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What Should I Look For in a Dental Assistant Program?

If you’re thinking of changing careers, and are looking for an exciting and fast-growing job with opportunities to be well-rewarded financially, consider being a dental assistant. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a 29-percent increase in demand for dental assistants over the next ten years, with pay rates approaching over $20/hour for experienced professionals. With a certification program, you can change careers quickly.

What should you look for when choosing an educational program?

Theory and Science

Be sure to look for a program that offers a solid foundation of dental science. As an assistant, you will need to know everything from how to mix an appropriate cast for teeth or mix amalgam filling for cavities, to developing radiographs and x-rays. These are not skills that you can learn on the street! You should look for an accredited school with a dental assistant certificate program. This will allow you to understand the basics of the industry, while preparing you to learn on-site job skills

Real-World Dental Assistant Experience

A program in dental assisting should offer a chance to experience what life is actually like in this career, through internships, externships or other means. This offers several benefits: First, you’ll ensure that dental assisting is something you really want to do, and not just something you want to learn about. Secondly, you’ll get confidence in your chosen profession. It is one thing to learn about the science of developing x-rays, but an entirely different thing to actually help x-ray a living, breathing patient! Thirdly, having real world experience makes you much more valuable to potential employers. They already know that you can handle the work, and that it is what you want to do. Employers are much more likely to hire a dental assistant who has actually experienced work in this field.

Soft Skills: Just As Important

No job is strictly technical, and dental assisting is no exception. It’s not enough to know all about the latest dental procedures and to have completed school with top grades. According to recent studies, as many as 75 percent of all adults in the United States suffer from some degree of dental fear or phobia. To work in this field, you must have the skills to know how to deal with patients who may be afraid of tooth and gum procedures, or even of the dentist’s office itself. The best way to learn these skills is via hands-on training in the classroom, and being comfortable enough with the experience to calm fearful patients.

As in almost any profession, you will be a part of an office team. It is important to learn how to interact with patients, and with with dentists, hygienists, technicians, and other office personnel. A training program that helps you work in teams will help you immensely in your professional career.

Specialization in Dental Assisting

Dental assistance is not a monolithic field, and the type of job varies greatly from one location to another. Working in a small, family-run office in a rural area is very different from being part of a large, corporate dentist office in a big city. There are also many different specializations in the field, such as pediatric oral care and prison work. If you are interested in a specific career path, be sure that the school you choose offers it, or is able to help you obtain a position in your desired concentration after you graduate.

Preparation for the CDA (Certified Dental Assistant) Exam

Although it is not necessary in most states to take the Certified Dental Assistant exam, it may give you an edge on the competition. The CDA is a 300-question exam administered by the Dental Assisting National Board. In some states, passing this exam qualifies you to do more advanced work. This obviously makes you more valuable to a prospective employer. Unfortunately, it is difficult to give specific information on the CDA, since the regulations vary from state to state. You will want to research your state’s specifications for this exam.

Everything you need in Berlin from jazz clubs

From sustainable means of transport, to local breweries, from flea markets, to jazz club, this article has been useful to many backpackers heading to Berlin! First of all we start suggesting other very useful tools (magazine) you need to get once in town: the 030 or the Zitty, Tip, Prinz or the main English language paper, the ExBerliner.

A funny way to cherish the urban life, as a citizen would do, is renting a bike. And don’t worry, cycling in this City is a pleasure! For about 15€ per day or 50€ per week you can rent your bike at Berlin-by-bike in many Fahrradstation centres spreading all over Berlin. Visit the website of Fahrradstation or go to: Hackesche Hofe, Hof 7; Mon-Fri 8am-8pm; Sat and Sun 10 am-4pm; ph +49 (030) 28384848; or in Auguststr. 29A (Mitte) from Mon-Fri 8 am-8pm; Sat and Sun 10 am-4pm; ph +49 (030) 2859 9661; or in Leipziger Str. 56, from Mon- Fri 8 am-8 pm; Sat and Sun from 10am to 4pm; ph:+39 (030) 666 49 180; or at Bergmanstr. 9, Kreuzberg from Mon- Fri 8am-8pm; Sat and Sun from 10 am-4pm; ph +49 (030) 21515 66).

