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Kraena Pre-Health
Career Library

Entry Points

Dental Assistant

Weekday hours, months of training, and the clearest possible view of whether dentistry is for you.

Years after high school

Under 1

Degree

Certificate

Entrance exam

None

Median pay

$48,070 national median for dental assistants (BLS, May 2025).

What the job is actually like

Seating patients, suctioning and passing instruments chairside, taking x-rays, sterilising between patients, and keeping the schedule moving. You are next to the dentist for nearly every procedure, which is why it is such a good preview of the profession.

The path

  1. 01Accredited dental assisting program or on-the-job training, depending on the state
  2. 02Radiography certification where required
  3. 03DANB certification (CDA) where required or preferred

Good fit if

  • You want healthcare hours without nights, weekends, or call
  • You are considering dental school and want to see it first
  • You want to be earning within months

Think twice if

  • Low pay would be a problem long-term
  • You want clinical decision-making authority
  • Your state restricts what assistants may do — check before training

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Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

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All salary figures here are median annual wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 — the most recent full national dataset. 'Median' means half of workers earn more and half earn less. Three things to keep in mind: (1) pay varies enormously by state, city, setting, and experience — a nurse in California and a nurse in rural Alabama earn very different salaries; (2) training lengths are typical, not guaranteed, and programs differ; (3) these numbers change every year. Always verify current figures at bls.gov/ooh before making a decision. For context, the BLS median wage for all U.S. occupations was $50,980, while healthcare practitioner and technical occupations had a median of $86,530 — one of the reasons health care is such a stable field.