Associate Degree Program (349P) - Harrisburg
After completing academic and clinical requirements, students are awarded an Associate in Arts degree. The successful completion of the National Dental Hygiene Board and Northeast Regional Board Examinations are required for state licensure. Licensed dental hygienists are capable of providing clinical, educational, and therapeutic services that promote optimum oral health. Graduates have found employment opportunities as clinicians, educators, and public health advocates.
About the career
Course Requirements/Suggested Schedule (revised 7/09 for Fall 2010)
Sample Fall Schedule (posted 1/10)
Admission Criteria, Point System, Shadow Form and Essential Qualifications (pdf) There have been some changes in the point system - be sure to look at the point system for this year.
Policies Affecting Program Admission
Dental Hygienist Shadowing Form (pdf)
Estimated Expenses (pdf)
Program Mission Statement
Program Competencies
Program Faculty and Staff
Scholarships
CODA Complaint Policy
Continuing Education for Dental Hygienists
Expanded Functions Dental Auxilliary Program (EFDA)
Dental Hygiene and Assisting Positions Available
Length of Program and College Degree Conferred - The dental hygiene program is 81 credits with the awarding of an associate in arts degree upon successful completion. Completion time can vary depending on a candidate's background and need for identified preparatory skills and coursework and the student's rate of study. The complete program is available only at the Harrisburg Campus. Some required courses offered at other campuses and sites. Students are responsible for recruiting their own clinic clients in the second through fourth clinical semesters.
Graduates of the Dental Hygiene program must take (and pass) two exams before they can receive a license to practice dental hygiene. Currently, they are the North East Dental Hygiene Board Examination (NERB) and the National Dental Hygiene Board Examination. The NERB Exam has two parts, a clinical exam on a live patient, and a Computer Simulated Clinic Exam (CSCE) taken at a Pro-Metric Test Center. The CSCE is a 100 question multiple choice exam. The NERB Exam results are now accepted by 13 states, but the exam is changing its name and will be accepted by 40 states (supposedly by next year). The National Board Exam is a 350 question multiple choice test and is given at HACC in July, after the students graduate from the program. It is required for licensure in all 50 states.
* This is a highly competitive program that requires completion of general education courses prior to beginning the clinical portion of the program, which increases the number of semesters required to complete the program.
Dental Hygiene Contacts
For additional information, contact Health Careers
Health Careers
(717) 780-1988 or (800) 222-4222 ext. 1988
Dental Hygiene Program Office:
Select Medical Health Education Pavilion (SMHEP) Room 104
HACC Harrisburg Campus
1 HACC Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17110
(717) 780-2490 or (800) 222-4222 ext. 2490
Mail clinical program addendum to the above address Attention: DH Secretary
|
