Columbia College

Education, Teaching Programs

Healthcare, Wellness, Pharma Programs

• Dental Assistant Professional Diploma

  Employment Opportunities

  As a Dental Assistant, you will have the opportunity to work directly with dentists treating patients. You may also provide support to the dental office by working as a receptionist or a sterilization assistant. The average salary for Dental Assistant Professionals in Alberta is $28 per hour. When you become a Registered Dental Assistant, you will unlock doors to careers in many different areas, including:

  • Public Health Dental Assistant
  • Dental Specialty Assistant
  • Dental Assistant Educator
  • Denturist Assistant
  • Clinical Float Assistant
  • Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Clerk (sterilization)
  • Continuing Care Coordinator
  • Dental Administrator/Receptionist
  • Financial Coordinator
  • Treatment Coordinator
  • Dental Hygiene Coordinator
  • Public Educator in Oral Health Prevention
  • Dental Lab Assistant
  • Dental Sales Representative
  • Dental Benefits Representative – Insurance Company

  Ortho Module

  Columbia College Dental Assistant Professional Diploma Program is excited to offer the theory portion of the Ortho Module to students in the DAPP who are in good academic standing in each Semester. Additional Ortho tutorials are offered to the students while in the program, and the clinical portion of the Ortho Module is offered once they have successfully written the NDAEB exam and become a Registered Dental Assistant.

  Graduation/Employment Success

  Compare these outcomes with other institutions: 2018 – 2019: 95% Graduation Rate 2018 – 2019: 92% Employment Rate Among the BEST College in Canada Columbia College is proud of the fact that its Dental Assistant Professional Program graduates, as a whole, have consistently scored higher than other colleges in Canada in their passing score on the National Dental Assisting Examining Board (NDAEB) exam. We believe this independent assessment of our graduates is a testament to the quality of our faculty and staff, learning environment, students, and program. Columbia College is excited to announce that on the most recent NDAEB exam in December 2019, 97% of Columbia’s Dental Graduates passed the national exam! We are very proud of our faculty and our graduates. Typically our students are hired by their practicum office employer and begin to work as soon as they graduate.

  ---

  Introduction

  The Dental Assistant Professional Diploma Program is designed to provide you with the skills, technical knowledge, and clinical experience that are essential for you to become an effective member of the dental healthcare profession. The curriculum provides the education needed by dental assistants who, as members of the dental health team, can assume responsibility for providing patient care in collaboration with other healthcare providers and in accordance with provincial regulations within the scope of practice of dental assistants in their province of registration and employment. Columbia’s Dental Assistant Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada.

  Employers of Graduates

  The following is a list of organizations that have hired graduates of this program:

  • Group Calgary Orthodontics
  • Renew Dental
  • Millenium Dental
  • R Giles Professional Corporation
  • Summit Dental
  • Emergency Dental YYC
  • Outdoor Dental
  • All North Dental
  • Southpointe Dental
  • Family Braces
  • Sierra Centre for Dental Wellness
  • Welcome Smile Dental
  • Innisfail Dental Centre
  • Evanston Dental
  • Dr. David Chan Dental Clinic
  • Crowsnest Dental
  • Northern Hills Dental
  • Sundre Dental
  • Nose Creek Dental
  • Small to Tall Pediatrics
  • Birchland Dental Clinic
  • South Family Dental
  • West Airdrie Dental
  • Vista Landing Dental Clinic
  • Essential Dentistry
  • IDental
  • McCall Dental
  • Sylvan Lake Dental Centre
  • Urban Oasis Dental Studio
  • Signal Hill Dental
  • Alpine Dental
  • Alpen Dental
  • Core Dental Edmonton
  • Okotoks Orthodontics
  • Aurora Dental Group
  • North Calgary Pediatric Dentistry
  • Arbour Estates Dental Health
  • Railway Avenue Dental
  • InLine Orthodontics
  • Dr. Harry Penner and Dr. Bradley Low
  • Richmond Dental Clinic
  • Millrise Dental Clinic
  • Sorenson Dental Clinic
  • 16th Avenue Dental
• Practical Nurse Professional Diploma

  Introduction

  Practical Nurses perform nursing assessments, provide nursing care and implement prescribed medical treatments. You will participate in classroom instruction, skills development in the lab, and practicum experience in continuing care and acute care settings. Upon successful completion of the program and the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Exam (CPNRE), you are eligible for licensure with the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta (CLPNA). This is a Nationally Accredited program. When you graduate from our program, you will be eligible to be licensed in any province in Canada. Columbia College’s Practical Nurse Professional Program is licensed through Alberta Government Private Vocational Training Branch and is approved by the College of Licensed Practical Nurses (CLPNA) through its Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) which is the licensing body for practical nursing in the province of Alberta. Learn more about becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse in Canada by viewing the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta’s document: 
  .

  ---

  Employment Success

  2018-2019: 95% Employment Rate 2018-2019: 98% Graduation Rate

  ---

  Faculty

  
   to see a list of Faculty Members for this program.

  ---

  Employers of Graduates

  The following is a list of organizations that have hired graduates of this program:

  • Alberta Health Services
  • Foothills Medical Centre
  • Alberta Children’s Hospital
  • Rockyview General Hospital
  • Peter Lougheed Hospital
  • Carewest
  • Revera
  • Bayshore
  • Wing Kei Centre
  • Intercare
  • Bethany
  • Brylu Staffing
  • Nurse Next Door
  • The Brenda Strafford Trust
  • Primary Care Network

  ---

  Program Description

  Columbia’s Practical Nurse Professional Program students have consistently achieved some of the best results in Canada. Our reputation for graduating highly competent professionals is something we are very proud of. This program is one of the few in North America that follows a Mastery Learning Model.

  • This is a full-time, 2 year diploma program that is completed in 80 weeks (approximately 20 months).
  • Classes are normally scheduled to run between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. During the program, students should be prepared to attend classes that may be scheduled in the evenings and on weekends.
  • Designed to give students Practical Nursing theory and clinical experience in continuing care and acute care
  • Practicums (clinical) will be scheduled according to the co-operating health care employer’s availability of clinical practicum placements. This means that the 722 hours of practical experience may be scheduled during the day, evening, night and/or weekends.
  • Clinical placements will need to be scheduled in alternative locations. The College may be required to delay the date of completion until a clinical placement can be arranged.
  • In the lab, the facilitator to student ratio is 1:12. In the practicum, the facilitator to student ratio is 1:8. In the classroom, the class sizes may be up to 27 students.

  ---

  Mastery Learning in the Practical Nurse Program

  Columbia’s Practical Nurse Diploma Program students have consistently achieved some of the best results in Canada. Our reputation for graduating highly competent professionals is something we are very proud of. This program is the only one we have found in Canada that follows a Mastery Learning Model. Columbia’s Mastery Learning Model provides students with up to 500 additional hours of free Mastery Learning tutorials over the course of the 20 month program. The tutorials provide learners with support from faculty, who work with them on strengthening competencies and skills and working towards mastery. Our free tutorials have proven to be an excellent resource for the students.

Languages, ESL Programs

Legal, Policing Programs

Skilled Trades, Auto, Fire Programs