Dental Assistants

Health Science In demand
Perform limited clinical duties under the direction of a dentist. Clinical duties may include equipment preparation and sterilization, preparing patients for treatment, assisting the dentist during treatment, and providing patients with instructions for oral healthcare procedures. May perform administrative duties such as scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding information for insurance purposes.

What a dental assistant does

Become a dental assistant

If you enjoy doing these activities, you might make a good dental assistant

  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
  • Talking to others.
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

Discover what you could earn in Washington

  • Average hourly rate is $24 per hour with an average salary of $50,400 per year.
  • Half of workers earn between $22 and $27 per hour.
  • Half of workers earn an annual salary between $45,100 and $55,900 per year.

Dental Assistant job outlook

  • There are 11,290 workers in this occupation in Washington.
  • There are 1,285 openings per year in this occupation in Washington.

Growth rate by year

Education needed

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Programs to get you there

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