If you like the idea, you can count also on the silver CallBikes (+49/ 0700/ 05 22 55 22) available in different corners of the cities. Basically you can take the bike and leave it in every corner of the city simply using your mobile phone to connect to the central booking system! For as cheap as 0,06€ per minute or 15€ per day, all you need to do is call the company, give them credit card details and get a code to unlock the padlock. Better if you pre-register one week in advance. Then get cycling maps, information and assistance at Das Radlerzentrum (ADFC: Brunnenstrasse 28; ph: +49 (030) 448 4724; Mon- Fri 1200-8pm and Sat10am-4pm). With your bike now you can really reach every corner of West and East Berlin.

In springtime a good place to be is the Tiergarten Park. Get a beer at Café am Neuen See, a Bavarian beer house: it’s the ideal place to cool down with fresh beverages and small appetizers close to the pond. You can also indulge on boat trips, for a romantic afternoon. (Lichtensteinallee, 2; ph. +49 (0) 30 254 4930; all days 10am-1pm). To end the light meal with something sweet, get a special cake at the park Café Buchwald, since 1852 an institution! (Bartningallee, 29; ph.+49 (0)30 391 5931; all days Mar-Oct 11am-11pm; Nov-Feb 11am-6.30pm)

For vintage second hand shopping don’t miss the Flohmarkt am Ankonaplatz where you can get anything from 60’s and 70’s. (Prenzlauer Berg: U-Bahn Bernauer Strasse; Sun 11am-6pm) or the Flohmarkt Schönenberg, right in front of the homonym Municipal hall (U- Bahn Rathaus Schönenberg; Sat-Sun 8am-4pm).

If USSR still plays a role in your imagination, you’d better go to the small, students-run market at Boxhagener Platz (Friedrichshain; U/S Bahn Warschauer Str.; Sun 9am-4pm).

The evening is best spent in a Jazz club. Have a look at the berlinjazz where you can surely find a list of popular spots. Quasimodo is renowned among jazz lovers for sessions of jazz, blues, folk, funk, soul. You find it in Kantstraße, 12 in Charlottenburg. Or at Quasimodo. It is open daily from 9pm; live music from 10pm.

If you want to combine dinner and music then you have to try Soultrane, the elegant side house of the A Trane: after dinner, first class jazz is being served. (Stilwerk, Kantstraße 17, Charlottenburg; ph: +40 (0) 30 315 18 60).

Receiving the Most Excellent Downtown Hotel Room

While leaving on a trip to some main cities, the first thing that comes to mind would be the downtown hotels which you can hang-out in. These hotels are normally quite pricey however they do give worth for your cash. Although not all their rooms are 1st class, in addition to the reality that you have a budget to think about, there are methods where-in you can receive the best room.
To receive a fine, upright or yet a luxurious room, never be uncertain to ask the front desk clerk or the travel agent for the exact space you want. These people are not psychics who can examine your mind. They won’t know what you need if you will not tell them.
Give them the exact details. If you’re not that tight on your budget, you can go as far as asking for a space on their concierge plane or their penthouse suite. If you have a tight financial plan, as long as it covers a specific view or bed you want, its fine. If you won’t tell them what you want, chances are, you will get stuck in a space nobody else desires.
If you are frequently in the area or you have been a visitor in that exact downtown hotel, inform them. It can be as blunt as telling them openly that you stayed there previously and that you want the same type of room you had, or a dissmiliar space this time. It may moreover be as discreet as informing them what you detested or fancied about the space you had there as well as you would want something better this time.
Hence, once you receive a space plus spot things that don’t seem correct or is bound to give you some problems; tell their front desk right away. Settle only for the finest. If you are the one shelling out for the room, it should be well worth it. If it is your office that will disburse this, the more you may insist for a fine space; or else your company is better off taking the dealing elsewhere.
If you must stay at that hotel for not less than 4 days; or you have plans of going to the area frequently, you may inscribe a letter or a note to the director, at least a week prior to going back there. Include in your letter your purpose in staying there for a span of time; plus if it is likely to receive a discount on their rates or if it can cover an upgraded space.
Once you return to the hotel, ask to speak with their director. He or she might have marked your reservation as well as possibly even acknowledged your request for a space upgrade or price cut.
Hence, if after everyone of your constant attempt to receive a better space doesn’t work, ask the front desk for the prices and availability of their upgraded rooms. If you are okay with the charge, let the front desk know that you will be taking the upgraded space. Paying about $10 up to $20 for a better room might demonstrate to be worth each penny.

