Am I Right for the Job?

To be a nursing assistant, you must have compassion and a desire to help people. It is not an easy job, but it can be very rewarding . You may discover the discourage that new CNAs feel when overwhelmed by the workload and fast pace. When faced with challenging situations, nursing assistants who seem to be able to manage stress best are those with true compassion for the people who they are caring for. Nursing assistants who view their occupations as “just a job that pays the bills” usually are not successful and likely to have made the incorrect career choice. Patience is essential to the job, along with self-confidence and a certain level of maturity. Good interpersonal skills with an emphasis on being a team participant are especially valuable traits for all health care workers.

How do I become a CNA? (Certified Nursing Assistant)

It’s not as difficult as one might think to become a certified nursing assistant. However, remember the fact that every state is different when it comes to the amount of time needed to complete the training and testing and what type of environment you’d like to work in. If you’d like more specific information about your state and their requirments, you can always contact your State Nurse Aide Registry and/or State Licensing Board.

Remember when researching in your area that CNAs are known by many names such as Nursing Assistants, Nurses Aides, Orderlies, Patient Care Technicians, Home Health Aides and more, depending on where you live and work. Remember to be prepared to submit a background check and drug test whenever you’d get hired at a healthcare facility.

Regardless of where you live you will need to be trained. A lot of times local healthcare facilities will offer free classes or “get paid while you learn” offers. Usually these are offered to people with no prior healthcare experience and can run anywhere from 2-6 weeks fulltime. Keep in mind that these facilities often require you to work at their facility for a certain amount of time in exchange for training and some will even pay for the state test as well. You can also attend CNA classes at a local community college or become trained through the Red Cross. These classes broadly speaking last longer possibly up to 6 months and can cost anywhere from $300 to $600 for training. The main benefit is that your training is more extensive and I have observed CNAs often are more confident due to feeling better prepared. Many CNAs quickly learn that on the job training is what matters most and although this holds true for many jobs it is especially pertinent in health care settings. After training you will then need to take the state test to become certified Usually your trainer will have you take the test on a specific pre-arranged date and in a specific place. Some places will allow you to work for up to three to four months after completion of your training classes without your certification.

A Physician Assistant has the honorable job of helping physicians in patient care and advice. It is an occupation that is more than just a mere job; it is a lifestyle. To become a successful Physician Assistant you should be an empathetic person, know how to relate to people and of course; have an excellent understanding of health and medicine.

A physician’s assistant is also known as a PA. They can practice medicine under the supervision of a physician. They should not be confused at all with medical assistants as an MA performs more clerical tasks and can work under the supervision of a physician assistant.

Physician assistant programs are similar to going to medical school. However Physician Assistant training does not last for four or more years like a doctor must go through. They instead train for 3 years maximum, sometimes only two years. There is classroom and lab work and it covers a range of medical topics like microbiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, anatomy and more. There will also be clinical rotations in various medicine fields like surgery, paediatrics, gynaecology, internal medicine and more.

Physician Assistants are not required to complete residencies like physicians once they have finished at medical schools. However if a Physician Assistant wishes to undertake a residency program there are some available.

Graduate programs will lead to a qualification of Masters Degree in Physician Assistant Studies, Medical Science or Health Science. Other entry requirements are a Bachelors degree as well as GRE or MCAT. There are now also some programs for Physician Assistants that have an option for a doctorate qualification. This can include the Doctor of Science Physician Assistant (DScPA).

In 2006 the Physician assistant career was named as the 5th best career in America. This was based on salary ad job prospects as well as job growth which is expected to increase by almost 50% in the next 10 years. There will never be a shortage of work opportunities for a physician’s assistant.

Once you have experience in general practice as a PA you may choose to specialise in a medical field like dermatology, cardiology, surgery or others.

The mean income for a full time PA in 2007 was over $86,000. Specialist PA’s can earn up to $200,000 per year.

A physicians assistant is an excellent job and one that is highly rewarding for the right person.

