Dental Assisting students get crucial tips for upcoming State exam

Dental Assisting students on the Temecula campus got some important ‘insider’ information that will help them do well on their upcoming Registered Dental Assisting state boards.

Zena Delling from J and Z Dental Seminars spent two hours with Dental Assisting program students recently, and left them feeling a lot better about what they might expect during the RDA practical examination.

“To have somebody here who is at the test site every single time and who can explain what to expect, is very valuable to our students, and gives them a different point of view than what the instructors might give them,” says Cindy Ovard, Dental Assisting Program Director.

Zena spent some time outlining exactly what should be in the kits students rent to perform the components of their practical exam. The kits should include up-to-date instruments with which they might most successfully perform their graded tasks.

Components of a well-assembled kit might cost $1,000, so rentals of around $80-120 are common. “It is convenient for students to have everything they will need in one kit, and knowing they have a complete and proper kit will help alleviate their fears,” says Ovard.

“The kits must have everything they will need to prepare a temporary crown, as well as fabricating and cementing it, and everything they need to place a temporary filling,” says Ovard.

Zena provided the Dental Assisting students with a Power Point presentation and hands-on exercises that would demonstrate what students should expect at the examination site. She also explained in great detail what the students could expect when they go into that exam room.

The question-and-answer segment of Zena’s presentation filled in any information gaps students might have had. “She was very down-to-earth with her answers that waylaid their fears and reassured them,” says Ovard.

“Students expressed how much they enjoyed her presentation and her helpful ideas,” says Ovard. “One student told me that Zena made her not so afraid to take her state exam.”

SJVC’s Dental Assisting program wants to provide students with every opportunity to succeed in both their studies and their exams for appropriate credentials in their field.