Dental Assistant can be a rewarding career path. You make good money, but you get to help improve the health of others while you do it. Not a lot of jobs provide that kind of satisfaction.
You don't just wake up one day and get a job as a dental assistant though. You need training, typically a two-year associate's degree. Here's the thing: a lot can happen in two years. First, you have to meet some pretty high academic expectations. And while you're working on earning good grades and mastering the skills of a new profession, you'll also be expected to maintain personal and professional behavior that is above reproach. That's a pretty tall order.
How do you get through it?
You start by believing in yourself. You're hard-working and disciplined, or you wouldn't have signed up for this challenge in the first place. You can do this. It's always nice to know you have backup when you need it though. The Lento Law Firm is that backup.
The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm are dedicated to helping students solve problems. We know the law, and we've spent our careers learning how to navigate education systems. When you have a problem, we can help you figure out who to talk to and what to say. And, if it comes to it, we can be fierce in protecting your rights and getting you justice. Want to know more about what we can do? Contact us at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
Common Issues for Dental Assistant Students
Let's start by considering just what kind of problems you're likely to run into as a dental assistant student. Generally speaking, educational problems come in two flavors.
- Academic Issues: First and foremost, you're a student. It's your job to learn. That means going to class and studying. It means writing papers and taking exams. And ultimately, it means earning good grades and making steady progress towards your degree. When you aren't doing these things, there are consequences.
- Disciplinary Issues: You're not just a student, though. You're part of a campus community, and that comes with its own set of expectations. You're expected to follow your college or university's rules, and again, any time you aren't doing that, there are consequences.
Academic Expectations
All colleges and universities are different, and your particular dental assistant program will be different from all the other programs around the country. If you want to know all the specific details, you'll need to check out your program's student bulletin or student handbook. However, there are certain things you can expect no matter where you're enrolled.
Dental assistant programs must obtain accreditation in order to graduate students who are eligible to be licensed. That means satisfying all of the accrediting agency's requirements. The largest dental assistant accreditation organization is CODA, the Commission on Dental Accreditation, which is an arm of the American Dental Association (ADA). CODA sets the curriculum standards all schools follow. That means as a student you can expect training in two specific areas:
- Essential Dental Assistant Functions: This includes mastering skills like taking and recording vital signs, assisting with and performing dental charting, operating oral evacuation devices and air/ water syringes, maintaining accurate patient treatment records, and managing infection and hazard control protocols.
- Chairside Dental Assistant Functions: This includes skills specifically related to assisting dentists, such as applying topical anesthetics, applying fluoride agents, cleaning removable dental appliances, and removing excess cement or bonding agents.
In addition, CODA mandates that your curriculum should include at least 900 classroom instruction hours and at least 300 clinical practical hours. Note that clinical hours are usually graded just as course hours are.
The real key to academic success as a dental assistant? Earning good grades and maintaining a high enough GPA to remain in good standing. Most schools require a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0. Anything lower than that results in sanctions. At New Jersey City College, for example, a low GPA means Academic Probation and two consecutive semesters on Probation results in Suspension.
Misconduct
All college and university students are subject to their schools' disciplinary policies. Such policies apply to your activities both in and out of the classroom. Your department will hold you to additional standards of personal and professional behavior as well. You'll be expected to treat patients with respect, to follow certain ethical guidelines, and to communicate effectively with supervisors and colleagues.
Of course, you're a student, and your school knows you're going to make your fair share of mistakes. Serious misconduct, though, can result in probation, suspension, and even dismissal. And any policy violation can lead to future problems, even if the worst you're facing is a warning. Evidence of misconduct on your permanent record can interfere with your application for a state license, your ability to be certified by the ADA, and your likelihood of getting a job.
It's worth taking the time, then, to consider just what the rules are when you're a dental assistant student.
Academic Misconduct
First, your school will have strict policies in place regarding academic integrity. You're required to earn your degree honestly. That means no
- Cheating: The use of any unauthorized source to complete your coursework. Using an “Unauthorized source” can include anything from looking at another student's paper during an exam, to looking up answers on the internet, to asking someone else to complete your homework.
- Plagiarism: The attempt to pass another person's work—their words or ideas—off as you're own. Again, plagiarism includes a wide variety of behaviors. Certainly, downloading a paper from an online paper mill qualifies. So, too, though, does failing to properly cite a source.
- Falsification: The fabrication of any course materials. Examples include inventing lab results and making up sources for a paper.
- Sabotage: The deliberate destruction of school resources or another student's work in an effort to gain an academic advantage.
One slip can result in a lower course grade, up to and including course failure. If you should get caught violating the policy a second time, you'll likely face probation, suspension, or expulsion.
Just because you've been accused of misconduct doesn't mean you've committed misconduct, though. Faculty and administrators do make mistakes, and you have the right to defend yourself. Your school will have a process for investigating and adjudicating all accusations. This could involve a full hearing before an administrator or a panel of decision-makers, as at San Francisco State University. Or, you might have the opportunity to appeal your case up the chain of administrative command, as at the University of West Florida. In any case, you never have to accept an allegation or an unfair sanction.
