What’s New at Vermont Tech Dental Hygiene

In the fall of 2014 the VTC Dental Hygiene program made a major curricular change. Due to the increased amount of current knowledge and information that needs to be included in the dental hygiene curriculum the faculty changed the length of the program from two years to three. After three years of clinical education students will receive an associate in science degree and then they can opt to complete their baccalaureate degree by taking one more year of online coursework. A survey of students indicated that the majority will be completing their degree either full or part-time. In the fall of 2016 we will have all three classes enrolled simultaneously.

Due to the new curricular format the department will be adding two new part-time faculty in the spring semester. The new faculty are Brittney Gendreau and Laura Putnam. They will be joining the current staff of myself, Leslie Hills, Tina Marshall, Sheila Bannister, Michelle McKay, Heather Blair, Mary Lew, Tracy Tessier, and Amie Lloyd. The department will be seeking additional baccalaureate educated faculty for the 2016 academic year. The faculty are very excited about the new curriculum and the addition of new faculty.

Since 2007 we have been offering a totally online Bachelor of Science degree completion program for students who earned an associate in science dental hygiene degree and wish to complete their baccalaureate degree. Coursework can be completed either full or part-time. Courses include Evidence Based Decision Making, Contemporary Issues in Dental Hygiene, Advanced Periodontics, Education Leadership, and Practice Management. If you are interested in the program please contact Ellen Grimes ([email protected]) and she can provide you with additional information.

For the past several years Dr. Renay Ivens has been providing restorative care for many of our clinic patients at a reduced cost. Patients must lack a dental home, lack dental insurance, have limited financial resources and be compliant. Currently, second year dental hygiene students are assisting Dr. Ivens in order to gain cross-training as a dental assistant and to learn more about the dental materials used in the restorative process. The program has been incredibly successful.

Three faculty have earned their Master’s degrees in the last few years. Congratulations to Sheila Bannister, Amie Lloyd and Heather Blair on their accomplishments.