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There’s good news for students interested in the health field. Majors that require no prerequisite courses have good to great expectations in growth of job opportunities, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,. PCC’s Dental Assisting, Hygiene and Laboratory Technology programs received their third A-1 status accreditation from the American Dental Association in February, according to Lori Gagliardi, Dental Assisting Program Director.

To receive A-1 status, PCC met or exceeded ADA’s standards. No additional reporting is required for seven years.

PCC’s dental department has career-based programs, said Gagliardi. Two of the programs, Assisting and Laboratory Technology, require no prerequisite courses to begin training.

“If a student wanted to find out more about [our programs],” said Gagliardi, “we offer introductory courses each semester, pending availability.”

According to the 2010-11 BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Dental Assistants and Hygienists’ national employment projections for 2008-2018 are considered excellent with expected growth of 36 percent.

Assisting, a one-year program, is an excellent major for students just entering the dental field, said Gagliardi.

Assistants support the dentist and other staff. Working with patients is limited to x-rays, mixing some dental materials and creating temporary fillings, depending on the dentist’s preference.

“I really like the instructors because they’re very detail oriented,” said Dental Assistant major Jolene Chu, 28. “They teach you in a way that you leave the class feeling very confident in what you’ve learned.

“It’s a great experience,” said Chu. “I thought the dental field was narrow, but [studying] assisting opens up your eyes to all the other options you have.”

According to Gagliardi, some assisting students choose to move to the next dentist job level, Hygienist. The department has pathway programs to assist students in that and other career paths.

Hygienists, said Gagliardi, “can clean your teeth and provide oral healthcare.”

Laboratory Technology also requires no prerequisites and is a two-year program, said Anita Bobich, an associate professor and program administrator of Dental Laboratory Technology.

A lab tech “makes crowns, bridges, dentures, basically anything that would require work outside the mouth,” said Gagliardi.

Job opportunities for Dental Laboratory Technicians are expected to grow at 14 percent, according to the BLS handbook.

“Dental lab technology is [a good career for] students who like to do art,” said Bobich.

“It’s a different experience from any profession because you get hands-on [work]. You get the art, the science. It’s very unique,” said Dental Lab Tech major Moe Ismail, 24.

In order to train Assistants and Hygienists, instructors guide their students through simulated experience working with learning tools. They then move to working on each other’s mouths and then real patients, after they’ve proven their competency.

Because a student is performing the procedures under supervision, low-cost dental care is available at PCC.

One can get teeth cleaned for $10, X-rays for as low as $10 and individual tooth sealants for $5, said Stacey Wlasiuk, a former PCC student and the front office manager of the Dental Hygiene Clinic in Room R511.

Graduates of all three majors must pass state board exams in order to work, said Gagliardi.

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