These courses are the classes the student must take prior to applying to the Fresno City College dental hygiene program. These seven prerequisite classes total 29 units. Some courses, such as the Anatomy & Physiology classes require prerequisites before they can be taken. The prerequisites for Anatomy and Physiology are BIOL 5 or BIOL 1. Although not necessary to apply for the dental hygiene program at Fresno City College, there are several other classes that will need to be completed before graduating from the program. Those classes are Intro to Sociology(3 units), General Psychology(3 units), and Speech(3 units).
The dental hygiene program administrators HIGHLY recommend that the student finish these courses prior to applying to the dental hygiene program, because the program is incredibly intensive, with little time left over to take additional courses. All classes must be completed with a minimum “C” grade.
The Fresno City College dental hygiene program now uses a special lottery for choosing who is accepted into their program. This computerized statistical model is being used because there are many more applicants every year than there are spaces in the dental hygiene program. So currently, there is no waitlist at Fresno City College for their dental hygiene program. Many who are not selected take the extra time before the next application period to gain work experience in the dental field or retake classes to achieve a higher score, since GPA is taken into account for the selection lottery process. Applications for the dental hygiene program at Fresno City college become available at the beginning of September, and the deadline for applications are the following June. This is for the dental hygiene program which begins every August.
The cost of attending the dental hygiene program at Fresno City College is similar to the other public community colleges offering the same program. Including all prerequisites, as well as the program itself, is approximately 105 units. That, times $46.00 per unit, comes out to 4,830. The estimates for the dental hygiene program itself, not including tuition, is approximately $15,000. This includes books, fees, uniforms, etc.
As with all of the other dental hygiene schools in California, one of the biggest expenses is purchasing the “Dental Kit” that is required of all students. So, although the entire cost of completing the dental hygiene program at Fresno City College is approaching $20,000, this can be reduced by a large amount when the student makes use of Financial Aid, including Pell Grants, scholarships, fee waivers, and more.
Fresno City College Dental Hygiene Program 1101 E. University Ave Fresno, Ca. 93741 559-442-4600
Dental Hygienists have one of the most challenging and versatile jobs in the field of medicine. While each state has it’s own specific regulations and each different office gives dental hygienists different duties depending on the needs of the office and the hygienists experience, some of the duties that may be included in a dental hygienists job description includes:
This may include taking note of oral health condition, review of their health history, oral cancer screenings, taking vital signs and dental charting. These jobs saves the dentists time that he can spend taking care of dental procedures. Students researching how to become a dental hygienist typically express an interest in oral health.
Dental hygienists also perform some minor dental procedures such as taking and developing dental X-rays, cleaning teeth, Applying sealants and fluorides to teeth, handing dentists tools during dental procedures, and making impression of patients teeth.
Part of the dental hygienist job description also include working with patients and educating the public. They may be ask to calm patients, teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene and oral health strategies, counseling patients about good nutrient and it’s importance to oral health.
Dental hygienists may also be ask to visit elementary, junior high and high schools and educate students on dental health and dental health issues. Students at Delano Adult School in Kern County often express an interest in a career in dental hygiene.
The Dental hygienist job description may also include taking care of such office procedures and making appointments, taking patient information, and billing.
The education required can be somewhat difficult but almost every college has a dental program. The tuition costs are very affordable and come with grants in some cases. In most cases, once a dental hygienist has completed their training, and earned their certification they begin to apply jobs. Once hired, the hygienist will be given her responsibilities by her employer. In most cases, hygienists will be given a certain amount of tasks and as they master these and are ready to take on more responsibilities they will be given more.
As the need for oral care continues to grow, so does the average dental hygienist salary. So, the more you are willing to take on added responsibilities and do them well the more you are likely to get paid. Using your first months on the job to learn as much as you can about how the dentist office runs and how you can make the dentists job easier the more valuable you will be as an employee. Overall, this career is considered on of the very best when it comes to job security and potential salary growth. So, take every opportunity you can to get the experience you need so that you can perform every task that is in the job description for the particular dental office you are hired to work in.