Becoming a Dental Assistant in Henderson, NV
If you’re looking for a good place in Nevada to begin a dental assisting career, check out Henderson. Known as Nevada’s second largest city, Henderson is just south of Las Vegas. This city has a suburban feel and is located just 15 minutes away from the Las Vegas Strip and 20 miles from the Hoover Dam.
Residents of Henderson enjoy lots of park access, an above average school system and 80 miles of trails for walking, biking and horseback riding. Living in Henderson allows you to have a life close to the big city while focusing on your career in a more peaceful suburban setting.
Dental Assistant Schools
While there is no educational requirement to work as a dental assistant in Nevada, employers prefer to hire individuals who have trained in specialized programs. These are a couple dental assistant programs available for Henderson dental assistants:
- Henderson Dental Assistant School. This school offers a 12-week dental assisting program, which meets one day per week. Classes are taught in an actual dental office, not a classroom. Students complete an externship in a dental office, and career services are offered to program graduates. Henderson Dental Assistant School offers a low student-to-instructor ratio, and tuition is currently is $3,350.
- College of Southern Nevada (CSN). At CSN’s Henderson campus, you can earn a dental assistant Certificate of Achievement, which requires 33 credits. The program’s length is three semesters with 9-10 credit hours per semester. Applicants must show proof of high school diploma or GED and complete a prerequisite English course. CSN is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
Statistics for Henderson Dental Assistants
In 2018, 1,980 dental assistants were employed in the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise area, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The number of dental assistants in this area is sure to grow in the future, since Nebraska dental assistants have been predicted to increase 16.1 percent by the year 2026.
Dental assistant salary is also strong in the area, as Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise dental assistants earned a median income of $17.90 per hour in 2018.
Your Career in Henderson
You’ll be spending much of your time studying or learning a new dental assistant job in Henderson, but what will you do during your free time? Even with Las Vegas being so close, there’s plenty to do right in Henderson. Check out local events such as Shakespeare in the Park and the Southern Nevada Sons & Daughters of Erin St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival.
A popular attraction in the area is the Lion Habitat Ranch, a safe haven for over 40 lions ranging in age and size. Or check out Lake Las Vegas, a manmade lake in Henderson that’s full of fish. For the best nightlife, you can always head into the “City of Sin.” No matter what you choose to do in your free time, your dental assistant career will surely flourish in Henderson.