Algebra as a Scientific Discipline

Algebra scientific discipline is the arm of mathematics that is concerned about the study of structure, relation, and quantity. Algebra handles working with numbers, variables, sets of elements and also matrices as in linear algebra . You can consider algebra as one of the most principal branches of mathematics, if not the greatest. Algebra includes classes such as Linear algebra, Universal algebra and Algebraic geometry.

Need Help in Studying Algebra?

Many software applications have come to the market in hope of facilitating students to develop the ability at solving algebraic problems. These programs cover nearly all algebra modules such as working around and graphing different cases of radical equations, formulas and quadratic inequalities. Such equations like quadratic , simultaneous, exponential, radical and linear equations will be simply, quickly and efficiently solved using these software applications. These software most likely will contain an algebraic course plan and a wizard too; Moreover, algebra calculating systems facilitate a lot of algebraic operations for students of that field of mathematics.

The Big Picture on Algebra

Some students constantly wonder why we learn algebra; they can see no good reason behind it. Well, if we were to talk about uses of algebra, then it has both direct and indirect gains, which I think, algebra students should be educated on. The indirect benefit of studying algebra could be abstracted in working the mind in an organized form. For the direct benefit, algebra has a great deal of applications in different sciences and industries.

In reality, algebraic applications are used around us, all the time such as in industries etc, for instance in robotics research or rocket science. It is also used, in various science researches like physics, quantum mechanics, Informatics and even in the military; in this article we shall explore how algebraic knowledge is applied in to IT.

Algebra in Programming

Relational algebra concepts were the basis for the relational database concept. Also, elementary algebra was used in constructing of complex XML models and constructing XML database management systems. Furthermore, programming languages have been developed for solving algebraic expressions and formulas, like RPL which stands for ROM-based Procedural Language or ALF-Algebraic Logic Functional programming language. Many other sophisticated programming languages developed for the purpose of solving algebraic problems as AML-Algebraic Modeling Language, where this language describes the complicated problem, such as complicated optimization problems, then calls particular external algorithms to solve the problem.

Today’s economy may be struggling, but there’s no better time to facilitate a career change than a recession.  While some industries are laying off workers, there are still many that are growing at surprisingly fast rates.  The health care industry is one of the fastest growing fields in the country today, with jobs expanding more than many other industries to accommodate advancements in technology and the needs of the growing country. 

Pharmacy technicians are one of the fastest growing positions within the country, and expected to grow by 25% between 2010 and 2018.  If you’re looking to transition into the healthcare industry, you may not even have to search top pharmacy technician schools, as many accredited programs are offered and can be completed in as little as three months.

Breakdown of Top Pharmacy Technician Schools

Top pharmacy technician schools don’t really exist in the sense that most Colleges and Universities combine training for pharmacy technicians into a degree in Health Information Technology.  HIT degrees can be completed in a 4 year bachelor’s or a 2 year associates degree and can be a student’s springboard to many different careers in the medical field from technical to administrative positions.

While this type of degree is the best route for students currently in college, many vocational schools or accredited online programs offer specific training that can exceed that of the top pharmacy technician schools and allow you to transition into the field without going back to school for years.  Many top pharmacy technician schools and vocational programs can get you trained and certified in as little as 3 months or in a program as lengthy as a year.

Pharmacy Technician Skills

Skills learned from top pharmacy technician schools reflect the duties of the actual job.  According to the US department of Labor statistics in 2008, the average pharmacy technician salary ranged from 10 to 18 dollars per hour.  The job consists mainly of assisting pharmacists with counting and dispensing medications, as well as offering customer service to patients, keeping records and assisting with the administrative tasks of running the pharmacy and business.

Training from Top Pharmacy Technician Schools

Training from top pharmacy technician schools usually encompasses a study of medications far as common types, brands and markings used to identify medications and their dosages.  Students are also trained on modern machinery used to help pharmacists and techs count and store medications. 

