By Jondi Gumz
A Registered dental assistant is paid $27 per hour by the nonprofit Dientes. This career is in high demand, with 600 jobs open annually in the Tri-County area.
The Santa Cruz County Office of Education has been offering a traditional training program, which means fulfilling hours, paying a $6,000 fee and completing an unpaid externship to get experience.
Debbie Martinez, dental assistant instructor. • Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz
Now the county Office of Education has an attractive new option: A dental assisting apprenticeship program, based on competency of skills, with a paid internship and no fees to pay.
The program is a partnership between the county Office of Education and Dientes, and leaders of those organizations are enthusiastic.
When the state offered apprenticeship grants, Dientes led by Laura Marcus was eager to be the industry partner.
Launched with $1.02 million in state funds over three years, the program is under way with eight students in the inaugural cohort.
One of them, Wendy Camberos, 19, of Santa Cruz, was studying at Cabrillo College, thinking of pursuing law enforcement.
She was inspired to switch into dental assisting by her orthodontist, Dr. Nancy Leung, of Aptos.
“I love my smile,” said Camberos, who wore braces for two years.
Now she wants to help others feel good about their smiles, too.
Stephanie Villa-Lopez, the program coordinator, was hired to create the program under a $120,000 state planning grant.
Wendy Camberos, future dental assistant. • Photo Credit: Jondi Gumz
She said the first eight students are a mix: Recent high school graduates, Cabrillo College students, and some have taken a break from school. Others are on the waitlist for Cabrillo College’s dental hygienist program.
After students in the apprenticeship program finish five weeks of daily classroom instruction, they are placed in local dental offices, working four days a week, 32 hours, and getting paid, with one day in the classroom.
The pay is $18.45 per hour, increasing to $19.37 once students have mastered half the required skills, up to $27 once registered.
“It is accelerated,” said Denise Guerra-Sanson, executive director of career and adult learning services for those 18 and older.
So students must be willing to make the commitment.
The instructor, Debbie Martinez of Watsonville, discovered the Regional Occupation Program dental assisting class in 1993 when a friend took it.
She got a job before she graduated, and a year later attain the “registered” status.
“I fell in love with dentistry,” she said.
Dental patients often have more interaction with the dental assistant than the dentist, and Martinez said, “I love showing what I know.”
She said her employer, Dr. Lindy Bixby in Capitola, taught her a lot in the 12 years she worked for her.
Now Martinez is a full-time instructor.
For Sheree Storm, chief strategy officer at Dientes, this is a way to establish a “robust pipeline” of dental assistants for its four locations.
Dientes also offers its staff a stipend to be a mentor to new dental assistants.
“We’re excited to grow this pipeline,” Storm said, noting Dientes has a residency program for new dentists with New York University Langone Dental Medicine, which has resulted in a couple of hires by Dientes.
Guerra-Sanson wants to scale up the dental assisting apprenticeships.
That means signing up more private practice dentists to participate.
Currently the County Office of Education is offering both the traditional program and the apprenticeship, and Guerra-Sanson would like to switch to all apprenticeships.
She thanked Dientes, saying, “The partnership with Dientes is outstanding.”
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To learn more about the dental assisting apprenticeship program go to https://dental.santacruzcoe.org/