Oct 12, 2024  
Catalog 2023-2024 
    
Catalog 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Dental Hygiene, BAS


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117 CREDITS (PLUS 67 CREDITS OF PREREQUISITES)

Program Mission: The mission of the Lake Washington Institute of Technology Dental Hygiene Program is to prepare students to enter the healthcare workforce as entry-level Dental Hygienists who are competent in the provision of safe, ethical and effective dental hygiene care. The program aims to provide students with high quality didactic and clinical education in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills of Dental Hygiene as well as the promotion of life-long learning.

Program Philosophy: The Lake Washington Institute of Technology Dental Hygiene Program believes the function of the Dental Hygienist is to provide safe and effective Dental Hygiene care to help people retain and improve their oral health for greater quality of life.  It is the philosophy of the Dental Hygiene Program at LWTech to foster the acquisition of Dental Hygiene skills in a safe learning environment that supports communication, collaboration, and critical thinking, and to promote culturally sensitive, ethical, and compassionate care in the dental workplace.

This program has received accreditation status from the Commission on Dental Accreditation which allows students, upon graduation, to take the National Board Examination and the clinical licensing examination in the state where she or he plans to practice. Clinical experience is provided at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology dental clinic under the supervision of licensed dentists and licensed dental hygienists. Additional clinical experience occurs in a variety of off-campus settings located in the greater Seattle area.

There is a formal admissions process for entry into this program. The curriculum in the Dental Hygiene program consists of eight quarters, including two eight-week summer quarters, of full-time professional and clinical education preceded by 67 credits of prerequisite courses. The prerequisite science courses must be at least seven years current upon program entry; be measured by a proficiency examination; or be waived by special petition to the Dental Programs Director. The dental hygiene courses must be taken successively. Any developmental coursework a student may be required to complete may increase the program length.

Dental Hygiene BAS degree graduates will:

  • provide quality, evidence-based, safe, and ethical entry level patient care, and patients/clients will be satisfied with the services rendered
  • demonstrate the skills necessary to stay current in the profession with a rigorous emphasis on the study of evidence-based research, life-long learning, and career development as a dental hygienist
  • be prepared to successfully complete all licensing exams required to practice in Washington State and obtain an entry-level position as a dental hygienist
  • assess, plan, implement, and evaluate community-based health promotion and prevention programs to benefit the general population
  • demonstrate communication, critical thinking, cultural humility, information literacy, and teamwork skills
  • meet Humanities , Natural Science , Quantitative Reasoning , Social Science , and Written Communication  general education distribution area outcomes

The LWTech Dental Hygiene program will provide students with a curriculum consistent with the current Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) Standards and the guidelines of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).

Lake Washington Institute of Technology does not offer every course each quarter. It is the student’s responsibility to consult the Class Schedule and work out an individual schedule with an advisor. Any developmental coursework a student may be required to complete may increase the program length.

Program Requirements


Required Course Sequence

General Education Requirements - 67 Credits


The prerequisite courses required for admission to the BAS in Dental Hygiene program satisfy the General Education requirements.

Diversity and Social Justice Requirement


Within the degree requirements, students must complete a 3-5 credit course that meets the college’s Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) requirement. DSJ courses are designated in the college schedule and are designed to meet other general education or technical requirements simultaneous to meeting the DSJ requirement (e.g., ENGL& 101 with the DSJ attribute meets both the ENGL& 101 requirement and the DSJ requirement).

Note: Not all sections of a course meet the DSJ requirement. Students should review the class information to ensure the class section includes “course attributes: meets diversity requirement.”

Visit the DSJ requirement webpage to view the current list of general education and technical courses that meet the requirement.

Students who have taken a DSJ class in a previous certificate or degree, do not have to take another DSJ class.

Total Program Credits: 117 (plus 67 credits of prerequisites)


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