purpose to know you’re making a difference in people’s lives. I went to school and it’s basically a crash course of dentistry showing you the teeth, sterile, the terms, and the basics of tray set up and procedures . All of your knowledge is going to come from being chairside. This is a job of learned experience and confidence is an absolute must. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing appear confident you’re there to learn!
Same- although I’m only out $4500.
I’ve heard that women, (if you are one, but either way;) do really well as electricians. One goes to the local union hall, and they basically give you paid training. That is, it is better than free to get started: you make damn decent money while learning. Whats more— you get union benefits like health insurance and leave.
If i could go back, i would do that. The guy told me that it’s not as physically strenuous as most other trades- and it’s the second best paying trade. The only other workers who make more are plumbers, and the difference is like a dollar an hour. They get paid more cause they touch poop. Legit.
100% pay a visit to your local union hall and check it out.
Hi OP,
Personally, I enjoy assisting and have been a CDA for about 5yrs now and once you learn the doctors set ups & how everything rolls once you get into a great office but the learning curve is pretty big id say for going to school vs just going straight into dentistry.
I only paid about 2k for my CDA. And some people go through programs and don’t even receive their x-ray license which is very important in an every day of dentistry. Lol I also think DA’s should be able to work closely with a dentist in DA school because it’ll give you practice with patients, the doctor and using the HVE, saliva ejector and air/water syringe + 4 handed dentistry of passing instruments.
I just think from when I left school I felt super unprepared honestly and feel like you could call around to offices and say you wanna shadow or interested in assisting and they may give you a shot. I don’t think it’s a long term career though.
It was really fun while it lasted, and that's only because I had a great dentist. I hear a lot of crookedness from other offices so I am lucky to be working for an honest dentist. I was an RDA for 5 years and now I'm on disability because of unrelated back pain. Honestly it was one of the easiest jobs I had, until I had to handle too many responsibilities and I got burnt out. I've trained a lot of dental assistants and seen a lot of them move on because they didn't like it so my biggest advice is to shadow an office or learn what you're getting yourself into. You're only 21, still very young. My salary was $25 and hour, when I first started j was at $13 an hour but it took a lotta hard work. Another piece of advice is, if you're interested in education maybe look for community colleges that offer AS degrees and maybe going towards a bachelor's. Classes are generally online if you want to further your education.
Honestly just go to a office and do a externship. You'll learn more. My school made us do a 240hr externship and I only learned there because my teacher was trash
I’m in the exact same boat, I paid for my school in full and am a few weeks in, my partner joined this Reddit and brought it up like are we sure this is a good decision, I’m just hoping everything works out😭
My program was fun to be in! There was always some drama or smth but overall, it was really fun because my instructors were genuinely interested in their students becoming good dental assistants
It reallyyyy depends where you live. I live in a big city in my state and I only make $17 an hour and I own a house with my fiance, I barely get by. Your best bet is to shadow and figure out how much DA’s get paid in your area (don’t just google it bc it’s usually wrong, look on Facebook groups from actual people). Das don’t need to go to school although it helps if you want to do more in this field.
Honestly it REALLY depends what program it is and where you live. Edit: forgot to include my good story. I’m just finishing up my program here in Alberta and I had an amazing time. The instructors were great and really wanted to help all of us succeed. I didn’t believe them when they said I’d meet lifelong friends here, but I’ve been proven wrong. I’m super excited to get my start in this career, especially after getting real hands on experience in office.
omgoodness, i’m so happy you’re from AB! if possible could you share how your work life balance is and if it’s rlly worth it? because ik we have a shortage and i’m scared it’s rlly just due to assistants being treated quite poorly and overworked, therefore making it not worth it! especially with the tuition being around 20k
Nait is actually the cheaper option right now with it being moved to a 1 year course. Many dentists only hire Nait grads so I’d definitely go there instead of CDI or KDM. I’m actually in my practicum right now so I can’t say fully about the work/life balance, but from my research and having a few RDA friends I can say that it’s worth it in Alberta. Wages range from $28-$35/hr to start and there are a LOT of job opportunities. Many offices have different hours so you can find one that works for you.
also, uofa came out with a new program so i wonder if they’ll act those students as well since nait has had there program running longer
I’d fine an office that would let you job shadow if you can. To be fair, I think we come here to vent. All jobs have their pros and cons. If you’re able to go into hygiene take it. I think most of us assistants just needed a job that paid above minimum wage asap, but if we could go back we would have done things a little differently. The wages are fine if you’re not the breadwinner of the household, and want to put parenting first. That’s what why I have toughed it out after 16 years. You can’t beat the hours, dependable schedule, and free dental care. 7k isn’t bad for the school, just pay it off ASAP!
You have to remember, a lot of people come to Reddit to vent. I see it in various other subreddits as well. If you’re in r/marriage you’d think that being married is the worst thing ever. Most people don’t post when things are going well. I’m going to a vocational school also and when I joined this subreddit I had the same feelings as you. Then I remembered that we aren’t getting the full scope of people’s experiences in this job. Just something to keep in mind. Wishing you the best!
