Summary
- Risio’s Dental Assisting Distance Diploma Program is uniquely designed to blend part-time work with study, allowing students to earn while learning.
- Essential strategies for balancing work and study include creating a structured schedule, setting realistic goals, and prioritizing tasks.
- Techniques like using the Eisenhower Box to categorize tasks, limiting multitasking, and regularly adjusting priorities based on urgency and importance can help you maintain focus and productivity while working and studying.
- Strategies such as regular exercise, mindfulness and relaxation techniques, and maintaining a healthy diet and sleep schedule can also keep your stress low and your mind clear while working and studying at the same time.
- Risio provides resources like a student job board, advanced technology for program delivery, and flexible scheduling, all designed to support students in balancing their part-time jobs with their dental assistant studies.
Going to school to build new skills and earn qualifications is an important part of moving your career forward—but putting the rest of your life on pause to do it can be challenging, especially when school threatens your ability to work and earn money. Fortunately, there are ways you can study to become a dental assistant without having to stop working, and we’re here to show them to you!
Risio’s Dental Assisting Distance Diploma Program is specifically designed with a work-integrated learning component that lets you keep earning money part-time during your studies. Below, we explain more about how this works and provide a list of strategies you can use to keep your work-study schedule balanced.
Top Time Management Strategies for Students
Time management is crucial for students juggling any part-time job alongside studies. Mastering this skill can mean the difference between stress and success.
Here are some strategies to help you manage your time effectively:
- Create a Structured Schedule: Allocate specific hours for studying and working, ensuring you have clear boundaries between the two. Use digital calendars or planners to keep track of your commitments.
- Set Realistic Goals: Break down your study and work tasks into manageable goals. This can help prevent feeling overwhelmed and keep you on track.
- Put Your Work in Order: Identify the most important tasks each day and tackle them first. This ensures that critical assignments and work responsibilities are not overlooked.
Via Medium.com
How to Prioritize Tasks As a Student Working Part-Time
Prioritizing tasks effectively is essential for part-time working students. It helps you focus on what’s most important and urgent, leading to better productivity and reduced stress.
- Use the Eisenhower Box: Divide tasks into categories based on urgency and importance. This helps in recognizing tasks that need immediate attention versus those that can be scheduled for later.
- Limit Multitasking: Focus on one task at a time. This increases efficiency and quality of work, both in your job and studies.
- Regularly Review and Adjust Priorities: As deadlines approach or circumstances change, re-evaluate your priorities to stay aligned with your goals.
Ways to Manage Stress
Balancing work and study can be stressful. It’s important to find strategies to manage this stress to maintain your mental and physical health.
- Regular Exercise: Physical activity is a great stress reliever. Even a short daily walk can make a significant difference.
- Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Practices like meditation, yoga, or deep breathing can help calm your mind and reduce anxiety.
- Healthy Diet and Sleep: Eating well and getting enough sleep are foundational to coping with stress and maintaining energy levels.
Getting Support from School Resources
Your training program should have ways to help you find support and guidance while working and studying. Studying at Risio gives you access to a range of resources, including the following:
- A Student Job Board that makes connecting with employers and volunteer opportunities easier—so that if you need to change your job while in school or find a new position you can move into after graduating, you’ve got access to a database of practices seeking skilled applicants just like you.
- Next-Generation Technology for both online program delivery and clinical modules, ensuring that the training you receive is in lock-step with current industry standards.
- Flexible Scheduling that lets you pick and choose the times of day when you study, as long as you meet specific milestones in the curriculum. This keeps you on pace to earn your credentials while allowing you to work around your schedule (including commitments to your part-time job).
Choosing a Program that Promotes Balance
The most important prerequisite for working while you’re in school is finding a program that encourages you to develop real-world experience and supports you in doing so. At Risio, we built our curriculum so that all students spend time (and can earn money) working in a professional environment to complement the theory they’re learning through our online modules.
Learn more about our diploma program here, or apply for our next intake below. Together, we can help you take the next step towards becoming a fully qualified dental assistant while keeping the rest of your life on track.
Frequently Asked Questions about Risio’s Work-Integrated Learning
How many hours per week do I need to work while attending Risio?
Our work-integrated learning component requires you to be employed or volunteering at a dental office for a minimum of 14 hours per week while enrolled in the Program.
Do I need a job before I start with Risio?
All Risio students should have a work or volunteer position allowing them to gain the required number of hours for their work-integrated learning experience before the program starts—but if you don’t have a job when you apply, we can connect you with resources to help you find one!
How can I find a job in a dental practice if I don’t have one already?
At Risio, we work with diverse and dynamic practices around Canada to connect our students with meaningful professional opportunities. Explore our job postings here.