Can a dental assistant work part-time?

Yes, dental assistants can work part-time. Since dental assistants are in high demand, the flexibility to work either full time or part-time is available almost everywhere.

A new dentist starting out will hire part-time dental assistants because he/she is establishing a patient base and doesn’t yet have enough work for a full-time assistant.

An established dental practice may have enough full time work for one assistant but not enough for two so will hire a part-time assistant to support the growing practice.  A part-time dental assistant can also be called a “floater” which is a term used to describe someone that goes where they are needed in the practice and “floats” between the front office and the back office.

A dental assistant needing a flexible work schedule can work part-time in more than one dental practice thus creating good cash flow and hours more conducive to personal life balance.

Dental assistants can join a dental job site to get more exposure to job listings to supplement days off with another part-time or temporary position. The job site should have a functioning calendar where the dental assistant can post days that they are available to work.

Due to the industry high turn-over rate of dental assistants, there is a constant need for part-time and temporary assignments in dental practices. Turnover is often due to lack of hours and low hourly pay or other conflicts. 

Many dental assistants need to work part-time in one practice or work as a temp in several practices because they are still in school or caring for young children and cannot commit to a full-time permanent position. 

The positives for working as a part-time dental assistant include the opportunity to learn new skills and improve existing skills by working with different employers and their teams.  Gaining a wide variety of dental assisting skills will aid in future employment.