When you commit yourself to following a new career path, you want to ensure that the education you’re getting sticks. This is especially the case in fields like dentistry that involve using instruments with a steady hand. It’s for this reason that the dental assisting industry requires more than simple classroom instruction. This is the importance of hands-on dental assistant training and what it provides to its dedicated students.
1. Helps Build Confidence
Being confident in your role as a dental assistant is key to performing daily tasks well and without hesitation. As such, hands-on dental assistant training is essential to helping you develop that confidence and physical skill. Already having this experience under your belt will also allow you to better market yourself in the job hunt and display your achievements proudly in an interview.
2. Access to Live Demonstrations
Though classroom instruction is one method to learn, many individuals absorb information more effectively by watching the process being performed live. This aspect makes hands-on training extremely valuable, as it can speed up the learning process and allow a student more opportunity to get a solid grasp on the information. These programs also give students the chance to try out the tasks they just watched, allowing their minds to process that information again and commit it to memory.
3. Allows you to Learn From Mistakes
Mistakes are bound to happen when you’re first learning a new skill, but learning on the job removes any margin for error. This raises the overall risk involved with performing the task and increases your level of stress at your new job. But in the lab setting, you can make as many initial mistakes as you need to without putting a live patient at risk. Therefore, you can practice what you’ve learned as much as you need to and eliminate the frequency of your mistakes as you do so.
4. Leads to Better Learning Outcomes
One of the most significant benefits of hands-on learning is that most people perform better. When you compare hands-on learning with in-person lectures, you’ll note that students who actively participate in learning processes come out with more knowledge. Additionally, when it comes to online learning, you can see that students regard it similarly to face-to-face learning, making it clear that a hands-on educational style is most impactful.
When you physically practice your craft, you can learn its ins and outs quicker. In the dental assisting field, having a chance to practice various techniques on real patients is crucial. The time you spend honing your skills in a clinical setting now will pay off substantially when it’s time to apply for jobs.
5. Improves Connections With Instructors
There’s no better way to foster relationships with your instructors than in a hands-on setting. These situations let you learn directly from the experts. If you have questions about a certain process, they can walk you through the steps right in front of you. Building relationships with your instructors can help you create a network of professional contacts to help you navigate your career.
By learning in a clinical setting rather than online, you can get the one-on-one attention you need to benefit from your education.
6. Ensures You Appeal to Employers
A career as a dental assistant requires various types of hands-on work. When you put your knowledge to work in a clinical setting, you can ensure you’re ready to enter the field. Showcasing your real-world experience on your resume can help you stand out amongst fellow applicants. Your expertise will stand out to hiring managers during the hiring process.
If you can demonstrate that you’re fully prepared to dive into the world of dental assisting, you can impress future employers from the initial hiring stages. Put yourself ahead of the competition when you enroll in a program at a hands-on dental assisting school.
Contact Us to Learn More About Our Hands-On Dental Assistant Program
The instructors at the American Institute of Dental Assisting are here to help you jumpstart a career in dental assisting! Unlike other programs, which can take upwards of nine months to complete, you can finish our program in only 13 weeks. To begin your journey to becoming a dental assistant, apply online today.
