Dental Hygiene - Pierce College District 11

General Qualifications/Requirements for Application/Admittance

It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to ensure that you have met all the below requirements.

Course Requirements

Required Pre-dental Hygiene Courses

Have ALL the following Pre-dental Hygiene courses completed by the End of Spring quarter 2010 for Fall 2010 consideration and entrance, and each course must be passed with a 2.5 GPA (2.0GPA for computer courses), AND a cumulative GPA of 3.3.

ENGL 103, English, Composition-Argumentation and Research
CHEM&121, Chemistry, Introduction to Inorganic, w/lab (Formerly CHEM101)
CHEM&131, Chemistry, Introduction to Organic & Biochemistry, w/lab (Formerly CHEM102)
BIOL&241, Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology I, w/lab (Formerly BIOL240,241)
BIOL&242, Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology II, w/lab (Formerly BIOL250,251)
BIOL&260, Biology, Microbiology, w/lab (Formerly MICRO201)
NUTR&101, Nutrition, (Formerly HSCI161)
MATH&107, Math, Math in Society
SOC&101, Sociology, Introduction to Sociology, (Formerly SOC110)
PSYC&100, Psychology, General Psychology, (Formerly PSCH110)
CMST&101, Speech, Introduction to Communication, (Formerly SPCH100)
Computer courses are offered online through Pierce College.
- CMPTR107, Quality results from the Web
- BTECH200A, MS WORD
- BTECH200B, MS WORD
- BTECH225A, MS Powerpoint

Minimum Completed Required Pre-dental Hygiene Courses by January 22, 2010

You must have the following two (2) courses completed by the end of Fall quarter for the January application deadline:

ENGL 103, English, Composition-Argumentation and Research
CHEM&121, Chemistry, Introduction to Inorganic, w/lab (Formerly CHEM101)

PLUS three (3) of your choice from the following sciences/math Pre-dental Hygiene courses:

CHEM&131, Chemistry, Introduction to Organic/Biochemistry, w/lab (Formerly CHEM102)
BIOL&241, Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology I, w/lab (Formerly BIOL240,241)
BIOL&242, Biology, Human Anatomy and Physiology II, w/lab (Formerly BIOL250,251)
BIOL&260, Biology, Microbiology, w/lab (Formerly MICRO201)
NUTR&101, Nutrition, (Formerly HSCI161)
MATH&107, Math, Math in Society

PLUS one (1) of your choice from the following non-science Pre-dental Hygiene courses:

SOC&101, Sociology, Introduction of Sociology, (Formerly SOC110)
PSYC&100, Psychology, General Psychology, (Formerly PSCH110)
CMST&101, Speech, Introduction to Communication, (Formerly SPCH100)

NOTE: Thus, you must have a minimum of six Pre-dental Hygiene courses completed by the end of Fall quarter prior to the Application Deadline in January of the year you intend to apply, AND you must have ALL Pre-dental Hygiene courses complete by the end of Spring quarter the year you are applying for admission, but only the minimum six for initial application submission.

Course Transfers

Pierce College uses the Eastern Washington University (EWU) transfer guide. To compare courses from Pierce College or other Washington State Schools, check out these transfer guides:
Transfer Guide for 2009-2010
Pre Summer 2008

If you are out of State or have taken courses long ago, you will need to determine transferability using one of the following options:

OPTION ONE: To determine which course at your college equals the Pierce College Pre-dental Hygiene course, you must follow these steps:

Go to: https://eagleapp02.ewu.edu/PRODDAD/ewudarsxgd.p_lookup_sbgi_code
Choose Washington State, Click "Search"
Choose Pierce College, Click "Get School Information"
Choose "Display General Education equivalents by category" or "Display course equivalents by subject" for the equivalent course.. E.g., for all biology classes, look under Biology, Click "Find Equivalencies".
Under Transfer Course column, find Pierce's Pre-dental Hygiene course. Write down the equivalent EWU Course listed.

Now you must determine if your college's course is equal to the EWU course that transfers to Pierce.

At the bottom of the page, Click on "Look up another school"
Choose your State, Click "Search"
Choose your College, Click "Get School Information"
Choose "Display General Education equivalents by category" for the course you want to find the equivalent.
Under Eastern Course column, find the EWU equivalent course. If an EWU equivalent course does not exist, you will need to do OPTION TWO.

OPTION TWO: Send the catalog course description to the Pierce Dental Hygiene Program Director either via email at: mhospent@pierce.ctc.edu or via FAX at: 253-964-6313. Clearly indicate which Pre-dental Hygiene course you think your course equals.

GPA Requirements

Minimum GPA per course = 2.5 (computer courses with a 2.0)
Minimum cumulative GPA for ALL Pre-dental Hygiene course, excluding computer courses = 3.3

Repeat Courses

Pre-dental Hygiene courses may only be repeated ONCE, and the last grade is used for application acceptance.

NOTE: Courses taken in winter quarter of the year you are applying and not meeting minimum requirements of the 2.5 GPA per course and/or dropping your cumulative GPA under 3.3 will result in disqualification of application validation for that year.

Age of Courses

All science, math, and English must be five (5) years current. Completed on or after January 2005.
All non-science courses have no time limitation

Criminal history clearance required****

All our applicants submit to a Criminal Background Check. If you are unable to pass the Criminal Background Check, you will be unable to complete all courses required to earn your Associate in Dental Hygiene within our Program. Thus, you will not be accepted into our Program.

****If you have been convicted of a felony, you need to clarify your eligibility for licensure through the Department of Licensing before commencing a course of study in Dental Hygiene, and if able, clear your criminal history. Please contact the Washington State Department of Licensing, Department of Health, for further information at (360) 236-4700.

