Certificate
Unlock your potential and start a rewarding career in dentistry as a Dental Assistant. This qualification is suitable for individuals looking to gain the skills and knowledge to confidently assist dental practitioners during a variety of dental procedures. You will support quality and professionalism in the dental sector, and develop a strong understanding of Infection Control and Workplace Health and Safety policies and procedures. In your role, you will assist with administration practice, dental radiography and sterilise dental equipment and devices.
Entry Requirements
* Sound language, literacy and numeracy skills
* With adherence to Infection Control guidelines and in line with the current edition of The Australian Immunisation Handbook, it is a requirement that all students have surface immunity to Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). Evidence must be provided in the form of a Vaccination Record with reported date of the 3 doses or age appropriate doses and a serology result indicating blood titre level result with an antibody level of 10IU/L or greater. We recommend contacting your GP to arrange a referral for a blood test/screening.
Work placement requirements:
* Vocational placement is an important and vital factor in successfully completing this qualification. You must be working or volunteering in a dental practice in order to satisfy the assessment requirements for the units of competency within this qualification. You are required to complete 300 hours work placement to develop competence in a workplace environment. It is recommended that you put aside up to 12 hours a week for independent learning/study and to prepare for workplace assessment and online assessment.
Graduates will be eligible to apply for positions as a dental assistant within a variety of settings. This includes, private general dental practice, private specialist practice including (orthodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, special needs and paediatric dentistry), as well as public school dental clinics, adult dental clinics, community health centres, prisons, indigenous dental services and residential care facilities. Certificate IV is a natural progression from Certificate III and both contain many of the same units. Certificate IV also contains a radiography specialisation which is particularly useful to students in this field.