The Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Thursday December 7, 1978 THIRTEEN
BMCC dental
assistants ahead
of national average
Dental assistants, graduat
ing from Blue Mountain Com
munity College are well ahead
of the national average in
national certification tests.
On the three-part tests,
BMCC students scored a total
of 264.7 points last spring. The
national average was 255
points.
"Our continually high
scores are a tribute to
knowing we're doing some
thing right here," according to
Jean Nelson, director and
instructor for the one-year
BMCC dental assisting pro
gram. BMCC's dental assisting
program is fully accredited
which means graduates can
be certified by taking the
national exam. Accreditation
comes from the Commission
on Accreditation on Dental
and Dental Auxiliary Educa
tional Programs Agency of the
American Dental Association.
A full year's curriculum is
planned for the dental assist
ing student.
The first term is spent in
learning theory while the
second term finds the student
practicing what they have
learned in the school lab. In
the lab, there are three
operatory stations with mod
ern equipment and x-ray
facilities. The lab set-up
allows the students to learn
both over-the-patient and
behind-the-patient delivery
systems.
The third term, students put
theory into practice as they
actually work for a dentist.
This clinical experience is on a
non-pay basis, but it often
serves as a leader for job
opportunities for graduates.
"I've had 100 per cent
cooperation from dentists
when placing students for
internship spring term," Jean
noted.
Nineteen students are cur
rently enrolled in the dental
assisting program at BMCC;
the program can handle a
maximum of 20. In the past,
the program has had great
holding power with very few
dropouts, Jean said.
In student follow-up studies,
Jean has found that the
majority of her students enter
a dental assisting career.
"The goal of the college
program is to make the
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student occupationally hir
able. What she gains here is
very useful whether she takes
her certification test or not,"
Jean said. A dental assistant
may be hired without the
certificate, although certifica
tion is a great help in the
search for a job.
A graduate may find
employment in private prac
tice, group practice, labora
tory, hospital, nursing homes,
armed services, dentafsupply
houses, dental manufacturing
and the list goes on.
A graduate of the BMCC
program herself, Jean advises
her students to go where the
action is. Assisting with a
variety of treatment pro
cedures performed by the
dentist in general dentistry
may be the student's niche, or,
if they prefer a specialty, they
may find that their interest is
in assisting the oral surgeon in
a manner similar to the nurse
in the hospital operating
room. Specialization, may
come in orthodontics, pedo
dontics (dentistry for child
ren), endodontics (inner
structure of teeth), or perio
dontics (surrounding and sup
porting tissues of teeth.)
EMT class
scheduled
for Heppner
An organizational meeting
for a proposed Blue Mountain
Community College sponsored
class for emergency medical
technician training will be
held Dec. 14 in Heppner.
BMCC officials hope to
determine if there is sufficient
local interest to hold such a
class. Anyone interested in
establishing a local EMT
training program is urged to
attend.
The meeting will start at
7:30 p.m. in the conference
room at Columbia Basin
Electric Co-op.
Christmas
tree permits
available
The Heppner Ranger dis
trict of the Umatilla National
Forest is now selling Christ
mas tree permits to the public.
Anyone wanting to select
and cut their own Christmas
tree from National Forest
land this year may do so by
obtaining a permit from the
local Forest Service office in
Heppner.
Permits cost $2 per tree and
must be attached to the tree
while being transported from
the forest. Permits may be
purchased during regular of
fice hours Monday thru Fri
day, 7:45a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and
on Saturday, December 16, 9
a.m. to 2 p.m.
Livestock
brand book
on market
Oregon's livestock 1978
brand book is off the press and
now available for distribution
through the Livestock Divis
ion of the Oregon Department
of Agriculture in Salem.
Purchase price of the new
book is $25.
The books can be picked up
at the Livestock Division or
can be ordered by mail. A
check or money order made
out to the department should
be included with the order.
ALL YOUR
BUSINESS
PRINTING
NEEDS UNDER
ONE ROOF
676-9228
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