Top pharmacy technician schools and programs will train applicants in communications related to customer service, and even billing procedures for dealing with insurance companies specialized toward medication dispensing.  Some top pharmacy technician schools will set up an externship with a pharmacist or supply other career placement or on the job training for those who graduate in help them transition into their new careers.  Many will also aid in preparation for certifications and exams, as certified pharmacy technicians can expect higher pharmacy technician wages than those uncertified or hired for on the job training.

Everyone wants to get paid to do something they’re passionate about, so while we’re in a bit of a recession, consider obtaining some career training that can allow you to make a positive change. If you’re a victim of layoffs, cutbacks, or difficulty finding work, then maybe it’s time to seriously consider a change—it may be a lot easier and more rewarding than you may think to break into new industries. 

Did you know the average game designers make about $1,400 per week?  That’s over double the weekly national average of combined industry income according to statistics published by the US Department of Labor in 2008.

Why become a game designer? Well if the salary for video game designers doesn’t motivate you, perhaps the open job market and versatility will. Lots of software engineers that are application based make well above the average game designer salary if they start their own businesses or work overtime consistently. 

Even more promising, you don’t need to enroll in the best video game design schools to make the appropriate career change. Though there are two year and even four-year degree programs available by many colleges to students interested in becoming software engineers, you don’t need to be a computer science major to succeed. There are vocational schools, small programs and online colleges that are just as recognized by hiring companies as some of the best schools out there.  

You can get trained in modern platforms like C++ and Java in very little time.  Even most vocational with a classroom format will only last 6-9 months, and many programs offer courses online to get started. Furthermore, software engineering is a booming field.  The US Department of Labor expects a 30% growth between 2010 and 2018; and about half of American jobs already are completely computer-based.  So why become a game designer? Because the easiest way to be successful is to make good money doing what you love.

Game Designer Training and Day-to-Day Work

Virtually every company that hires programmers for applications will need game designers in some regard. The day-to-day job is so much more than just writing code. Software engineers and game designers spend the bulk of their time critical thinking to come up with complex problem-solving algorithms.  

It’s not uncommon for software engineers to bounce to new projects based on experience or specialization, or for their routine to change within the same software, customizing it for different client’s businesses.  Many game designers will start their own company or work on the side while employed. With new advances in cell phones and hand-held platforms that are app-based, autonomy is becoming easier with the game designer world.

Game Designer Job Markets

College students don’t really have the jump in the job market, so don’t worry about enrolling in the best game designer schools, especially if you know programming and are looking to shift careers.  Just by learning modern platforms like java and C++, you can break into the game designer industry.  

Audio conferencing is a learning environment in which individuals as well as the instructor may speak in real time. Since participants can just listen to one another and aren’t able to view each other, this kind of training commonly is supplemented utilizing handouts which are either printed or will be in a digital format. Using audio conferencing, people are connected to one another either by telephone or by means of equipment created specifically for audio conferencing. Audio conferencing consists of exclusively sound – it doesn’t sustain images. Audio conferencing is effective for giving lectures, for brainstorming as well as for conversations. Reliance solely on audio conferencing may cause a number of people to reduce involvement in the subject being introduced. It may additionally diminish a student’s capability to focus. Together, these kinds of issues oftentimes make it harder for students to grasp the lesson. It is for this very reason that numerous professors will in addition create some sort of paper materials as that could help to make it more convenient for individuals to follow along.

Video conferencing, conversely, is a educational setting in which two or even more participants may take part in a digital classroom along with an instructor. The individuals can not simply speak with one another, they’re able to also look at each other also. Videoconferencing tools varies and can be as simple as a computer system which is placed which has a video videocamera or webcam, computer monitor, speakers along with a microphone. The personal computer also needs a network system in order to transmit info back and forth. The video cameras capture and transmit pictures of the class room participants or any other content which is inserted in front of the camera. Students talk into their microphones and are able to hear what others have to say by way of the audio system that are inside their computer systems. A television monitor may also be used to produce graphics and a telephone network or local area network (LAN) could also be used to exchange files.

