Overview
ACC’s Dental Hygiene Program is recognized as a premier program in which 100% of students pass the board exams each year. To find ways to expand the number of students in this program, the department entered into a partnership with Capital IDEA, a local non-profit that helps under-resourced students enter high-demand career pathways.
Accomplishments
- The Dental Hygiene Program’s most significant success story in the past two years has been the fall 2021 enrollment and retention of an additional cohort of eight low-income students sponsored by Capital IDEA.
- This has been accomplished by student and faculty dedication, creative scheduling, proactive tutoring, and student support services provided by Capital IDEA and ACC.
- The program has accomplished significant improvement in student retention utilizing Perkins funding to proactively identify and provide real-time tutoring support for students, and by referring students to the Health Sciences retention coordinator when appropriate.
- We currently have a 100% retention rate (one student is repeating her first year, but is still in the program).
Impact
The Dental Hygiene Program has excellent outcomes. The retention rate is currently 100%. In addition to graduating from the program, Dental Hygiene students also have to pass a national written board exam and a separate clinical board exam. ACC graduates have maintained a 100% pass rate on both board exams since the inception of the program. In fact, the graduating class of 2022 scored in the 95th percentile on the written board exam when compared to all other students in the nation (this includes bachelor degree-level dental hygiene programs). The quality of our graduates reflects the impact ACC is having not only in providing high-demand pathways for students, but also in serving the health of Central Texans.
Next Steps
- For fall 2023, Capital IDEA will fund another cohort of eight students for a total cohort size of 26.
- Discussions are ongoing regarding additional program expansion by utilizing both bond funds and tax maintenance note funds. There is great demand for well-trained dental hygienists in Central Texas, and ACC’s students are well-trained.
- Support for expansion will require additional personnel, equipment, clinic space, and accrediting agency approval.