D45240 - Dental Assisting Diploma

Limited Enrollment Curriculum:

The Dental Assisting Program is a limited enrollment curriculum. Applicants are accepted based on a selective admissions process. Criteria for admission into the Dental Assisting Program are reviewed annually and are subject to change.

A. PROGRAM SPECIFIC ENTRANCE STANDARDS:

Admission Process

A student may apply to the Dental Assisting Program once minimum admissions criteria are met.

Prospective applicants are  required to complete the Health Sciences information session as well as contact their Education Navigator prior to developing a plan for completing minimum requirements . The Education Navigator will review each applicant’s progress and provide further guidance once all minimum admission requirements are met.

Once an applicant has completed all general admissions criteria and all Dental Assisting Program entrance requirements, they must submit a completed Limited Enrollment Application. Applicants who meet all requirements will be ranked according to the order in which they applied.

During the initial consideration, applicants will have an opportunity to indicate first and second choice programs when completing the Limited Enrollment Application. If seats do not fill after the initial consideration and after second choice candidates are considered, applicants will be admitted on a first qualified, first accepted basis up until the date of the required mandatory health science orientation.

Applicants must also submit a completed “Statement of Good Standing Form” explaining the circumstances of any previous exit from any health science program. The letter must be sent from the program director at the time of the student’s previous enrollment. CCCC’s Dental Programs Department Chair and Vice President of Student Services must approve students who were dismissed, expelled, or suspended for any reason. Students who withhold previous exit information may be dismissed from the program.

Applicants who do not gain entry but want to gain entry in a future year do not need to resubmit their application.  Applicants will remain on the active applicant list as long as they are interested in being considered for the program.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that requirements are met by the established deadline.

More information can be found on the Limited Enrollment Website.

Placement Test Scores

Students must be eligible to take their gateway Math and English course in order to be eligible to apply. This can be achieved through a High School Unweighted GPA of 2.6 or higher or by presenting acceptable test scores such as SAT, ACT, Accuplacer, or other acceptable scores 

The checklist for the Dental Assisting Program indicates the minimum scores required to place into ENG 111 and MAT 110.  Students who have an unweighted high school GPA of 2.6 or higher, have met Multiple Measures for Placement or who have earned appropriate transfer credit in English, Math, or developmental courses with a C, P2 for English, or P1 for Math, or higher may be exempt from placement testing.

GPA

Students must be in good academic standing upon applying to health science programs. Good academic standing is defined as having a 2.5 GPA or higher based on the general education courses for the program.  Students can apply if they have a 2.0-2.5 GPA but will be placed on an alternate list.  Alternates will be considered if there are not enough applicants to fill all seats.  These GPA requirements must be maintained at the time of entering the program from a secondary or post-secondary institution.  

General Education Courses

The following courses are required to be completed with a grade of “B” or better prior to applying:  BIO-106.  The following courses are required to be completed with a grade of “C” or better prior to applying:  ENG-111, PSY-150, & ACA-122.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

TOEFL scores are required for any naturalized or non-US citizens who speak English as their second language. This test provides evidence of adequate proficiency in the English language. All test scores must be less than five years old.  The minimum acceptable TOEFL scores are based on the following formats: TOEFL iBT Total Score - 80 or higher

TOEFL Essential Overall Band Score: 8 or higher. The test is offered at multiple testing sites nationally or can be taken online and is at the student’s expense.

B. REQUIREMENTS AFTER ACCEPTANCE:

Criminal Background Check/Drug Screening

A criminal background check and drug screening are required for all accepted Health Sciences students.  Clinical affiliates will review criminal background reports and drug screenings of students and reserve the right to accept or deny any students based on their consideration of these reports.  Negative reports and/or failed screenings may prevent a student from attending the clinical portion of their prescribed program. This could result in a student’s withdrawal from the program.  Students are subject to criminal background checks and drug screenings at any time during a clinical rotation.  Clinical agencies reserve the right to require additional background checks and drug screens.

Medical Forms/Immunizations

Accepted applicants are provided with a student medical health form and are required to submit it to the required document tracking system by an assigned date in their acceptance materials. The student medical form includes proof of a satisfactory health history, a physical examination, and an immunization report. Failure to submit the required information by the assigned date may result in loss of admission status into the Dental Assisting Program, and class space will be assigned to another applicant. 