Video conferencing is significantly more interesting however, installing the video cameras, speakers and microphones may be challenging. And there is another interesting restriction of video conferencing and it doesn’t have to do with equipment. As soon as some individuals realize they’re ‘on screen’ there is a inclination to be camera shy. This concern usually goes away as individuals grow to be more at ease with this type of learning environment.

When real time, symmetrical transmission is desired, such as for distance learning education, both audio and video conferencing are appropriate educational media. Both of these forms of instructional media are employed by learners residing in remote areas around the globe, making less complicated to become submerged inside a learning environment provided they have access to the needed devices.Both audio and video conferencing accomplish a high amount of interaction amongst teacher and students. Since there are not any restrictions on location, it’s much simpler to set up guest speakers from around the world. Although audio conferencing cannot transmit images, it isn’t hard to incorporate this media with others like satellite learning or ITV.

Anytime you have people with power over others on a very large scale, corruption of some form follows. American colleges and universities have hidden their profit machine behind the “importance” of education for far to long.

Don’t get me wrong, education is very important. A college degree is still a major accomplishment and should earn the recipient more income over their lifetime than a person without. We still and always will have professions were college is required to learn the needed skills to perform the job, ie. doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. In time, colleges have found creative ways to increase their bottom line by taking advantage of students  who want or need  a receive a degree.

The world is simply a different place than it was 10-20 years ago or even longer.  Throughout history, upper level education was provided to a select few, usually the rich and priviledged. When everyone has a degree, the degree  distinguishes you less compared to those without, than it did in the past. It’s basic supply and demand. Those who earned college degrees from 1940-1990 had a major advantage over their competition. Since the majority of citizens didn’t attend college, these degrees had much more value as a whole. People began to see the importance of a degree and loan sharks began to make it possible for everyone to attend for a price.

Real Life Example: A friend of mine graduated from a 4 year state univeristy with a degree in elementary education in May 2009. Her graduating class had nearly 60 students receive the same degree. In December if 2009, another class graduated with close to the same # of students. Our county of roughly 90,000 citizens has close to 60 elementary schools, charter schools, and private schools for these new elementary teachers to apply at.  My friend was one of the lucky 20 or so graduates from her class to get a job as a first year teacher. That’s 20 job openings for over 120 graduates. Since a  public school year runs from August-June, this means yet another  class will graduate in May 2010 and 60 more students, or 180 total looking for a job that isnt there this August. The sad thing is that this is only counting students graduating from a single university, we have 3-4 smaller colleges in the county that will only double these #’s. As many as 65% of these graduates are 22/23 yeas old, in debt  and have a piece of paper saying they are qualified to work a job that simply isn’t hiring at the rate of degrees being attained and never will be. This doesn’t mean the degree is worthless by any means,  having a degree at all says something about one’s character and abilities. The real issue is that we end up with 100 teachers in 1,000 teaching while the remaining 900 take other, usually less paying  jobs from those without a degree at all over tmie.

Admissions

The first step in the college process is applying and being admitted into the school of your choice. A quick search of the internet and various universities show that the application fee of most schools will cost between $30-$70 with an average of around $40.  This is usually a non-refundable fee.  Many schools will charge additional  fees to send or recieve transcripts as well. None of these fees guarantee you admission, this is just the cost of them evaluating you. Though it varies from place to place, large state schools accept around 45% or less freshman applicants per year.

Real Life Example: In the state of Florida from 2005-2008, the major 5 public universities (Florida, Florida State, Florida International, UCF, and USF) have each decreased the % of admitted students each year, with the total # of applicants has increased slightly yeach year, In 2008, the freshman acceptance rate for these 5 schools combined was less than 38%, down from 52% in 2005. In total, 1,300 less freshmen were accepted, while nearly 15,000 more applied in 2008 than 2005.

Hyperinflation of College Tuition

From 1978 to 2008 the cost of living has increase 3 fold, medical cost have increased 6 fold, yet college tuition has increase an amazing 10 fold in only 30 years. Colleges have increased tuition costs an average of 4% each year duing this time. It costs nearly 3.5 times as much to attend a private school than a public school, which is the largest markup in history. In 2008, a study was done by NPSAS that concluded the median cumulative debt for graduating with a 4 years degree is $19,999. One in four borrowed $30,000 or more, while one in ten borrowed $45,000 or more.

