Revised 05/2020

DNA 140 - Externship (5 CR.)

Course Description

Exposes students to the fast pace of a dental practice while they perform support services with an established team. Clinical Seminars: 1 hour per week. Clinical Rotations: 12 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

Students are assigned to a dental office two days a week. Emphasis is placed on developing the student’s competence to perform chairside assisting skills, minor laboratory, and basic office support procedures. Students must maintain current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation while rotating through clinical facilities. Seminars are conducted in order to correlate clinical experiences with instructional goals.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisites: DNA 100, DNA 114, DNA 108, DNA 119, DNA 110, DNA 120, DNA 113, DNA 130, DNA 134, CST 229 and PSY 200.

Course Objectives

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

• Develop competency for performing chairside assisting skills in general and specialized areas of dentistry, as well as providing pre- and post-operative instructions.
• Develop competency in performing expanded duties on patients, as well as providing pre- and post- operative instructions.
• Develop competency in placing, exposing, processing and mounting dental radiographs that meet accepted standards of diagnostic quality.
• Develop competency to perform basic business office procedures.
• Develop competency to perform laboratory procedures.
• Demonstrate proper infection control techniques while assisting chairside or preparing a dental operatory for treatment.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the legal and ethical aspects of clinical practice.

Major Topics to Be Included

• Chairside Assisting Skills
• Expanded Duties
• Radiographic Procedures
• Basic Business Office Procedures
• Laboratory Procedures
• Principles of Infection Control
• Legal and Ethical Aspects of Clinical Practice