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Certificate programHands-on LabCertificate ProgramEnrolling now

DA-102 Clinical Skills Lab

Chairside skills, practised until they are second nature.

15 weeks · 100 hours
Taught by Maria Rodriguez, RDAEnglishClinical Lab A
15 weeksTue & Thu · 6 – 9 PM
100 hoursTotal hours
CertificateIntermediate
English1 batch open

What you’ll learn

A hands-on lab course that turns dental-assisting theory into chairside habits: infection control, charting, four-handed dentistry, radiography, impressions and patient care, practised on typodonts and in the school clinic before externship.

  • Set up and break down an operatory to standard precautions
  • Chart restorations with universal numbering and surfaces
  • Transfer instruments in four-handed dentistry
  • Expose diagnostic bitewings following ALARA
  • Mix alginate and take a usable impression

Course content

3 phases · 6 weeks · 14 lessons · 100 hrs
Phase 1 · Weeks 1–2Foundations2 weeks · 5 lessons · 28 hrs
  1. Week 1 · Infection Control in the LabStandard precautions · Barrier technique · Instrument processing3 lessons12 hrs

    Your first week: how the lab runs, and the infection-control habits every clinic expects from day one.

  2. Week 2 · Charting & Tooth NumberingUniversal numbering · Tooth surfaces · Oral anatomy2 lessons16 hrs

    The language of the mouth: tooth numbering, surfaces and the anatomy you will chart every day.

Phase 2 · Weeks 3–5Clinical3 weeks · 7 lessons · 62 hrs
  1. Week 3 · Chairside AssistingFour-handed dentistry · Instrument transfer · Moisture control3 lessons24 hrs

    Four-handed dentistry at the chair: positioning, instrument transfer and moisture control.

  2. Week 4 · Radiography BasicsALARA · Bitewing technique · Patient protection3 lessons20 hrs

    How dental x-rays work, ALARA, and taking diagnostic bitewings safely.

  3. Week 5 · Dental Materials & ImpressionsAlginate · PVS · Lab case handling1 lesson18 hrs

    Alginate, PVS and the impressions you will pour, trim and send to the lab.

Phase 3 · Week 6Professional1 week · 2 lessons · 10 hrs
  1. Week 6 · Patient Care & CommunicationMedical history · Patient communication · Post-op care2 lessons10 hrs

    Medical histories, chairside manner and post-op instructions patients actually follow.

Is this program for you?

Requirements

  • DA-101 or equivalentOr a placement interview with the program director.
  • Current CPR cardBLS for healthcare providers.

Who it’s for

DA-101 graduatesReady to move from theory into the lab.
Career changersNo chairside experience needed; we start from setup.

This program includes

Scrubs, safety eyewear, a typodont kit and all lab consumables.

After you graduate

  1. Lab practiceWeekly skills checks on typodonts.
  2. Clinic dayAssist on real patients under supervision.
  3. CertificateGraduate ready for externship.

Your instructor

Maria Rodriguez, RDA

Maria Rodriguez, RDA, has twelve years chairside and has taught clinical skills since 2019.

Program details

Grading

Weekly skills checks (50%), chapter quizzes (30%) and a final practical (20%). 75% overall to pass.

Attendance policy

Lab hours must be made up. Miss more than two lab days and you repeat the module.

Externship

Students who pass are placed in a partner clinic for the following term.

Tuition$2,500Enroll now