As quoted from Wikipedia: “A generation ago, students could easily pay for public universities without student loans, simply by taking a part-time job. Students today are an exploited minority, being taken economically taken advantage of because they lack the historic perspective to appreciate the inequality.”

When the economy is booming, private schools raise tuition and when tax breaks are given the public schools follow. Just recently our president has made attempts to give students cheaper more affordable ways to pay for college and the schools are raising tuition in tune, yet again. What’s in place to stop them? Students get $1,000 loan, they charge $1,000 if students can get $2,000 loans, they will charge $2,000.

Transfer Credit

Many school do not allow students to transfer all previous credit into their degree programs. A common practice is to disallow previous core classes to count as core classes, but  allow them to count as elective credit. Schools sometimes don’t accept common credit from institutions located just miles away who are accredited regionally or nationally. Every class you take, every extra semester you are there,  is more money for the school. It benefits them to allow just enough credit to keep the student interested in the school, but not so little that the student will apply somewhere else where they may accept more transfer credit.  Some schools are better than others, no question. Professors, facilities, alumni, and prestige give a school the right to charge more or less for their services. Blatant refusal to accept valid transfer credits from qualified institutions is one of the biggest scams going. If they deny you 1 class, thats $300-$1000 you lose and they make.

Real Life Example:

Another friend had 80 hours of transferable credit, almost all in business related classes. A private school in Florida, who allowed up to 90 hours to be transfered in, would only allow 33 hours to be accepted. Of those, 21 would count towards electives. Financial accounting transfered in as financial accounting, yet micro-economics would be an elective credit and he’d have to retake micro-economics again at the private school for core credit. This same student applied at a 2nd private school (in the same athletic conference, with the same accredidation)  a month later and was approved for all 80 hours and was able to take classes for $150 less per class. Thats 47 more hours  for towards the same degree, and he’s saving another $3,000 in tution for the final 40 hours.

Falculty and Communication

Many colleges are so large that its almost impossible to get individual attention regarding questions or issues a student may face in a timely manner. Each conselor may have 100’s or even 1,000’s of students to advise in a given semester. While some schools offer great avenues for help and take advantage of new technology to do so, many contiune to be satisfied with the  statas quo. Students should not have to wait for hours to see an advisor or register for classes, then be treated as just another sheep in the flock. Colleges sometimes all to often forget that without the students, theres no money. Luckily for the schools, there seems to be an endless supply of sheep willing to take a gamble on this money machine diguised as an education system.

Real Life Example:

A local community college, Polk State College in Florida has 1+  hour waiting lines daily to see one of the few advisors available. Total enrollment is about 10,000 credit students (6,500 full-time) and 8,700 non-credit students, served by a staff of about 100 full-time faculty members. In 2009, they raised tuition costs by 16% after losing nearly a million dollars in state funding. In 2009, only 39% of their funds came from tuition. The state still pays 61%! The student body has grown over 10% for 4 straight years. This institution should be growing and profiting without massive tuition increases.

The following is from The Lakeland Ledger:

“PCC trustees will vote on the $33.2 million budget on Monday. The budget is about $1.3 million more than this year’s $31.9 million. It includes $2 million in federal stimulus money or non-recurring funds that will go toward hiring and maintaining the jobs of adjunct professors, Elliott said.

