Registered Dental Assistant (RDA)
Company : wellpath
Location : Salinas, CA, 93906
Job Type : Full Time / Part Time
Date Posted : 5 January 2026
You Matter
• Make a difference every day in the lives of the underserved• Join a mission driven organization with a people first culture• Excellent career growth opportunities
Join us and find a career that supports:• Caring for overlooked, underserved, and vulnerable patients• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging• Autonomy in a warm team environment• Growth and training
Perks and Benefits In addition to comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, and 401k, we foster a work, life balance for team members and their family to support physical, mental, and financial wellbeing including: • DailyPay, receive your money as you earn it! • Tuition Assistance and dependent Scholarships• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) including free counseling and health coaching• Company paid life insurance• Tax free Health Spending Accounts (HSA)• Wellness program featuring fitness memberships and product discounts• Preferred banking partnership and discounted rates for home and auto loans
*Eligibility for perks and benefits varies based on employee type and length of service.
Why Us
Now is your moment to make a difference in the lives of the underserved.
If there is one unifying characteristic of everyone on our team, it is the deep desire to make a difference by helping society's most vulnerable and often overlooked individuals. Every day we have the distinct honor and responsibility to show up with non-judgmental compassion to provide hope and healing to those who need it most. For those whose calling it is to serve others, now is your moment to join our mission to provide quality care to every patient with compassion, collaboration, and innovation, to live our mantra to “Always Do The Right Thing!”, and to collectively do our part to heal the world, one patient at a time.
Wellpath sees hundreds of thousands of unique individuals in their facilities month over month and a very large percent of those individuals receive direct clinical care, which includes lives saved by Narcan.
We offer ongoing training and development opportunities for licensed and unlicensed healthcare team members, and have best in class clinical resources for training, education, and point of care support.
How you make a difference
The Dental Assistant is responsible for providing documentation of dental services to the dentist or their designee. This involves maintaining dental charts, keeping records of dental findings, and scheduling patients for dental appointments. By ensuring the accurate documentation of dental services, dental assistants enable dentists to monitor the provision of dental services and provide the best possible care to their patients.
Key Responsibilities
- Provides chair-side assistance during dental procedures, sterilizes instruments, and mixes restorative materials as needed
- Performs intra-oral and extra-oral x-rays, develops and mounts x-ray films
- Maintains x-ray, processor, autoclave, and dental unit(s) according to specifications
- Manages inventory of supplies and equipment, orders supplies and ensures set up of trays for patients
- Completes daily instrument count sheet, performs dental screenings, and maintains cleanliness and sanitation of dental clinic through careful practices.
Additional Details
Must Have Completed Infection Control CE HoursQualifications & Requirements
Education
- Requires an Associate’s Degree or Certification in Dental Technology from an accredited school.
Experience
- Must have experience within either a private or public dental practice as a Dental Technician or Registered Dental Assistant.
- Must demonstrate consistent sound judgment with dental decisions within the correctional healthcare environment.
Licenses/Certifications
- Must be able to obtain and maintain CPR certification.
We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer
We are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of uniqueness.
We celebrate a variety of backgrounds and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
We encourage you to apply! If you are excited about a role but your experience doesn’t seem to align perfectly with every element of the job description, we encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this, or one of our many other roles.
Deadline to apply to this position is contingent upon applicant volume. Those positions located in Colorado will have a specific deadline posted in the job description.
We are an Affirmative Action Employer in accordance with applicable state and local laws.
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Frequently asked questions
RDAs in Salinas often handle unique challenges serving underserved populations, requiring strong documentation skills and infection control expertise. This role blends clinical support with administrative duties, ensuring comprehensive patient care in a correctional healthcare context, unlike typical private dental practices.
Candidates with an associate’s degree or dental technology certification, plus relevant experience in public or correctional dental settings, hold a distinct advantage. CPR certification and infection control CE hours are also critical due to the specialized healthcare environment in California.
In Salinas, the average RDA salary ranges from $45,000 to $55,000 annually, influenced by experience and facility type. Working with Wellpath may offer competitive compensation aligned with the healthcare sector’s standards in the region.
Wellpath promotes growth through continuous training and education, especially for those dedicated to serving vulnerable populations. RDAs can expand clinical skills or transition into supervisory roles, benefiting from a culture focused on professional development and healthcare innovation.
Wellpath provides perks like daily pay access, tuition assistance, wellness programs, and comprehensive medical benefits. These offerings reflect a commitment to physical and financial wellbeing, especially valuable for RDAs managing demanding schedules in Salinas.
Wellpath’s RDAs play a vital role by delivering compassionate dental care to overlooked patients, ensuring accurate clinical documentation, and supporting infection control standards. This aligns with the organization’s core value of healing through collaboration and non-judgmental care.
Salinas shows steady demand for RDAs due to its growing healthcare needs and underserved populations. While competition exists, candidates with specialized correctional healthcare experience and certifications have a competitive edge.
Beyond standard RDA licensing, correctional facilities in Salinas often require infection control CE hours and maintainable CPR certification. These credentials ensure compliance with local health regulations and enhance patient safety.
Emphasizing skills like chair-side assistance, dental radiography, meticulous record-keeping, and familiarity with sterilization protocols can significantly improve job prospects, especially when targeting healthcare roles in community-focused settings.