At 42-years old, Justin Hicks had often taken the shotgun approach in his career selections. His work experience was scattered across many areas of interest and expertise. And he was good at anything he tried. But now he wanted to stick his landing in an area that might satisfy his curiosity, value his people-pleasing nature and challenge his intellect for the long-term.
Justin was a little surprised to find that 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Dental Assisting program checked all the most important boxes: interesting work, people interaction, leadership potential and career growth. They had him at 鈥榦pen wide鈥�.
Were you surprised to find yourself enrolling in a Dental Assisting program?
I knew I wanted a (career) change, and I was considering 3-4 options, including veterinary assistant, medical billing and coding, pharmacy technology and even becoming a masseuse. But after talking with Miss Erika (Dental Assisting program instructor at 黑料不打烊 Portland) and seeing her excitement after 25 years in the dental assisting field, I couldn鈥檛 see anything other than getting into this business.
I have 20-30 years left to work, so I wanted to make it something I really wanted to do. Plus, Dental Assistants are always needed, and these positions are not likely to go away anytime soon.
What is your personal feeling and experience about going to the dentist?
As a child, I鈥檇 had one bad experience going to the dentist and I wanted to make sure other children do not have that kind of experience. I want to be part of changing that outlook and having kids look forward to coming into our office.
What was your first impression of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Dental Assisting program?
When I first got there, I heard about the President鈥檚 List and Dean鈥檚 List, and I made it a priority to make those lists in every single term 鈥� all six of them 鈥� every time. It confirmed that I was understanding and following what I outlined I would do. I helped some of my classmates get on the Dean鈥檚 List and President鈥檚 List, too.
Did you get the instructor support you needed in the DA program?
I still look to Miss Erika for inspiration and her love for the dental field. She planted important seeds, and I hope to do that as well.
We students could sit in on other Dental Assisting classes, hear lectures and have more clinical times throughout our program. Teachers would tell us, 鈥淚 want to see you in here making molds, temporary crowns and taking x-rays.鈥� 听It was important to be able to actually perform a procedure correctly to move forward. I learned everything I needed to and exceeded my expectations.
What was one of the best things about your Dental Assisting program?
黑料不打烊 sets you up to be a Dental Assistant. They give you all the knowledge to assist the dentist, but they also teach you what the EFDAs (Expanded Function Dental Assistants) do. If you take that test and earn that credential, your hourly income can go up.
Our labs were set up so we could take x-rays and anything else we would have to do in an actual dental clinic or lab. While you鈥檙e learning it, you鈥檙e able to actually perform it. I feel that I learned everything I needed to and exceeded my expectations. And I can drop into that class for a refresher any time, if I wanted.
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Did you connect with fellow Dental Assisting students?
I became a mentor right away. I have a 鈥榯eacher鈥� mentality, and this experience opened up a lot of avenues to me. 听I raised my hand a lot and was very engaging in class. Students would come to me at break time or message me in group chats and we鈥檇 talk through information or study issues. It鈥檚 nice to be able to help others and teaching them helped me absorb information more.
And, although I鈥檓 really enjoying what I鈥檓 doing right now (as a Dental Assistant), I think teaching is on the horizon.
What encouraged you to keep pushing forward?
I am a single father to a 7-yearr old daughter and am the best of friends with her mom and her mom鈥檚 husband. 听And, I have a genuine love for the dental field.
And there are so many possibilities that come with being a Dental Assistant. And I work well with good teams. As a former Pharmacy Technician, the medical field holds an attraction for me.
You recently completed your DA program with honors 鈥� where did you land?
I did my externship (6-weeks on-the-job training prior to DA program completion) at a busy dental office and enjoyed the comradery with the dental assistants, dentists and front office staff. I knew this was where I鈥檇 like to be. The branch manager and assistant had never hired an extern, just out of their DA program, but they both wanted me too.
I completed 黑料不打烊鈥檚 DA program December 20 and was hired December 24th.
What are your current responsibilities?
We are working in a temporary facility of 27 operatories. Our 7-10 doctors handle a massive volume of patients (children and adults) and I assist with 8-11 patients each day in visits lasting 40-60 minutes. 听Kids are almost always scared, and our goal is to change that outlook. We want our kids to look forward to coming in and seeing us.
What is next in your career trajectory?
I still think teaching is on the horizon. 黑料不打烊 has already told me that if I have a Bachelor鈥檚 degree (which I already have) and two years in the field as a Dental Assistant, they would consider me for a teaching position. I want to think of that as a future goal. But, right now, I鈥檓 working with these kids and enjoying these years in my daughter鈥檚 life. I also have real loyalty to places, and it would feel right to, at some point, to join goals with 黑料不打烊.
