Program expectations
Before the first day of class
Applicants must provide:
- Copy of current health care provider CPR certification (the class must include adult, child, and infant CPR and use of a defibrillator)
- Evidence of completion of hepatitis B vaccination series (or signed declination form)
- Measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox vaccination (or history of past disease)
- Current tetanus (within the last 10 years)
- Current tuberculin skin test (within the last year)
It is the full responsibility of the applicant to notify their program department should any contact information change (i.e., phone number, address, email). Failure to comply with this requirement may prevent admission.
While in the program
Students must:
- Follow all OSHA, CDC, and state regulations regarding bloodborne and infectious diseases. Refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Table 1) for related policies. Specific PCC infection control policies and procedures are also available to applicants upon request.
- Pass a criminal history check and ten-panel drug test before practicum and/or field training as a condition of their acceptance into a medical, dental, or community facility.
Technical standards
Dental Hygiene students must be able to meet the following standards:
- Critical thinking: Exercise clinical judgment.
- Interpersonal abilities: Interact with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.
- Communication abilities: Interact effectively with others in spoken and written English.
- Physical endurance: Remain continuously on task for several hours while sitting, standing, or moving.
- Physical abilities: Move from clinic area to clinic area, maneuver in small spaces with full range of motion, and have sufficient manual and finger dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
- Motor skills: Have gross and fine abilities sufficient to provide safe and effective patient care and operate equipment.
- Hearing ability: Monitor and assess health needs.
- Visual ability: Have normal or corrected vision sufficient for observing oral conditions and providing patient observation and assessment. Discriminate between subtle changes in oral conditions and density in radiographs. See in darkroom conditions.
- Tactile ability: Use small instruments with control. Use a light touch when using instruments in the mouth to detect swellings in tissues by palpation.
- Olfactory senses (smell): Use smell to maintain the environment and patient safety, and as a diagnostic tool for oral diseases.
- Professional attitude and demeanor: Present a professional appearance and implement measures to maintain your own physical and mental health and emotional stability. Demonstrate the emotional health required for the utilization of intellectual abilities and to exercise good judgment.