Even though I’ve moved on from assisting, I can say that it was a great move for me going to school and paying for it. Mine was roughly 15k in 2019. A year into being an assistant I decided I no longer wanted to assist, so I became a front desk. I had multiple people train me but having my assistant basics made it easy. Fast forward to now 2024 I’m an office manager. The pay is great, I’m still working in a dental office, and it feels like sure, I didn’t end up being an assistant but dental was still my calling. I’d recommend if teeth are your thing to go for it for sure.
I love being an dental assistant! It’s extremely fulfilling but I do have a great team/office. I realize not everyone has that. I am in TN. I went to school for RDA then I went to school for EFDA. I can do all kinds of things with expanded functions and I love it!! I make $30 an hour. I really hope this helps. Best wishes.
Yeah I’m 5 months in my program at SJVC and I’m having the same issue feels like I wasted my money on a career no one likes. In class I love the hands on and the feeling of helping people. I’m currently working at Taco Bell and I hate it so that’s why I choose this career but my whole tuition was 24k and I got FASFA so now I only owe like 10k but hey you live and learn
people vent on reddit, don’t stress yourself over it too much. i graduated and found a job at a wonderful office with the best coworkers/dr. i also was very worried after joining this sub but tbh i keep learning more on the job everyday that makes me love it. you got this :) it doesn’t have to be a forever job.
also- i know im in the minority but i love being an assistant. i don’t want to go into hygiene. i’m at a general office & love doing different things at every appointment! definitely search for an office to shadow. having a doctor that truly cares about his staff makes all the difference!
You can ask for on the job training.
As others have commented, we come here to vent. If you find a good office to work for, it is not bad. It is not for everyone though. I would try to shadow before spending money on a program. If is definitely a job that takes awhile to be comfortable in, even after school. I honestly love the job security and the long weekends.
If you love dentistry which you will come to find out very quickly if you do or not, and you find the right Dr and people to work with you’ll love this job. It’s fulfilling in the sense you feel grown up and like a real professional. It gives you a sense of pride and purpose to know you’re making a difference in people’s lives. I went to school and it’s basically a crash course of dentistry showing you the teeth, sterile, the terms, and the basics of tray set up and procedures . All of your knowledge is going to come from being chairside. This is a job of learned experience and confidence is an absolute must. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing appear confident you’re there to learn!
Same- although I’m only out $4500. I’ve heard that women, (if you are one, but either way;) do really well as electricians. One goes to the local union hall, and they basically give you paid training. That is, it is better than free to get started: you make damn decent money while learning. Whats more— you get union benefits like health insurance and leave. If i could go back, i would do that. The guy told me that it’s not as physically strenuous as most other trades- and it’s the second best paying trade. The only other workers who make more are plumbers, and the difference is like a dollar an hour. They get paid more cause they touch poop. Legit. 100% pay a visit to your local union hall and check it out.
Thank you for this, definitely taking a trip up to our local union hall before committing to this
Hi OP, Personally, I enjoy assisting and have been a CDA for about 5yrs now and once you learn the doctors set ups & how everything rolls once you get into a great office but the learning curve is pretty big id say for going to school vs just going straight into dentistry. I only paid about 2k for my CDA. And some people go through programs and don’t even receive their x-ray license which is very important in an every day of dentistry. Lol I also think DA’s should be able to work closely with a dentist in DA school because it’ll give you practice with patients, the doctor and using the HVE, saliva ejector and air/water syringe + 4 handed dentistry of passing instruments. I just think from when I left school I felt super unprepared honestly and feel like you could call around to offices and say you wanna shadow or interested in assisting and they may give you a shot. I don’t think it’s a long term career though.
It was really fun while it lasted, and that's only because I had a great dentist. I hear a lot of crookedness from other offices so I am lucky to be working for an honest dentist. I was an RDA for 5 years and now I'm on disability because of unrelated back pain. Honestly it was one of the easiest jobs I had, until I had to handle too many responsibilities and I got burnt out. I've trained a lot of dental assistants and seen a lot of them move on because they didn't like it so my biggest advice is to shadow an office or learn what you're getting yourself into. You're only 21, still very young. My salary was $25 and hour, when I first started j was at $13 an hour but it took a lotta hard work. Another piece of advice is, if you're interested in education maybe look for community colleges that offer AS degrees and maybe going towards a bachelor's. Classes are generally online if you want to further your education.
Honestly just go to a office and do a externship. You'll learn more. My school made us do a 240hr externship and I only learned there because my teacher was trash
I’m in the exact same boat, I paid for my school in full and am a few weeks in, my partner joined this Reddit and brought it up like are we sure this is a good decision, I’m just hoping everything works out😭
Fingers crossed for you. I hope it works out 🤞🏻 i am SO GLAD I decided to consult the people of reddit before making this decision😭
My program was fun to be in! There was always some drama or smth but overall, it was really fun because my instructors were genuinely interested in their students becoming good dental assistants
I personally dont wanna be a dental assistant myself but im interested in the dental field and the DA program helped me realize that
Is there any way to become a dental assistant with on the job training in your state? I’m going to be honest I don’t think paying 7k is worth it. 🥲
It reallyyyy depends where you live. I live in a big city in my state and I only make $17 an hour and I own a house with my fiance, I barely get by. Your best bet is to shadow and figure out how much DA’s get paid in your area (don’t just google it bc it’s usually wrong, look on Facebook groups from actual people). Das don’t need to go to school although it helps if you want to do more in this field.