Programs - General Description

National Avg. Salary: (Hourly)
- Starting:
  $14
- Experienced:
  $20
Local Avg. Salary: (Hourly)
- Starting:
  $12
- Experienced:
  $16
Completion Time
(in months)
- 12
Waiting List:
- No

Susan Cochran

Program Director

Current Program/Catalog Information

To view current program information, select a program (or "ALL" for all programs) from the drop-down menu.

Expanded Duty Dental Assisting Diploma

Health and Sciences Division

General Description | Semester Layout | Course Requirements | Printable Checklist

Mission

To provide students with a comprehensive technical education that will prepare them to graduate with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to begin the practice of dental assisting.

Description

Dental Assistants perform a variety of duties including those related to patient care, as well as many office and laboratory responsibilities. During patient care they work chairside assisting dentists as they examine and treat patients. Dental Assistants must be reliable, have good manual dexterity, and be able to communicate and work effectively with patients and other members of the dental office staff. Dental Assistants are employed, almost exclusively, in private dental offices. Some employment opportunities are available in public and government facilities. Nationally, the starting salary for a Certified Dental Assistant is approximately $20,000 plus available benefits. As the population grows and as dentist's workloads increase, there is an increasing need for more trained Dental Assistants.

Accreditations, Approvals, and Certifications

This program has been accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (American Dental Association 211 East Chicago Avenue Chicago, IL 60611 312.440.2500 ) .

Program Entrance Requirements

Course Level

Required Courses

High School

Biology, Typing/Computer

(Recommended: Algebra, Chemistry)

College

None

NOTE: A grade of "C" or better is required for each prerequisite course.

Other	Required
Diploma or GED	Yes
Approval/Permission Needed -- Application Process	No
Prior Experience/Observation Minimum fifteen hours of observation in a dental office	Yes
Minimum Cumulative GPA of 2.0	Yes
Current CPR Certification by American Heart Association or American Red Cross	Yes
First Aid Certification	No
Hepatitis B Immunization or Signed Informed Refusal or Titer	Yes
MMR Immunization or Titer	Yes
Chicken Pox Vaccination or Titer	Yes
Two-step PPD / Chest X-Ray	Yes
Medical Examination Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete.	Yes
Dental Examination Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete. Dental health must meet departmental standards.	Yes
Technical Standards Forms are provided by the college and should be current (within one year) and complete.	Yes
Negative Drug Screen	Yes
Satisfactory Background Check	Yes
Other Diplomas, Licensures, etc.	No
Recent Photograph Photograph will not be returned.	No

Academic Standards

Standard Criteria	Required
Courses requiring a grade of "C" or better Any course with one of the following prefixes: DAT, ENG, MAT, PSY	Yes
Courses that may not be attempted more than twice Any course with one of the following prefixes: DAT, ENG, MAT, PSY	Yes
Complete or Maintain CPR Certification by American Heart Association or American Red Cross	Yes
Curriculum Completion Requirement 24 months	Yes
Drug Calculation Competency Students must demonstrate drug calculation competency each semester in order to progress in curriculum courses.	No
Dismissal Policy	No
Re-entry Policy	No

Agency Requirements

Students in health majors must meet the published clinical agency requirements when participating in assigned labs. Requirements include immunizations, background checks, and drug testing. To be in compliance with Article, 23, Section 44-7-2920 of the S.C. Code of Law, all students enrolled in AHS 141, DAT 154, DHG 154, HIM 102, MED 102, MLT 110, NUR 160, NUR 201, PNR 110, RAD 101, RES 101, and SUR 101 must complete the requirements listed above prior to being assigned to any direct care entity. Results of the background check/drug screening could affect the student's ability to complete required clinical rotations and/or become credentialed. For example, a felony conviction could make a student ineligible to take the licensing exam(s) required by the profession or prevent the student from participating in the clinical training component.

Graduation Requirements

Complete all required courses specified in the curriculum.
Fulfill all financial obligations to the College.
Achieve a cumulative final GPA of 2.0.
Earn at least 25 percent of the total credit hours of his/her curriculum at FDTC. Exceptions can be made only by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Program Specific Notes

DAS.DTA students are defined as those students who are actively enrolled in the Expanded Duty Dental Assisting required Major Core Curriculum courses (DAT prefix courses). Only DAS.DTA students may enroll in DAT prefix courses. If a student fails to earn a C or better in a DAT prefix course they are withdrawn from the Expanded Duty Dental Assisting Curriculum (DAS.DTA). A passing grade is required in all other curriculum courses. Two consecutive semesters in which the GPA is less than 2.0 will result in the student being withdrawn from the DAS.DTA curriculum.

Students who fail to meet academic standards are withdrawn from the DAS.DTA curriculum. Once withdrawn, a student must petition in writing to the Dental Department Head for reinstatement/reenrollment in the DAS.DTA curriculum. They may elect to enroll in Special Curriculum Expanded Duty Dental Assisting (AS.AS.DTA) and be placed on the end of the waiting list to reenter the DAS.DTA curriculum one time only. They must abide by the academic standards for Expanded Duty AS.AS.DTA students. Reinstatement/Reenrollment in the DAS.DTA curriculum based upon the cumulative GPA of the student and the position of the student on the waiting list, or if applicable, a position available in an ongoing DAS.DTA class.

AS.AS.DTA students are defined as those students who meet entrance requirements and are taking required, related courses prior to enrollment into the DAS.DTA curriculum. AS.AS.DTA students are placed on a waiting list for entry into the DAS.DTA curriculum according to the chronological order of the date when a student met the entrance requirements for the Expanded Duty Dental Assisting program (date they became classified as AS.AS.DTA). AS.AS.DTA students may enroll into ENG, PSY, and MAT courses listed in the curriculum. All DAS.DTA standards apply to AS.AS.DTA students. Failure to meet these standards will result in the withdrawal from the AS.AS.DTA program. Once withdrawn, a student must petition in writing to the Dental Department Head for reinstatement/enrollment into the AS.AS.DTA curriculum.