The health care field is growing fast with rewarding, interesting career opportunities — and this includes more than doctors and nurses. People with dental assistant training are in high-demand in private dental practices, laboratories, hospitals, and public health clinics. Are you suited for this career path? Here are some characteristics that help dental assistants succeed.

5 Traits of Successful Dental Assistants

1. You Strive to Help Others

If you’ve always felt called to help others, dental assistant training could be the right path for you. Dental assistants are called upon to support dentists and hygienists and are a vital part of providing excellent patient care in a dental office.

2. You Maintain Strong Integrity

Dental assistants have access to patient records that contain private information. A person with strong integrity takes patient confidentiality seriously. They can also be trusted with sensitive medical information and billing records.

3. You Are Patient & Empathetic

Some people fear the dentist, and a kind and patient dental assistant can ease this. They should empathize with patients’ fearful feelings when scheduling appointments, taking X-rays, or simply talking to a patient in the waiting room.

4. You Practice Good Communication

Dental assistants come into frequent contact with patients, dentists, and other office staff. Good verbal and written communication skills, as well as a pleasant phone and in-person demeanor, is vital to success in this field. Communication skills are also necessary for success during the coursework for dental assistant training, as you interact with instructors, classmates, and patients in a hands-on setting.

5. You Are Reliable

A dental assistant could do everything from paperwork and lab duties to preparing instrumentation for a procedure. The dentists and staff need to rely on the dental assistant to be careful and accurate in various situations.

At Westchester School for Dental Assistants in Elmsford, NY, the staff prepares patient, empathetic people to become outstanding assistants through medical and dental assistant training. Students earn a medical or dental assistant certification after coursework and hands-on training for a career in the growing health care field. To learn more or enroll in dental assistant school, call (914) 682-9001 or send a message online to an admissions officer.