Dental Assisting Certificate

Certificate
HEGIS #5202
Chairperson: Tammy Conway (Interim)
Fitzgibbons Health Technologies Center, Room 157, (518) 629-7442

This one-year online dental assisting program, accepted by the New York State Education Department, prepares you for entry-level employment within the dental industry and for all requirements to become a New York State Licensed Registered Dental Assistant (RDA).

Dental assistants are directly involved in patient care, such as reducing patient anxiety; taking and developing x-rays; preparing and sterilizing dental instruments; mixing dental materials; and exchanging instruments with the dentist at chairside during procedures.

Other duties as a dental assistant include scheduling appointments; communicating on the phone; coordinating financial arrangements with patients and handling insurance claims.

According to NYS Office of the Professions, a dental assistant must be licensed in order to perform supportive services under the direct supervision of a licensed dentist. Upon receiving Hudson Valley Community College Dental Assistant Certificate of Completion, the graduate may apply for the New York State Professional Dental Assisting (NYPDA) Examination, Radiation Health & Safety (RHS) Exam and Infection Control Exam (ICE). These exams are administered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) to become a New York State Registered Dental Assistant (RDA). Graduates may apply for licensure after completing all of the above requirements; there is an additional fee for the examination and licensure process.

Please note additional policies regarding Heath Science programs: Unsatisfactory pre-clinical, clinical, practicum and academic performance will result in students being dismissed from a health science program. The respective health science program faculty will make all recommendations for readmission. All decisions will be based upon an individual student review process. Readmission will require students to successfully repeat previous clinical, practicum and/or academic courses that faculty require. In addition, if a student is dismissed from the program, the student may be required to provide evidence of growth in necessary areas as identified by the faculty at the time of dismissal. Dismissed students must reapply under the program’s current admission procedure.

Once a student has been re-admitted to a program, core curricular courses must be completed in term sequence without interruption. Any student who misses a term may not be permitted to continue in the program.

Students who are dismissed from Health Science Programs at Hudson Valley or other institutions due to inappropriate or dangerous clinical behavior and/or personal misconduct during patient interactions will not be allowed admission to any Hudson Valley Health Science program or Health Science course with a clinical component. A notation will be placed on the student’s academic transcript indicating the student was dismissed from the Dental Assisting program.

Program Entrance Requirements