One of the pathways for eligibility to take Expanded Function courses is presentation of a certificate of passing the Basic Skills Exam with a 75% score. The Basic Skills Exam can be completed through an online review & exam, in person review & exam or through the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB). Read on to learn more.
In an effort to make access to the Review and Exam more available, the Review and
Exam are now online through an effort of OTC, and its dental instructor, Janet Sell,
who administers the Review and Exam.
The following is a summary of the online course through Blackboard at OTC. While
the in-person review is a different format, it covers the same topics, presented by
various instructors.
The Basic Skills Review is designed to prepare dental assistants for the Exam.
The online review is broken down into 10 sections:
- Law & Ethics
- General Anatomy of the Oral Cavity
- Medical Emergencies in the Dental Office
- Radiology
- Dental Materials
- Infection Control
- Occupational Health & Safety
- General Dental Procedures
- Office Management
In each section are Key Terms, PowerPoints and Practice Quizzes. Assistants
taking the online Review and Exam will have 4 weeks to study the review material
and then appear for a proctored assessment. Once the assistant passes the exam,
a certificate will be sent.
Traditionally the Review and Exam have been offered as an on-site course, and still is, available at various dental CE meetings, including the MDA Winter Session and
Greater St. Louis Mid-Continent, and through dental assisting programs including
Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) and Nichols Career Center.
Assistants may choose to opt out of the review and take the exam directly through DANB
at
testing centers located in Columbia, Springfield, St. Louis and Kansas City. An
application must first be submitted to DANB and upon approval, the assistant has 60
days to schedule the exam at the testing center. Upon completion of the exam, pass
or fail is noted at the site, but official scores can take 3-4 weeks to receive.
Ozarks Technical Community College
1001 E Chestnut Expressway, Springfield
Questions: Contact Janet Sell at 417-447-8832
Available Basic Skills Courses
Basic Skills Review & Exam
March 13, 2012
Basic Skills Exam ONLY
February 10, 2012
April 27, 2012
Available anytime:
Online Basic Skills Review
Registration Form or call 417-447-8888
Nichols Career Center
605 Union Street, Room 264, Jefferson City
Questions: Contact 573-659-3112
Available Basic Skills Courses
Basic Skills Review & Exam
Check back soon for available dates.
 |
|---|
The exam consists of 115 multiple choice questions. The test will be timed (90 minutes) and consists of the following types of questions:
|
 |
Proctoring sites are available at testing centers (such as Sylvan Learning), but also in most communities can include locations such as the school, library, extension offices and even banks. The MDA in Jefferson City is an approved proctoring site for the online Basic Skills Exam. Instructions for scheduling the exam and the required Off-Campus Proctoring Arrangement Form provided below.
|