Are a c.n.a. and a medical assistant the same thing?

Is becoming a Certified Dental Assistant through an on-line course a good idea?

• I really want to do dental assisting but i'm not sure if doing it online is the best decision.? I recently moved and no schools out here have the program i want. So basically my only option is to do it online. But if its not a good idea and i rather just look into pursuing something different. Because when you train to be a Cna(certified nurse assistant) they require you to take clinicals (hands on training) before your completely certified. But my thing is i dont know if dental assisting requires hands on training to officially be a dental assistant.

• Answer:

  No, Daniela - please don't take a course like this through the mail or online. You will be wasting your money and time. You absolutely need hands-on training. All you will take from this is a good working knowledge of dental terminology, which you can get from a dental assisting textbook for FAR less money.