**Hepatitis B shots (3 series shot) required through the second series prior to first Fall semester and completed by Spring semester.

BLS Provider CPR

CPR Certification by the American Heart Association (AHA) in BLS Provider (Basic Life Support including CPR and AED) that includes both performance and testing of criteria is required prior to starting the program. Students are responsible for keeping their CPR certification current throughout the duration of the program.

Meeting with Department Chair

Students are required to meet with the Department Chair for the program prior to the program start date.

Mandatory Orientation Session

When notified of acceptance, applicants must attend a mandatory orientation session with the Dental Assisting Department.

Liability/Malpractice Insurance

Malpractice insurance is required for health sciences students and is assessed as a student fee.

Transportation/Additional Class/Course Materials

Health Sciences students are responsible for their own transportation to off-campus clinical/learning sites.  Materials other than textbooks will be required and are purchased at student’s expense.

Technical Standards

The Health Sciences Programs are physically demanding. Students will be expected to perform lifting, pushing, pulling, and carrying tasks to successfully practice in a lab setting, complete clinical affiliations, and safely treat patients.  For more details, please refer to each program’s physical requirements and technical standards. 

Communicable Disease Statement

As a healthcare provider, students enrolled in the Dental Assisting Program are exposed to communicable diseases.  Students will be trained in standard precautions and asepsis techniques to minimize the potential of transmission.  Students will act as peer patients during the program and will be expected to share medical information during clinical treatment.

Academic Standards

Upon official acceptance, Health Sciences students are required to maintain the necessary GPA requirements for entry.  Students cannot enter a Health Sciences program while on academic suspension.  Health Sciences students must achieve a grade of "C" or higher in their Health Science courses.  Students may withdraw or be withdrawn from a Health Sciences course; however, the student will not be allowed to matriculate through their program of study.  Reapplication to the program will be required and readmission will be awarded based on the completion of admissions criteria, the policy for readmission, and space availability.  Students requesting readmission must meet with the Education Navigator to review their file.

Program Specific Academic Standards: 

See additional Program Specific Standards in the Dental Assisting Student Policies and Procedures Manual and specific Dental Assisting Program course syllabus.

Dental assisting and progressive related courses must be taken in succession as they appear in the curriculum guide. Dental assisting students must adhere to the other policies set forth in the Dental Assisting Student Policies and Procedures Manual. Dental assisting students must not be on suspension status. 

C. RE-ADMISSION OR TRANSFER INTO THE DENTAL ASSISTING PROGRAM:

A student must meet the admissions criteria in effect at the time of request for re-admission or transfer. A student may be required to re-enter a dental assisting course earlier in the curriculum sequence if the student is lacking major content. All dental assisting courses completed more than three years prior to re-admission or transfer must be repeated. Withdrawal or academic failure within the Dental Assisting Program will require the student to reapply to the program for re-entry. Advanced placement is dependent upon space availability.  If multiple students apply for re-admission or transfer for the same semester entry, a competitive admissions protocol will be followed to determine the strongest candidate for the available seat. Students who reenter will do so one semester earlier from the semester in which they were released. The procedure for Advanced Standing is valid for candidates for one calendar year from the date leaving the program.  After one calendar year, a candidate who wishes to be enrolled in the program must reapply and follow the protocol for re-admission.

The Dental Assisting Department Chair will evaluate transferability of all dental assisting courses. Transfer courses must be equivalent to courses required at the receiving college in both theory and clinical experiences. The student must provide copies of course syllabi and outlines to the Dental Assisting Department Chair for those Dental Assisting courses previously taken. Students lacking essential content may be required to audit a portion of a course, challenge the content, demonstrate skills, or repeat the course as deemed necessary. The final decision for transfer credit for dental assisting courses is determined by the Dental Assisting Department Chair.

Applicants must submit a letter explaining the circumstances of any previous exit from any health science program. The letter must be sent from the previous Program Director. CCCC’s Dental Assisting Department Chair and Vice President of Student Services must approve students who were dismissed, expelled, or suspended for any reason. Students who withhold previous exit information may be dismissed from the program.  A remediation plan may be required.