Money from the state decreased by $127,249 on top of $794,199 cut in January”

A closer look shows that they received 2 million from the Government one time, and will lose nearly a million in state funding per year…so because of this, they have an extra million this year and raised their costs 1.3 million. Meaning the tuition increases weren’t needed until the year following the government money in the first place. Seeing that 90% of the teachers at the school are/were adjunct professors  to begin with their salary should be covered by the old budget, plus the extra 4 years of 10%  more students attending. If they had 6,500 full time students now, 10% more next year would be 650 new full-time more students. 650 students times $2500 a year tuition is an extra 1.69 million dollars each year, which is over half a million dollars more than the funds they lost from the state. This total only includes 650 new fulltime students, not the extra part time students, not the extra parking tag revenue,  or even extra bookstore  revenue. It also doesn’t account for the new teachers they hire, or the new computers and equipment they need to accomodate these extra students. The bottom line is that this school, like so many around the country, charge the student double what the state takes away and results in a endless vicious cycle of higher tuition costs nationwide. But there’s more…

“One bit of good news for the school is that no layoffs are planned next year, Elliott said. Full-time positions remain frozen. It’s still unclear if raises will be given, but a $1,000 bonus given in December seems more likely, Elliott said.”

So if 100 full-time employees each get $1,000, that’s $100,000 spent. Now let’s say that the other 90% of non full-time employees also get the that same bonus, or a prorated version of it. Lets just say, it appears thats where the missing $300,000 or so ends up going. State cuts a million, government gives 2 million. We have an extra million left this year than last, so they up the budget 1.3 million…and amazingly the extra $300,000 goes mostly to bonuses. I am in no place to say whether any or all of these people deserve a bonus. Teachers are typically underpaid and most deserve more than they make. To increase tuition to every student a year earlier than needed to ensure a bonus isn’t right. Sounds alot like AIG and Bank of America doesn’t it?

 Going to school and working even part time is difficult but it can be done. I returned to University when I was pregnant with my fifth child. She was born one month into the program and attended classes with me for the first two months. IT IS POSSIBLE and now there are scholarships available to help you from a financial point of view.
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Many individuals who think about going back to school stop at the thinking stage. They feel it would be too time consuming and too much trouble to go through all the effort of applying, only be turned down in the end because of past or current situations. This is only negative thinking and is not at all the case. There are 1000s of people, just like the ones reading this article, who get granted scholarships every day, and it wasn’t that difficult at all. Scholarships for the working adult are out there if you will just take the time to search them out.
The first thing you need to do is go to the school you wish to attend and ask directions to the financial aid office. These people are there especially to help you. They will not only give advice as to what grants and scholarships to apply for,  they will supply you with all the forms and paperwork they have at their disposal. Also, if you are having difficult filling out the forms, they will guide you through it. Best of all, since it is their job, they keep fully abreast of all current information about both old and new grants or scholarships that would best suit your particular need.
One thing you might want to know is the difference between grants and scholarships. Unlike scholarships or student loans which you normally have to pay back after exiting your school program, grants are free gift money. Most grants are given to financially impaired or disadvantaged students.
The three most common sources for grants are federal  and state grants, college and university grants, and private sector grants. The Federal Pell Grant is one of the most widely used. Again, your chosen school’s financial aid office will know what is available to you. If you are currently working in a field that would qualify, there are also many special “high needs” grants in areas like nursing and teaching just to name a couple.
If it doesn’t look like you are going to qualify for a grant, don’t worry. There are many scholarships for the working adult available. These loans are deferred until you finish your sought after education tier, so you don’t have to worry about the financial strain of trying to pay them back as you are trying to both work and go to school. Of course getting a free grant would be nice, but in the long run you are all the same a lot better off taking a scholarship since with the higher education there will also be higher wages.
So, stop thinking and start doing! Head for the financial aid office of the school you wish to attend. There ARE scholarships for the working adult available but on campus and online where you can get your degree online and get a study scholarship..

What will our schools be like in 25 years, in 50 years? One provocative response comes in the form of a question: “Will there be a tangible school for future generations ?” Today, we can see two main alternatives to the physical school. Both of them are growing as alternatives and are expected to increase in their influence .

Homeschooling
In 2007, 1.5 million students, or 2.9% of the K-12 population was homeschooled, up from 1.1 million homeschooled students in 2003. Parental motivations for homeschooling are broader than religious education. Parents view U.S. public schools as poor.  

Homeschooling is not regulated like the traditional school system . Current regulation could best be described as minimal , as with most developing industries.  

