Course Outline

Dental assistants are an integral part of the clinical team, contributing to safe, high-quality patient care and supporting the efficient delivery of clinical services. The NZDA Certificate in Dental Assisting develops the knowledge and practical skills dental assistants need to work safely, confidently and competently as part of an oral health care team.

The programme consists of two parts:

Foundation Pathway
Provides core knowledge relevant to people working within the dental environment.

Students who have successfully completed the Foundation Pathway within the previous two years will receive recognition of prior learning and will not need to repeat it.

Dental Assisting Pathway
Builds on the Foundation Pathway with learning specifically focused on the knowledge and practical skills required for dental assisting.

The programme combines online learning and assessment with supervised practical experience in the workplace. Competency is evaluated through assessment of practical tasks, knowledge checks embedded throughout the online learning, and a final online assessment.

Enrolment

Enrolments for the NZDA Certificate in Dental Assisting are open from November to January, with the course commencing in February.

To enrol, students must:

• be employed by an NZDA Member for a minimum of 20 hours per week at the time of enrolment and throughout the course
• have a supervising dentist who is an NZDA member and is willing and able to support their progress and undertake the required workplace assessments
• have access to a reliable computer or mobile device and internet connection.

The supervising dentist retains overall responsibility for supporting the student’s progression through the course and completion of the required workplace assessments.

Course completion requirements

To successfully complete the course, students must:

• complete all online learning and assessments within the prescribed timeframes; and
• by the end of the course, provide evidence of current life support training equivalent to New Zealand Resuscitation Council CORE Immediate – Adult and Child, completed no more than two years before the course end date.