Advance your dental assisting career in 2018 with DANB and the DALE Foundation

WITH THE NEW YEAR NEARLY UPON US, it’s time for dental assistants to envision career goals for 2018, as well as begin to strive toward championing them. Do you have a professional New Year’s resolution? The Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. (DANB) and its affiliate, the DALE Foundation, can help you achieve your goals and advance your career in the new year.

Whether you resolve to take on more duties in the dental office, pursue continuing education (CE), or earn DANB certification, DANB and the DALE Foundation have the resources you need for keeping your professional resolutions.

Grow your career
DANB exams and certifications give you the opportunity to advance in your career. For example, among the many benefits of earning a DANB certification is that it can help you qualify to perform expanded functions and additional duties. DANB’s certifications and exams are recognized or required by 39 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Air Force, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. DANB certificants contribute to high-quality oral health care and are an asset to their dental teams, and employers and patients alike value DANB’s certifications.

Become a dental office manager
When dental assistants want to expand their roles and further their careers, those who move on to become dental office managers can turn to the DALE Foundation for the knowledge to stay the course. The DALE Foundation’s dental office management courses help you to become highly qualified in the overall success of the dental practice. These easy-access dental office management courses allow you to learn on your own time, as well as qualify for Fellowship requirements set by the American Association of Dental Office Management.

Become the office infection control coordinator
Dental assistants are often at the helm of infection control in the dental office and may even serve as the infection control coordinator. The DALE Foundation offers courses and study aids to help you get the knowledge you need to follow this career path. Review important topics in infection control with these online resources:

• The DALE Foundation’s DANB ICE Review
• The DALE Foundation’s DANB ICE Practice Test
• The OSAP-DALE Foundation module: Understanding CDC’s Summary of Infection Prevention Practices in Dental Settings

These resources are good references or can be used to help you prepare for DANB’s Infection Control (ICE) exam. DANB’s ICE exam is a component exam of DANB’s National Entry Level Dental Assistant (NELDA), Certified Dental Assistant (CDA), and Certified Orthodontic Assistant (COA) certifications.

Earn DANB certification

Earning DANB certification is one of the most important steps you can take in your career. When you become certified and maintain DANB certification, you join a group of more than 37,000, and growing, certified assistants nationwide. There are a variety of benefits to earning DANB certification: you will stand out in the job market, demonstrate your professionalism to your employer, increase your career satisfaction, and be poised to achieve many career goals. Perhaps most importantly, you will increase your earning power.

Earn more money
Our recent salary survey shows that CDA certificants not only earn over $2 more per hour than dental assistants who are not certified, but they also more frequently ask for and receive raises. If you achieve the goals discussed here, it’s likely that your employer may offer you a promotion or salary increase. But, you may need to initiate the conversation with your employer and demonstrate your value. You won’t be alone in doing this — 70% of certificants surveyed said they have received a raise in their current position!

One of the reasons CDA certificants might feel more comfortable asking for raises is that they know their worth. Because DANB certification is recognized or required in most states, CDA certificants are more likely to meet state requirements to perform expanded duties. This makes them invaluable to the dentist and more likely to increase office productivity — which can translate to increased earnings. Demonstrate your knowledge and take your career to the next level by becoming certified.

Visit danb.org and dalefoundation.org to further explore how DANB and the DALE Foundation can help you successfully grow your career in 2018. Happy New Year, dental assistants!