Becoming a Dental Assistant in Minneapolis, Minnesota

With one of the highest mean incomes for dental assistants in the country, Minneapolis is a rich environment to pursue this rewarding career. Dental assistants work as support professionals in large or small dental practices. With skills ranging from administrative to technical dental expertise, these specialists help the practice in many ways in order to create a better environment. Just like their medical assistant counterparts, trained dental assistants are often found taking patients’ medical histories, cleaning dental instruments and answering phone calls.

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The Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul are home to the University of Minnesota and a wealth of art and cultural sights. Dental assistants living in this area may experience very cold winters but enjoy living along the beautiful Mississippi River bluffs in the summertime.

Minneapolis Schools for Dental Assistants

Because dental assistants are required to be licensed in Minnesota, many training options exist in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Century College. Offering the options of a certificate, diploma or associate’s degree in dental assisting, this school provides a mixture of online and in-person learning opportunities. Classes can be completed on a part-time or full-time basis, and graduates are eligible to take the Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) or Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) exams.
Hennepin Technical College. With two campuses in the Minneapolis area, this school offers a three-semester dental assistant diploma or two-year associate’s degree, both of which allow students to become Licensed Dental Assistants (LDAs).

Career Outlook and Salary Expectations

Minneapolis dental assistants were among the top earners nationally in the field, with a reported mean income of $24.33 per hour in 2017. With 3,650 dental assistants employed in the area that year, it’s evident that dental assistants in Minneapolis have an excellent career outlook. Statewide, employment rates for dental assistants have been projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to grow by 8.3 percent. View more Minnesota dental assistant facts here.

Working as a Dental Assistant in Minneapolis

Dental assistants who live in Minneapolis enjoy the rich culture and nightlife that come with life in a university city. Being situated on the Mississippi River and many nearby lakes provides an endless supply of outdoor activities for dental assistants to enjoy during their spare time on the evenings and weekends. With so many recreational options like the Mall of America and beautiful landscapes, Minneapolis is the perfect place to begin life as a dental assistant.