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Westwood College Introduces New Dental Assisting Associate Degree Program
[December 11, 2013]

Westwood College Introduces New Dental Assisting Associate Degree Program


DENVER --(Business Wire)--

Westwood College today unveiled a new associate degree program designed to provide students with the latest hands-on skills they need for employment in the growing dental assisting field. According to Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there will be 91,000 job openings for dental assistants through 2020. In Colorado alone, job growth is expected to be 26 percent over the next 10 years.

"Dental assisting is one of the fastest growing fields and Westwood's new program will help students prepare to be a part of this exciting industry. There are fantastic job opportunities, and this is a great career for individuals who want to help others and work in a flexible, stable office environment," said Dan Snyder, campus president of Westwood College - Denver.

Classes for the new dental assistant training program start January 8, 2014 and will be taught in newly constructed lab facilities at Westwood's Denver North campus. More than 60 percent of the coursework will be taught in the dental lab. The program includes two professional externships, where students are working in dental offices to gain "real world" experience and further strengthen their employability.

"Westwood's dental assisting program is unique. Students get the hand-on technical training they need, but we also teach the soft skills necessary to work with patients," says Snyder. "We worked with several dentists currently working in the profession and with the California Association of Dental Assisting Teachers (CADAT) to develop our program, and we consistently heard that the soft skills are just as important as the technical skills. Dentists want to hire assistants who have strong communication skills, are professional and have a positive work ethic. Our associate degree program in dental assisting is designed to prepare graduates to get hired and immediately support the dentist, the patient and overall functions of the office in a professional manner."



For more information on the new dental assisting program, visit www.westwood.edu/programs/school-of-healthcare/dental-assisting-degree.

About Westwood College


Westwood College is an institution of higher learning with 14 campuses located in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois and Virginia. Westwood offers a hands-on, career-focused curriculum in fields such as healthcare, technology and business. Westwood is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). A 2012 survey conducted by Noel-Levitz showed Westwood students are significantly more satisfied than the comparison group of approximately 125 public and private colleges, particularly in the areas of course content, quality of instruction and the school meeting their career goals. For more information, visit westwood.edu.


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