Dental Assisting

Information for Employers

Are you looking to hire a dental assistant or host a dental assisting student as an intern? You'll find information here to get started.

Job Listings

Foothill College does not have a job board on campus for students in our program. However, our Health Sciene and Horiculture Division hosts an electronic Job Board, which our Dental Assisting graduates can view and you may use as an employer.

Note: Our Dental Assisting Program does not operate as a placement agency for interns. To reach out to dental assistants, we recommend using this list of Employment Search resources, which includes local dental societies and placement agencies.

Externship Program

If you are interested in hosting a dental assisting intern, we have the externship program for the 9-Month full time students. It's on Tuesdays and Thursdays from April to June each year.

Guideline for Requesting a Foothill College Dental Assisting Student as an Intern

Purpose of Externship

Interns should not be requested to fill temporary staff shortages. For example, if an assistant has left and the office is in the process of hiring a replacement, it is not appropriate to use an intern as a stopgap.
Offices experiencing busy periods or requiring support solely for disinfection, instrument processing, or sterilization tasks should not request interns.

Environment Expectations

The office environment must be nurturing and patient, with both the dentist and staff actively involved in teaching, explaining, and demonstrating clinical procedures.
If only the dentist supports having an intern, it is likely the staff will not treat the intern with the respect necessary for a productive learning experience.

Student Intern Activities

Interns may spend the first one to two days observing. By the third day, they should actively participate in chairside assisting.
Although sterilization and administrative tasks may be part of the role, at least 80% of the intern’s time should involve chairside assisting.

Skill Development Areas

Interns should have the opportunity to develop skills in:

Mixing cements and impression materials
Passing instruments
Charting
General restorative and specialty procedures
Taking X-rays
Performing as many RDA duties as possible

Supervision and Progression

When the intern begins chairside assisting, an RDA in the office should oversee and assist them during procedures.
As the intern’s competence grows, they may assist independently.

Placement Priority

Priority for intern placements is given to dentists and staff who serve on the Foothill College Dental Programs Advisory Board and those who regularly accept interns from the program.

By adhering to these guidelines, you can help provide a meaningful and enriching experience for the student intern while supporting their professional development.

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