How To Start A Dental Assisting School

For one reason or another you’ve decided that you need a dental assisting school in your office. Maybe you would like the money, you need to hire more dental assistants, or you just want to provide educational opportunities to your area. Here's a quick overview of what it takes to start a dental assisting school in your office.

Licensing

You will need to be licensed through your state's agency on higher education or proprietary schools. Check your state’s requirements for the dental assisting profession to see where you will need to gain approval to begin your program. The most common items needed to gain approval for a dental assisting program are: entrance requirements for students, enrollment agreement requirements, a school catalog, curriculum, and how you will assess the program's outcomes.

The timeline for licensure can be 3-12 months, depending on the board's processes.

How involved should the dentist be?

The dentist can be as involved as they want to be! We find that schools have a better experience with dentist involvement, however it is not necessary for success. Regardless, here are the additional team members will you need to assemble:

• At least 2 instructors
• Administrators to run school operations
• Admissions
• Marketing
• Compliance

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How much does it cost?

State agencies differ in fees for the initial license and renewal of your license--the initial application can range from $500-$5,000. Each year you will need to renew your license and provide documentation of financial responsibility, student outcomes, and that the facility is still up to par. The renewal fee is typically less, with slightly less documentation required.

In addition to licensing fees, you need to consider supplies for the clinical portions of class, pay for instructors and other school employees, and any overhead costs.

How do I get students?

Marketing will be a big piece of the success of your school. Advertising, word of mouth, notifying your patients of the opportunity, and making the school known within your community are all great avenues and will work best in tandem with each other!

With Accelerated Academy we will handle the heavy lifting of having a school in your office. We handle each step, from licensing and hiring instructors, to school administration and marketing in your area! Want more information? Check out this page or schedule a call with us!