Recycling computers in the US

It’s a logistical nightmare. Trying to balance cost against environmental consideration. The recycling industry has exploded onto the scene throughout the western world. With dwindling resources and high raw materials prices, we’re being forced to recycle more, but in the world of Computers, this means a lot of transportation to get obsolete household computers recycled.

We were recently contacted by a Company based in India with a view to the logistical issues associated with recycling computer hardware. The idea was to transport computers from householders back to a central location for processing. The problem? Balancing the cost of recycling a computer system against the cost of transporting the old hardware.

In America, many recycling companies have implemented a ’ship to’ service for old or obsolete hardware. It’s a great way of cutting down on costs. If you can off-set the cost of employees and overheads against the cash value of old computers and their constituent component value, then you’re at least breaking even. You can then offer a service free of charge on the basis that the old hardware is shipped to you at cost to the consumer.

The logistical nightmare starts when you try to collect the computers using in-house employees. The costs of drivers and vehicles can add up quickly and result in negative equity. Off-setting these costs means that the recycling company has to charge the people wanting to dispose of their old hardware. Government run schemes use local municipal waste collection points to containerize the old computers, which the recycler then collects, but with some being 400 miles from the municipal waste collection point, the cost of driving that distance can quickly mount up. In effect, the costs associated with these collections have to be passed onto the government run authorities running the waste collection centers. With America being so large, there’s also the carbon cost, where driving such a distance results in what is known as a ‘carbon footprint’ being put on the old computers, before they’ve even been recycled. This footprint remains with the constituent materials when they’re used to manufacture something else. So even before the new product ends up in the shops, its’ got a pretty large carbon footprint associated with it.

In America and it’s constituent states, it’s the author’s belief that recycling of computers really has to be considered state wide rather than Country wide. If a recycler is in New York, then his or her business shouldn’t stray over the state line. That way, costs and energy consumption are kept low and the carbon produced by the business will remain low.

Five Fortune 500 Companies That Rock the L.A. Economy

The mere mention of Los Angeles is enough to make most of us think of the city’s wonderful climate, movie stars and the Hollywood sign. Many forget that Los Angeles is a business and manufacturing powerhouse, too. Built around international trade, the entertainment industry, aerospace, technology, oil, fashion and tourism, the L.A. economy makes this city America’s largest manufacturing center.

A good way to zero in on the business sectors that make the Los Angeles economy so powerful is to take a closer look at the five Fortune 500 corporations that make Los Angeles their home Listed in alphabetical order according to the business sector they represent, these companies are Northrop Grumman (aerospace), Occidental Petroleum (energy), Health Net (health care), KB Home (home building) and Reliance Steel & Aluminum (metals).

Here’s an overview of each of these five companies:

Founded in 1927 in Denver, Colorado, aerospace and defense contractor Northrop Grumman now calls Los Angeles its home base. Northrop Grumman is the third biggest U.S. defense contractor and the number one maker of naval vessels for the U.S. Navy, boasting estimated annual revenues of 30 billion dollars and a global workforce of 120,000 employees. Northrop Grumman’s Corporate Headquarters are located at 1840 Century Park East, Los Angeles, California.

Occidental Petroleum, also known by the nickname “OXY” for its trading symbol on the New York Stock Exchange, is now the fourth biggest American oil and gas company. Managed from its headquarters at 10889 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, OXY employs some 9000 workers at locations in the United States, the Middle East, North Africa and South America. Occidental Petroleum is the biggest Texas oil producer and also the Golden State’s biggest producer of natural gas.

Health Net, Inc. is a provider of managed health care solutions, including HMO, POS and PPO programs, to nearly 7 million people in all fifty states. Based in Woodland Hills, a district within the city of Los Angeles, Health Net drew national attention in 2007 when a California woman, who claimed the company improperly stopped her care during a course of chemotherapy, sued it. This case is still pending as of this writing.