There are a total of 22 science prerequisites needed to meet the Cerritos College dental hygiene program. They allow for a maximum of 2 classes to be “in progress”, which means you can be still taking 2 classes when you apply. The necessary prerequisites are:
All of these science prerequisites must be completed with at least a “C” or higher. All of the needed prerequisites must have been completed within five years prior to applying for the Cerritos College dental hygiene program. The application deadline to apply to the dental hygiene program is April 1st for the start of the program, which begins in August of each year.
There is no waiting list for the Cerritos College dental hygiene program. A point system is used to determine who is accepted into the program. Points are awarded based on specific criteria:
The students who are selected for the upcoming Cerritos College dental hygiene program will be chosen using a point system awarded objectively using the point system shown above. Those prospective students who are selected for the upcoming semester will be notified in May. For the applicants who are not selected for the program, they will also be notified of their status in May. Because there is no waiting list for the dental hygiene program at Cerritos College, any applicants not accepted must reapply the following year.
Students who aren’t selected for the current year are encouraged to increase their chances of being accepted the following year by retaking any science prerequisites in order to get a higher grade. Also, many students use the time to gain experience working at a job in the dental field. Students may also take additional classes to have more units completed before reapplying the following year. CPR certification is also required, so taking an American Heart Association course can be taken at any time.
For the 2016/2017 calendar year, the tuition for the Cerritos College dental hygiene program is $46.00 per unit. So, for the 60 units of the dental hygiene program at Cerritos College, the tuition is $2,760. This is just for the units taken. Textbooks for the program is approximated to be between $2,700 to $2,900 for the entire program. There is also the cost of the “Dental Hygiene Kit”, which is approximately $9,000. Other additional fees such as parking permit, uniforms, shoes, etc, put the final cost of the Cerritos College dental hygiene program at just around $20,000. But keep in mind, there are scholarships, grants, and other financial assistance available. The Financial Aid office at Cerritos College will be able to help you navigate the financial aspects of the dental hygiene program.
Cerritos College Dental Hygiene Program 11110 Alondra Blvd Norwalk, CA 90650 562-860-2451
When you’re looking for a career, there’s many factors that can come influence what you’re going to go for. There’s of course the income you get, but also the type of work. In the case of medical professions, it’s especially important since you never know exactly what dealing with patients will be like until you try it. For those who work on teeth, there’s typically two professions that come to mind, dentist and dental hygienists. But what’s the difference, and what exactly does a dental hygienist do? Perhaps you want to become one, or maybe you’re just curious. Knowing what skills you need, what education, and what kind of day to day job they do, will help you understand this.
First, it’s important to make the distinction between dental hygienists, also sometimes called RDH’s, to actual dentists. Real dentists will go to college for many years to become a fully certified dentist. The reason is because they have to make important decisions and diagnostics for their patients. Often it’s simple things like whether you brush your teeth enough, but sometimes it’s important operations like surgeries. A dental hygienist however doesn’t have to take these decisions, and as such their jobs focus on one particular part of a typical exam. To become a dental hygienist, you still need to know a lot about teeth. You must be at ease dealing with hundreds of mouths, and be very focused on your work, because you deal with patients directly. Also, having charisma helps, because you spend a lot of time with these patients, and may need to comfort them or answer their questions.
To become a dental hygienist, usually you need to go through a college certificate or associate degree, although sometimes specialized schools will give quicker programs. The dental hygiene schools in California are typically two year programs, with between 20 to 30 prerequisite science courses. Some programs, like the Cabrillo College dental hygiene program, have waiting lists. Others don’t have waiting lists. Then, you may have to go through an internship program with a dentist. There you learn what your day to day job is, which mainly consists of cleaning people’s mouths. You need to brush their teeth, examine their mouth, and let the dentist know of any potential problem you may find. This isn’t an exhaustive search, but often you can help out by spotting problems on various teeth. This is a very repetitive work as you can imagine, and you must be willing to do that all day long without fail, since a lot of clients count on you for this task. You basically assist dentists and patients alike in the daily tasks of running a dental clinic.
Overall, dental hygienists are employed by dental clinics, which are often private clinics owned by the dentists, or by a group of people. They work during the work day, every day of the week, and get paid a decent salary. Thanks to these people, everyone who sees a dentist can be sure that they will come home with a clean mouth.