Whatever procedures your school uses, you can expect the attorneys at the Lento Law Firm to be familiar with the process. Investigations and hearings can often be complex, and we're here to help guide you through it. At the same time, we'll work with you to develop a strong defense and stand beside you from start to finish to make sure your rights are protected.
Disciplinary Misconduct
Outside the classroom, your behavior is governed by your college or university's Code of Student Conduct. This document is an extensive list of restrictions and prohibitions on everything from misuse of computer resources to hazing. Again, every school has its own approach to discipline, and no two codes are alike. However, there are some rules that are virtually universal across all colleges and universities.
- Substance abuse: All schools bar students from drug use and possession. You may live in a state like Colorado, where marijuana is legal. However, marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and no school is going to encourage its students to break the law. Your school probably also has a policy that dictates who can consume alcohol and that contains guidelines about when and where such consumption is acceptable.
- Weapons possession: As with substance abuse, your school can bar weapons from campus even if you otherwise have a legal right to carry one. These rules typically apply to all types of firearms, any combustible materials, and even fireworks.
- Theft: Prohibitions on stealing will apply both to campus property and to personal property.
- Disorderly conduct: Whether you're causing a disturbance in class, or staging a sit-in in the student union, disorderly conduct can result in disciplinary action.
- Discrimination and harassment: Most school codes discourage discrimination and harassment of any kind. Certainly, though, you can expect your school to outlaw harassment of any protected groups like students with disabilities, women, minorities, veterans, and members of the LGBTQ community.
Most schools conduct a thorough investigation into all allegations of disciplinary misconduct, and allow students the opportunity to defend themselves at a hearing, especially if the charges could lead to suspension or dismissal. That means you have the opportunity to make your entire case. Normally, you can make opening and closing statements, submit evidence, and call witnesses to testify. You should also have the chance to raise questions for any witnesses against you. You may even have the fight to bring an attorney from the Lento Law Firm with you to serve as an advisor.
Whether or not someone from our Student Defense Team can sit beside you during your hearing, you need them to help you prepare your case. They can offer valuable suggestions regarding your overall strategy, work with you to identify and organize evidence, draft any necessary documents, and even give you practice in making your presentation.
Sexual Misconduct
Sexual misconduct is a very particular form of disciplinary misconduct, one governed by federal law. Title IX bars sexual discrimination and harassment on college campuses. That applies to most forms of sexual misconduct, including stalking, dating violence, and rape.
The penalties for sexual misconduct are among the most serious any student can face. Typically, suspension is the minimum sanction. The more common sanction is dismissal. Given how much is at stake, though, the government has set up strict guidelines for how investigations and hearings should work. These guidelines grant you some important due process rights. For example, you have the right to
- Receive the same treatment as the Complainant (your accuser)
- Be presumed “Not Responsible” (innocent) until proven “Responsible” (guilty)
- A thorough investigation
- The chance to review all evidence
- Advanced notification of all meetings and proceedings
- A formal, live hearing
- An appeal
- Investigators and decision-makers who are free of bias
All disciplinary misconduct cases can be complex, but because they're governed by federal law, Title IX cases can be especially complicated. In addition to basic procedural questions like when best to introduce evidence or what questions to ask witnesses, you also need a thorough understanding of things like how your school defines “consent.” And, while you do have a number of important rights under Title IX, you have to fully understand these rights in order to use them effectively.
Under Title IX, you're always allowed to bring an advisor with you to meetings and proceedings, and that advisor can always be an attorney. The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm have helped hundreds of students defend themselves from all types of disciplinary charges, including Title IX allegations. They know the law, and they're familiar with your school's judicial system. Any time you're in trouble, you need the best help you can get. That's always going to be someone from the Lento Law Firm.
Getting Help
Most colleges and universities allow you to bring an attorney with you to all hearings and other proceedings, not just Title IX hearings. Your attorney may not be able to speak on your behalf during these hearings, but they can be on hand to offer advice. University allied health programs understand that the stakes are high—your career is on the line—and they generally want to make sure justice is done.
Whether your school allows this or not, though, you need someone from the Lento Law Firm to help you prepare and present your case. It is no exaggeration to say that your entire future is at stake any time you've been accused of misconduct. The process can be confusing and, quite frankly, incredibly stressful. A Lento Law Firm attorney can ensure things go smoothly. They can monitor what happens and respond any time your program seems to be violating your rights. They can work with you to get you the very best possible resolution to your case.
The Lento Law Firm was specifically built to handle allied health student cases. Our Student Defense Team knows what's at stake for you—how much work you've put into getting where you are and how important your career is to you. Whether you're facing a serious misconduct charge like rape, or you just need help negotiating a better grade from your professor, you can count on us to have the knowledge and the experience to get you the best possible outcome.
If you're a dietetics or nutrition student with a problem, don't wait to see what will happen. Contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
