Dental Assistant Program

The dental assistant program at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College prepares students for a career in a dental office, dental supply manufacturer, hospital dental department, or insurance company. The program focuses on preparing patients and equipment for dental procedures, and office administrative functions. Program courses include: medical record-keeping, general office duties, reception and patient intake, scheduling, equipment maintenance and sterilization, basic radiography, pre and post-operative patient care and instruction, chairside assisting, taking tooth and mouth impressions, and supervised practice. Get more details below including other Wisconsin colleges that offer dental assistant program.

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Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

Also known as Southwest Tech

1930 Grand Avenue, Wausau, WI

Located near the beautiful rolling hills in Fennimore in Wisconsin, the Southwest Wisconsin Technical College is a technical college that delivers excellent educational opportunities to students as well as empowering the community that it serves. Also known as Southwest Tech, it covers 30 districts including Grant, Lafayette, Crawford and Richland.

The school started accepting enrollees on July 1, 1967 and it was conceived through Chapter 292 Laws of Wisconsin of 1965. Its first ever program was Farm Training considering that Fennimore was largely a farming town back then. Today, Southwest Tech offers associate degrees and technical diplomas. There are about more than 50 courses offered at this community college under diverse disciplines including agriculture, business and marketing, information technology, healthcare, public safety and industrial courses.

Since Southwest Tech only offers associate degrees, students who wish to transfer to other universities and colleges to take up a four-year bachelor’s course can take advantage of the transfer center of the school to assist them in their transfer needs. The University Transfer Program allows students to transfer to many public and private universities within and out of Wisconsin area without any problems.

On the other hand, the tuition fee rate of Southwest Tech is set by the Wisconsin Technical College System Board. For the Academic Year of 2013-2014, the tuition fee rate for in-district student is $122  per credit hour while out-of-district enrollees have to pay $182 per credit hour.

Students Enrolled in the Dental Assistant Program

Get more details below regarding enrollment, academics, and school demographics. Southwest Tech offers a less than one year certificate program in dental assistant.

Students by Gender (2019)

Students by Race (2019)

Source: IPEDS Survey 2012-2020: Data obtained from the US Dept. of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Data may vary depending on school and academic year.

Career Options for Graduates

Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary

Description

Teach courses in health specialties, in fields such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy, and veterinary medicine.

Dental Assistants

Description

Assist dentist, set up equipment, prepare patient for treatment, and keep records.

Career Outlook & Projections ()

According to the BLS, dental assistants employment is expected to grow at a rate of 18.4% from 2014 to 2024

Salary & Wages

• Wausau, WI
  • Total Employment: 190
  • Average Hourly Rate: $17.31
  • Average Annual Salary: $36000

Source: Job descriptions, estimated salary and wages, and projected job growth are taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).