Seeking a dental assistant? Consider transferable skills while recruiting and hiring

CDA offers job postings in Career Center at no cost through end of year
December 10, 2020
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Quick Summary:
To help mitigate dental assistant shortages and fill those roles more quickly, CDA is encouraging practice owners to broaden their search and consider candidates with service-oriented skills who can be trained on the job.

With an increasing demand for dental assistants throughout California, CDA is meeting the needs of member dentists by focusing efforts on the Smile Crew CA campaign to raise awareness around careers in dental assisting and utilize the Career Center as a valuable recruitment tool for practice owners. 

Smile Crew CA aims to create a pool of qualified candidates by targeting job seekers who have been displaced from service roles with transferable skills that would make them a viable dental assistant.  

To help mitigate staffing shortages and fill those roles more quickly, CDA is encouraging practice owners to broaden their search and consider candidates with service-oriented skills who can be trained on the job, rather than focusing solely on candidates with prior dental assistant experience.  

Adaptable skills that would make a candidate a great fit in the dental office include: 

  • Has experience interacting with customers or patients and showcases excellent communication skills 
  • Able to work effectively in a group or team to achieve a common goal 
  • Shows initiative and can thrive in a fast-paced environment 
  • Is enthusiastic with a willingness to learn and develop new skills  

The Smile Crew CA video series showcases the day in the life of a dental assistant and highlights professionals without prior experience who have seamlessly transitioned into the dental profession and created a lifelong career in dentistry.  

Smile Crew CA links to open roles posted in the CDA Career Center, which offers practice owners robust features, including real-time updates, customized profiles and a resume bank, that are all designed to help employers gain exposure on their job listings and save time on finding qualified candidates. 

Since launching Oct. 1, more than 300 jobs have been posted in the Career Center, including 133 dental assistant listings, that collectively have garnered nearly 30,000 views.  

Practice owners have until the end of the year to leverage the platform’s updated features at no cost.  

Visit the CDA Career Center to start making valuable connections and visit the Smile Crew CA campaign on Facebook and Instagram.  

CDA launching accelerated dental assistant training program in 2021 

CDA has developed a comprehensive training program that will give dental assistant candidates with no prior experience the foundational skills they need to succeed in the dental practice.  

Launching in early 2021, the program is structured with a blend of learning models that offers participants the flexibility of self-paced study and the practicality of applied learning through on-demand modules, in-class instruction and on-the-job training. 

Participants will earn a certificate of completion and will be sufficiently prepared to competently assist in the provision of oral care.  

Additional program details will be shared with member dentists in the coming weeks.  

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