BLINN COLLEGE RECOGNIZES FUTURE DENTAL HYGIENISTS IN PINNING CEREMONY
Fourteen future dental hygienists were recognized Saturday after completing Blinn College’s highly-competitive Dental Hygiene Program.
The two-year program prepares students for careers as dental hygienists or for transfer into a bachelor degree program at a four-year university. Based at the Post Office campus, Blinn’s Dental Hygiene Program is equipped with a dental hygiene clinic and highly-qualified faculty who work closely with students in the classroom and clinical settings.
The Spring 2016 graduating class includes: Arielle Bonneau, Macayla Burner, Emily Frier, Polli Guerrero, Kayla Hollon, Shauna Jenkins, Amanda Lovin, Janet McCreight, Jandalea Noffsker, Shelby VanMaanen, Erin Vaughn, Crystal Stoner, Brittaney Weade and Rebecca Wisnieske.
Entry into Blinn’s Dental Hygiene Program is highly competitive, with admission limited to the top 14 applicants each Fall.
Each year the program hosts Give Kids a Smile, an initiative of the American Dental Association that provides free dental services to qualifying local children. At their most recent Give Kids a Smile event, more than 60 children in Bryan-College Station received cleanings, x-rays and sealants at no cost, totaling $14,336 in preventative care. Since the inaugural event in 2009, the event has provided more than $150,000 in preventative dental services.
Blinn’s Dental Hygiene Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Upon successful completion of coursework, students receive an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree and are eligible to take the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a regional or state board clinical exam. After graduating from the program, students can earn more than $30 an hour as dental hygienists, depending on their location.
“I am extremely proud of this stellar group of graduates,” said Lisa Wiese, program director. “They have worked hard and supported each other through the entire two years. They are all going to make fantastic contributions to the dental hygiene profession.”
The Dental Hygiene Program is part of Blinn’s Division of Health Sciences, which offers associate degree nursing, dental hygiene, emergency medical services, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, fire science, veterinary technology and vocational nursing programs designed to train students for high-demand professions.
Story and photo courtesy of: Blinn Communications