Dental assistant jobs are in very high demand, pay well, are easily transferrable and don’t require a ton of education.

That said, Northwestern Michigan College’s dental assistant program is only at half capacity. College officials hope to get the word out that their recently re-accredited program is ready to take local learners and get them into the workforce as soon as possible.

“We are the furthest north accredited program (in the state), and I get emails or phone calls weekly from the Upper Peninsula on down from dentists looking for registered dental assistants,” Beckie Wooters, director of NMC's dental assistant program, tells The Ticker. “We have offices saying that they will take students (who haven’t even finished the program) and pay them to work while they’re still learning.”

There are two pathways a student can take, Wooters says. One is a year-long program that involves getting a dental assistant certificate by itself, and the other allows a student to also obtain an associate’s degree in the process. The latter is desirable for students who want to have an associates degree in their back pocket, Wooters says, though the dental education and pay from dental offices is typically the same.

Only 24 students per year are accepted into the program, but since Covid the numbers have hovered around 10-12, Wooters says. While there are a variety of factors that have contributed to this low enrollment, a simple lack of awareness could be one of the most significant factors.

“We’ve been here for a lot of years, but I still get people in the public who are surprised to learn we have a dental assistant program,” she says.

The program is as low as about $11,000 for the certificate path, Wooters says, but there are a variety of financial aid and other incentive programs available. Right now, the state’s community college guarantee program could make it free for in-district high school graduates from the class of 2024 on. For Michigan residents of at least one year who are older than 21 without a prior degree or certification, the Michigan Reconnect program can also cover tuition. NMC also has internal scholarships and other financial assistance available.

The program structure is also designed for flexibility, Wooters says, especially for students who work or otherwise can’t be in school full time.

“We have all of our classes blocked on Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday, and we did that purposely…so they have some leeway with their schedule,” she says.

Tom Brown, a dentist who owns and runs 8th Street Family Dentistry in Traverse City, can vouch for how much need exists for good RDAs.

“There’s a ton of dental practices in Traverse City. We’re next to each other, across the street from each other, but there’s no shortage of dental work to be done and everybody’s busy” he tells The Ticker. “So we’re not competing with each other as far as patients go, but we’re definitely competing with each other as far as staff goes.”

Brown had an NMC dental assistant student intern with his office, and he snapped her up full time once she was finished with the program. He and other dentists feel like pursuing a dental assistant certificate is a no-brainer. Aside from it paying well and being in demand, he says, it's also attractive in that there’s usually no night or weekend work.

“I think we would all argue that being a dental assistant certified through the program is just as lucrative as being a nurse's assistant or any other similar position in the hospital, and our hours are better,” he says.

Like certified nurse’s assistants and other related professions, however, being a dental assistant sets a person up on a great path for advancement if they desire to do so.

“Once you’re a dental assistant, there’s a lot you can do. If you aspire to ever become a dental hygienist, (being an assistant looks) pretty good on a resume…they will snatch you right up to get in a hygiene program, and that puts you in another wage-earning category,” he says. “If you're young, and you're really ambitious, and you've been a dental assistant for a few years and you want to go to dental school, that looks great as well.”

Finally, Brown says, because Traverse City is a regional hub for a lot of medical and professional services, it has other career advantages.

“Traverse City has all of the specialties – oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, orthodontics, and so you can do some pretty cool stuff,” he says. “If you love surgery, you can be in with the oral surgeons doing surgery. If you like kids, go work at the pediatric office or orthodontics and do braces.”