When you aspire to enter the field of dental assistants, one of the factors that you probably considered first is the certified dental assistant salary. Questions such as ”Does it pay big?”, “What is the salary prospect?”, “Is the salary greatly affected by economic downfall?” may come in your mind. This is very typical since you have to know what you will be expecting upon entering the career.
Because of the rapid changes in our society, much emphasis is now given to the health sector. People go on with lifestyle changes in order to optimize their health. One of the areas that has seen an increase in job employment is in the dental field. A lot of opportunities were created so much so that a lot of people are trekking the path of dental assistant.
Every year, the Dental Assistant National Board creates a survey about the career. They try to find out the working conditions, salary compensations and overall job outlook of dental assistants. With this survey, they are able to foresee the current trends and the future of the career.
The latest survey states that even with the slowdown of the economical growth of the country, dental assistants who have 1-5 years experience are being paid not less than $15 per hour.
Relative to its training course, certified dental assistant salary is big. Training programs usually lasts for 1 year. Dental assistants provide essential aid to dentists as the former perform various tasks that range from simple to complex. Because of the great employment outlook, a lot of people turn to fast training and quick employment.
The median range of salary is between $19,832 and $41,321. One may notice a big difference between the lowest and highest possible salary. This is due to factors such as experience and education. With this, let us go into the factors that contribute to certified dental assistant salary.
The first is the years of experience. It is given that with more working experience you have, the greater chances of a bigger salary. More experience makes you more effective, efficient and expert in your field. These things are being taken into account and compensated. According to the latest survey of the DNAB, here is the range of income relative to the years of experience.
- Below 1 year $19,832 – $29,735
- 1-4 years $20,744 – $29,906
- 5-9 years $21,512 – $32,049
- 10-19 years $24,307 – $39,459
- 20 and more years $24,936 – $41,321
Secondly, being a certified dental assistant gives a boost in your salary. A difference of $2 dollars per hour come in between non-certified and certified dental assistants. Continuing your education is therefore necessary if you want your salary to be elevated.
Lastly, the city you work in plays a role in determining your salary. Urban cities will more likely pay more. Certified dental assistant salary relies on a lot of factors which you should consider before making a move.