Located on the Jordan Campus, Salt Lake Community College’s two-year dental hygiene program has been thriving for 29 years — with current faculty and students confirming its successes.
According to Wendee Shorter, program manager at the college’s Dental Hygiene Clinic, the program admits 24 students annually in January. She explained how these prospective hygienists develop the necessary skills for success beyond the academic realm.
“They need to be able to work with patients to communicate and manage their time and think critically,” Shorter said. “There [are] lots of components that go into [being] a good hygienist.”
36 prerequisite credits must be completed before students can apply for enrollment in the dental hygiene program. According to Shorter, the two-year program begins with a pre-clinic semester focused on teaching basic skills such as sterilization and head and neck anatomy, to prepare students for clinical practice.
During their second, third and fourth semesters, students can expect to focus on applying classroom and lab work in a clinical setting. The program maintains a 1-to-4 student-to-teacher ratio while working with patients.
“This [process] is just [the] building blocks,” Shorter said. “Everything they learned in the lab or in the classroom they apply in the clinic setting.”
A dentist oversees the clinic, dropping in on appointments and doing clinical exams to ensure that they can identify any issues that need to be addressed for a patient.
Rachael Ivie, a first-year student, experienced a scenario where she could apply her classroom knowledge during clinic hours.
According to Ivie, a patient with constant sinus issues had come in for a panel image. The panel images showed signs of sinus irregularity. The patient was able to take the panels to an ear, nose and throat doctor where she learned she needed surgery to fix it.
“It was exciting, and to know I was helping the patient with the care they needed,” Ivie said.
Assistant professor and first-year coordinator Staci Stout said: “[By] learning to read images in the classroom, the student was able to identify an abnormality from the panel, and this helped the student to guide the patient to the proper care.”
Shorter said the program is thorough, with high expectations, requiring students to maintain grades above 75 percent. To maintain their academic standing, students are offered a strong support system to ensure success.
“We have a lot of safety nets in place, and we meet with them often,” Shorter said. “If they start to look like they’re struggling, then the instructors work with them to try and figure out what the problem is, because we want them to be successful.”
Shorter explained that a dental hygienist performs essential tasks that enable the dentist to carry out their duties effectively. As a result, graduating students must take several board exams: three written exams and two patient exams.
SLCC is one of five schools in the state that offers a dental hygienist degree. SLCC’s first graduating class of dental hygienists occurred in 1998.
Shorter said the college’s dental hygiene program offers hands-on training with up-to-date technology, and their experienced faculty ensures students receive the best education.
“I am so proud of it,” Shorter boasted. “I have worked here for 14 years. I absolutely love the people we have.”
Kianna Lewis, who will graduate in May, is excited to find a job after she finishes board exams. Lewis said the program is excellent and expressed appreciation for the level of commitment from faculty.
“I think the program is awesome,” Lewis said. “The teachers are incredible. They put so much of their own time in to make sure we succeed. We are super grateful for that.”
Shorter said the faculty is dedicated to supporting and encouraging students to succeed in the rigorous dental hygiene program while prioritizing their safety and confidence as they progress through the program.
“Our faculty care. They came into this career because they wanted to make a difference. They wanted to encourage the students through the program,” Shorter said. “We want them to succeed, we want them to excel and have the confidence when they graduate.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the number of years the dental hygiene program has been in existence.
