(913) 708-8323

Your path to a CDA certification starts with our...

Dental Assistant program

  • Expert instructors with decades of industry experience
  • Train in a well-equipped lab
  • Prepares you for the exams leading to a CDA certification
  • You may qualify for financial assistance

Program duration: 10 months plus 300-hour externship.

Enrollment is ongoing for the Dental Assistant program. Scroll down for program details or get info on how to register.

Dental Assistant program info

Program Description

The Dental Assistant program is 10-months or 940-clock hours which includes 640 clock hours of lecture/lab and a 300-clock hour externship. The 10-month program is set up with 8 modules. Each module is 5 weeks. The final component of the program consists of the 300-clock hour externship, which will be coordinated by the program manager.

Our Dental Assistant program will provide students with the real-world didactic and clinical skills that are essential to working in a modern dental office. An applied learning approach to the DA curriculum is threaded throughout each module to help students further develop the tactile and critical thinking skills necessary to effectively support the dentist in any dental setting.

Students will learn the leading skills of modern clinical dental assisting armed with chairside and expanded function dental assisting knowledge gained in the classroom and the dental laboratory.

Students will complete the course with the clinical, technical, and professional skills they need to be successful in any dental practice. Upon completion of the ten (10) month program and 300-hour externship, students will have the professional, clinical knowledge, and proficiency required of a dental assisting professional.

Upon completion of the Dental Assistant program, students will be awarded a Diploma in Dental Assisting and will be eligible to take the ICE (infection control) and RHS (radiation health and safety) national exams to begin the pathway to become a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA).

These exams will be taken with the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). After working in the dental field for 3,500 hours, the final exam component GC (general chairside assisting) will be taken and upon successfully passing all exams, the CDA will be issued through DANB.

CPR/BLS certification is required

A current CPR/BLS certification for healthcare professionals (AHA certification only) is required. If you’re not CPR-certified, you can take our CPR/BLS class to satisfy this requirement.

Check out our CPR/BLS class

General Admission Requirements

  • Must be at least 18 years old
  • High School Diploma or GED
  • CPR/BLS Certification from the American Heart Association (AHA)
  • Valid State ID
  • Valid SSN card
  • Plain Black Scrub Set
  • Hepatitis B Vaccination
  • Negative Tuberculosis (TB) Test Result

The Negative Tuberculosis (TB) test results can be a skin test, blood work, or chest X-Ray.

Prospective applicants must submit or meet each of the requirements listed below, and copies of required documents must be submitted to the admissions office before the first day of class.

Enrollments are conditional all fees, paperwork, and admission requirements are completed. 

Externships

Externships are an integral part of the Dental Assistant program at Mid-America College of Health Sciences. Through partnerships with reputable dental offices in our community, we’re able to provide our students with real-world experiences during the course of their studies.

Externship days and times are within the course dates but times may vary to align with a nursing community’s shift schedule. Your instructor will provide you up to date info about the externship for your class.

Dental
Students and their instructor during a clinical at a nursing community.

Program Schedule

The Dental Assistant program has three different class schedule options to choose from.  Each of the three options are delivered in-person and are 10 months long. The class days and times can be seen below.

The program is 940-clock hours which includes 640 clock hours of lecture/lab and a 300-clock hour externship. The 10-month program is set up with 8 modules. Each module is 5 weeks.

Schedule
Class Time
Externship
Weekday (Mon. - Thur.)
9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
300 hours
Weekday (Tue. & Thur.)
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
300 hours
Weekend / Weekday (Sun. & Mon.)
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
300 hours

Available Start Dates

Weekdays (Mon. – Thu.):

  • Oct. 2, 2023 – July 31, 2024
  • Aug. 5, 2024 – May 29, 2025

Weekdays (Tue. & Thur.):

  • Oct. 3, 2023 – July 31, 2024
  • Aug. 6, 2024 – May 29, 2025

Weekends (Sun. & Mon.): 

  • Oct. 8, 2023 – July 31, 2024
  • Aug. 11, 2024 – June 15, 2025

Cost and Registration

Tuition for the Dental Assistant program is $10,500, which covers the cost of books and lab supplies. There’s also a $25 non-refundable application fee and a 2.3% processing charge that applies to every transaction. Payment must the paid in full before the course start date. Partial payment (half of the total cost) may be made, but the full cost need to be received for you to participate in the program.

Alternatively, a down payment of $2,500 with the remaining balance divided into 6 payments over the duration of the course may be made.

Students wishing to do such a payment plan must complete and sign a payment plan agreement before the start date of class. If payments are not made on the scheduled days for the agreed-upon amounts, the student will be dropped from the course.

To speak with one of our admissions staff about this program, call or text (913) 708-8323 or stop by our facility at 10000 W 75th Street, Suite 241, Merriam, KS 66204. If you’ve made the decision to enroll, you may kickstart the enrollment process by clicking that button and register today.

Register Now!

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The Diploma in Dental Assisting you receive after completing our Dental Assistant program does not make you a Certified Dental Assistant, or CDA. For that, you’ll have to take and pass 3 external exams administered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB).

To become a Certified Dental Assistant, you’ll have to take and pass 3 external exams, including the ICE (infection control) and RHS (radiation health and safety) exams. Then after working in the dental field for 3,500 hours, you then take the final exam, that is, the GC (general chairside assisting) exam. All 3 exams are administered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB).

No, the CPR/BLS certificate requirement must be satisfied before you can enroll in our Dental Assistant program

Speak with our admissions staff

In person: Book an appointment

(913) 708-8323

Email

Mid-America College

Address

10000 W 75th St., Suite 241

Merriam, KS 66204

 

Office Hours

Mon – Fri:   8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Saturday:     8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday:       8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

© 2023 Mid-America Collge of Health Sciences. All Rights Reserved. Mid-America College of Health Sciences (MACOHS) prohibits discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender orientation/expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, and marital status in our programs and all activities. MACOHS has zero tolerance for harassment and retaliation. Mid-America College of Health Sciences is a private institution governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The Nurse Aide and Medication Aide programs are approved by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) Health Occupations Credentialing department.