• 40 states require parents to notify set up of a home school
• 10 states do not even require notification
• 13 states require nothing further than notification
• 17 states require tests and evaluation; 6 regulate curriculum & teaching quality

Curriculum and testing are significant areas of debate regarding homeschooling, given that the majority of states do not test homeschooled children or regulate their curriculum. Besides questions of academic standards, is there a role for further regulation of homeschooling? What is the optimum learning environment of a homeschool? How are extracurricular activities, physical education, and sports replaced within the education of a homeschooled child?

One can imagine a future in which homeschooled children access services from a traditional school that a homeschool does not have the resources to supply.  

Online Education
While homeschooling has greater numbers of students active at this point in time, the Internet is seen as the greater force behind the decline of the public school in the long term. The numbers, though, are still small. Nationwide, 44 states have online learning with 45,000 participating students and 50% offering full or part-time K-8; most of which is rural distance learning over the Web.  

Parental motivation for embracing online learning is similar to parents of homeschoolers: a low opinion of public schools . Online learning is about to get a big boost from the state of Florida, where, starting in the 2009-2010 school year, every school district in the state must set up an online school for K-8, with the state paying $6,000 per student.  

But are these at-home, online learners still in the Florida school system? – Not quite. Students are tested, get report cards, and take the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Poorly performing students must return to the classroom . However, students taking the online option do not have access to extracurricular activities and intramural sports.  

It seems logical that homeschooling and especially online learning will decrease the population of full time students in the physical school over time. Yet one can also see homeschoolers and online learners as simply new constituents of the physical school, requiring a new range of educational services and social opportunities. This reinforces the vision of some: those who see the future of the physical school lying in their transformation into community centers, providing services and facilities to the diverse student and non-student communities alike within each district.

Many workers in today’s economy are experiencing layoffs, pay cuts and difficulty finding work in a variety of industries.  On the bright side however, the best time to initiate a career change and get into a new line of work can be during a recession.  Tons of industries are expanding in today’s world of advancing technology and the growth of population density.

The dental industry is an example of a field that’s experiencing unusual growth despite our recession.  Health care jobs exist for just about every type of work, ranging from administrative jobs to assistants at the surgical table.  Dental assistants, for example are in extremely high demand, and it’s a great time to pursue education that could allow you to shift into a dental assistant career.  A dental assistant career can seem daunting and like it requires extensive schooling, but the reality is many dental assistant career training programs can be completed in just about a year’s time, with associates degrees offered for two year programs.

Dental Assistant Career Duties

Those considering a dental assistant career can expect to work mainly in dental offices—over 90 percent did according to US Department of Labor statistics in 2008, though it is also possible to work in specialty clinics physician’s offices and federal buildings in specialized capacity. 

Dental assistant duties include prepping dentist chairs and tables, including instruments for specialized operations and teeth cleaning. Assisting the dentist with instruments as well as sterilization is also common and dental assistants can even remove sutures and perform other menial dental procedures, such as instructing patients on oral care regiments.  Many dental assistants work in administrative capacities as well, assisting with billing, insurance coding and appointment setting as well.  

It’s also possible for a dental assistant career to extend into administrative work for large insurance companies and hospital or clinic billing industries that need experienced specialists around dentistry.

Dental Assistant Career Training

Dental assistants can gain their academic requirements in college in the form of a Health Information Technology degree or a two-year associates degree that is more specialized toward dentistry, but these degrees oftentimes include general education and a vast amount of curriculum related to other forms of health administration. Most dental assistants career programs will only take you a year to complete before certification is obtained.  A dental assistant career is likely to earn you 36-42 thousand dollars a year, according to 2008 Department of Labor statistics, as the middle 50% of dental assistants earned a salary in that range.

Dental Assistant Career Training Online

Many accredited programs offer online classes for dental assistant professionals.  Though hands-on learning is necessary for the more specialized applications of a dental assistant career, courses on the administrative side of things and basic oral anatomy can definitely be taken online at a student’s pace while working another job. The dental assistant career is expected to boom with an increase of 36% between 2010 and 2018.