Dental Assistant Certified

Kids Are Our Everything.

Department

Pay Range

Who We Are:

At Children’s National, a trip to the dentist is about more than just a healthy smile. Our Division of Oral Health provides a comprehensive pediatric dental program designed specifically for children, delivering everything from preventive care and routine checkups to complex dental procedures in a safe, supportive, and family-centered environment. Our experienced team is dedicated to making every visit as comfortable and stress-free as possible while helping children build healthy oral habits for life.

As part of one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals, we are committed to excellence in care, advocacy, research, and education. Through compassionate care, clinical expertise, and a collaborative approach, we partner with patients and families to improve oral health outcomes and create positive experiences that support every child’s overall well-being.

What You’ll Do:

As a Certified Dental Assistant at Children's National, you will play an essential role in delivering exceptional pediatric dental care by assisting dentists and dental residents during examinations, restorative treatments, surgeries, and other dental procedures. You'll prepare treatment areas, dental materials, and equipment, support the administration of anesthetic agents, and help create a positive experience for patients and families through behavior management and oral health education. You'll also perform radiographic procedures, sterilizing instruments, and maintain inventory and supplies to support smooth daily operations.

What You'll Need:
Minimum Education

• High School Diploma or GED (Required)

• Successfully passed the Dental Assistant National Board’s (DANB) Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) examination or Certified Dental Assistant (CDA) examination;
   

OR

• Successfully completed a Board-approved dental radiology training program consisting of at least twenty-four (24) hours of coursework in radiology, radiation safety, biology, and physics, and has successfully passed the examination(s) required for successful completion of the program.

Minimum Work Experience

• Previous experience as a dental assistant (Preferred)
• Knowledge of dental electronic health records and digital radiography (Preferred)

Required Licenses and Certifications

• District of Columbia Certified Dental Assistant - Level II (Required)
• CPR certification (Required)

Functional Accountabilities
 

Provide assistance during dental procedures (chairside and under certain circumstances, in the operating room)

• Under the direction of dentists and dental residents, assist in patient examinations, restorative treatment, surgery, and other dental procedures
• Prepare operative site as directed; passes appropriate instruments and equipment
• Prepare dental treatment area; mix and prepare dental materials and dressings for all dental procedures
• Prepare and assist in the administration of anesthetic agents
• Assist with behavior management of patients
• Provide dental health education and oral hygiene instructions to parents/patients; conduct tooth brushing and flossing demonstrations
   

Maintain, prepare and sterilize equipment and treatment area

• Sterilize instruments; clean dental area post-operatively and replenish supplies
• Clean, lubricate and maintain hand pieces and other mechanical equipment
• Practice appropriate sterile procedures using aseptic technique and universal precautions with all patients.
   

Assist in performing radiographic procedures

•  Prepare patient for radiographic exposure, take x-rays, and properly manage digital x-rays.
• Assist in maintaining and replenishing inventory and supplies
• Maintain inventory and replenish dental supplies.
• Maintain inventory of orthodontic models; order supplies as directed.
   

 Safety

• Speak up when team members appear to exhibit unsafe behavior or performance
• Continuously validate and verify information needed for decision making or documentation
• Stop in the face of uncertainty and takes time to resolve the situation
• Demonstrate accurate, clear and timely verbal and written communication
• Actively promote safety for patients, families, visitors and co-workers
• Attend carefully to important details - practicing Stop, Think, Act and Review in order to self-check behavior and performance
   

What You'll Receive:
Benefits That Support You:

• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, prescription, infertility, and transgender health services.
• Generous paid time off, including vacation accrual from day one, sick leave, holidays, and a personal day.
• Financial wellness support, including a 401(k) plan and healthcare and dependent care spending accounts.
• Employer-paid life, AD&D, and long-term disability coverage, with optional supplemental plans.
• Additional perks, including tuition assistance, fitness resources, employee assistance, commuter benefits, and more.
   

Why Join Us:

• Nationally Recognized Excellence – Consistently ranked among the Top 10 Children’s Hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
• Leading Pediatric Care – One of the largest and most comprehensive children’s hospitals in the country, offering nationally ranked specialties and cutting-edge treatments.
• Innovation & Research – A premier academic medical center with a strong commitment to pediatric research, education, and advancing the future of child health.
• Mission-Driven Culture – Dedicated to providing family-centered care while fostering a collaborative, supportive environment for clinical teams.

The disclosed salary range includes the minimum and maximum rates within which Children’s National believes an individual’s base pay rate will fall for this position. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the maximum of the pay range. The exact pay rate for this position will be based on a variety of factors in alignment with the Children’s National compensation philosophy. These factors are legitimate and non-discriminatory including, but not limited to, the current market conditions; organizational needs; the individual’s combination of prior work experience, level of education, knowledge, skills, and other qualifications. Children’s National is committed to providing a fair and competitive total rewards package to each of our employees. This base salary range does not include our comprehensive benefits package or any additional compensation for which this position may be eligible.

Childrens National Hospital is an equal opportunity employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or other characteristics protected by law. The “Know Your Rights” poster is available here: and the pay transparency policy is available here: Know Your RightsPay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster.

Please note that it is the policy of Children's National Hospital to ensure a “drug-free” work environment: a workplace free from the illegal use, possession or distribution of controlled substances (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act), or the misuse of legal substances, by all staff (management, employees and contractors). Though recreational and medical marijuana are now legal in the District of Columbia, Children's National and its affiliates maintain the right, in accordance with our policy, to enforce a drug-free workplace, including prohibiting recreational or prescribed marijuana.