Identification of Positive Criminal History-Washington State Criminal History Repository Department of Health-Licensing Application.

DOH conducts criminal background check on every applicant for licensure (DH Program, dentistry, etc.)

Applicants must answer the DOH Information Data Sheet with integrity and honesty. Future licensure is at great risk if false information is submitted.
With positive criminal history, the applicant must include all reports and court documents along with detailed and complete explanations, with the application for Washington State Licensure.
Positive criminal history cases are submitted to a DOH review panel where decisions regarding licensure (and possible stipulations) are determined.
Each case identifying positive criminal history is managed as an individual case. License stipulations may be obligatory if patient harm is potential.
Applicants with positive criminal history should attempt to get the violation records expunged (after a specified time, some records may be expunged).

Foreign trained dentist or dental hygienist

Unfortunately, direct transfer of credits from foreign countries is not typically accepted. However, please contact the Program Secretary to make an advising appointment with the Program Director to discuss your individualized situation at 253-964-6695 or via email at: denthyg@pierce.ctc.edu.

Non-graduate from another dental hygiene program

Anyone may apply to our Program, but applying does not guarantee acceptance. No student/applicant is guaranteed acceptance into the Pierce College Dental Hygiene Program and advanced standing placement is not an option.

Bachelor's degree already earned

All Pre-dental Hygiene courses must be taken, regardless. Please contact the Program Secretary to make an advising appointment with the Program Director to discuss your individualized situation at 253-964-6695 or via email at: denthyg@pierce.ctc.edu.

Observation Hours

Age of Observation Hours: All observations must be five (5) years current.
Who do I observe?: A licensed dental hygienist (RDH) performing the procedures listed on the form for the required amount of time. Observing a dentist is not acceptable for the following procedures: Initial Scaling/Root Planing, Adult Prophylaxis and Infection Control. However, if you are unable to observe a RDH for the Amalgam and Composite Procedures, you may observe a licensed dentist.

Application Tests

HOBET: This test must be taken PRIOR to the application deadline. Your test scores must be two years (2) current.

Your OFFICIAL scores must be sent to Pierce College prior to the application deadline.

Cost for this test varies per location, but generally is less than $50.00.

Thus, if the application year is 2010, the HOBET and/or Space Relations test must have been taken no earlier than January 2008. Since one can re-take the HOBET test, you must indicate on the Dental Hygiene Course Plan form which HOBET test score within the past two years you wish to use; otherwise, the latest score will be used.

The Pierce College Testing Center can be reached at 253-964-6521 or e-mail testing@pierce.ctc.edu The HOBET can be taken at other colleges; we advise you to contact your testing center at your college directly.
Space Relations: If your application submission is valid, you will be invited to take the Space Relations test at the Pierce College Lakewood campus. Test date is usually in March.
Writing Sample: If your application submission is valid, you will be invited to take the Space Relations test at the Pierce College Lakewood campus. Test date is usually in March.

Application/Admissions Questions

Items to submit

Please refer to the Application Checklist for details.

Transcripts

All transcripts must be official and sent or personally delivered to Pierce College, EVEN if you are a Pierce College student.

NOTE: Please contact the Records office at: Pierce College, Records Office, 9401 Farwest Drive SW, Lakewood, WA 98498-1999; or Fax (253) 964-6427; or Phone (253) 964-6617; or Recording (253) 964-6787; or e-mail: transpts@pierce.ctc.edu; or http://www.pierce.ctc.edu/getstarted/transcript.php3 to find out how to request a transcript from Pierce College.

Selection criteria

The selection criteria***** includes the following categories at the stated percentages:

Science/Math and English GPA - 40%
Non-science GPA - 10%
HOBET Exam scores - 20%
Extracurricular Activities - 10%
Writing Sample score - 10%
Space Relations score - 10%
TOTAL - 100%

******Applicants will be ranked in numerical order according to the scores achieved in all categories listed above. In case of a tie for last position, the applicant with the highest Science/Math and English GPA will be offered acceptance.

Extracurricular activity ranking

Extracurricular activities include volunteer work, job, sport, church, or other community service activity. Please see the Extracurricular Form for more examples.

We rate three areas:

Length of time doing the activity or activities showing commitment,
People contact showing compassion and communication ability, and
Ability to participate in an extracurricular activity while taking Pre-dental Hygiene courses.

Activities that do not last a whole year (ie. sports) may be combined to show a year commitment.

How to improve chances of acceptance

Although we encourage each student to meet with a dental hygiene advisor to create an individualized education plan, generally we recommend striving for a high GPA for each course (over a 3.0 GPA) to be competitive for selection into our Program.

Additionally, learning and retaining the knowledge in the Pre-dental Hygiene courses for application in the Dental Hygiene Program is critical to your success in our Program.

Thus, we recommend striving to earn a cumulative GPA of the required Pre-dental Hygiene courses of at least a 3.5, and to score at least an 85% on the HOBET, Writing sample, and Space Relation tests respectfully to be a strong candidate for selection into our program.

Typical entering class average in Pre-dental Hygiene courses:

Science Cumulative GPA - 3.87
Non-science Cumulative GPA - 3.86
HOBET, Math - 93%
HOBET, Reading - 75%
Writing Sample Test - 85.4%
Space Relations - 89%
Extracurricular Activities - 98.9%

Re-applicants

Submit a new Course Plan Form
Please indicate as to whether you want us to use 2009’s Observation Hours and Extracurricular Form. If you do NOT indicate to use 2009’s forms or do not submit new Observation Hours and Extracurricular Forms, your application will be incomplete and rendered invalid
Follow all other Application Procedures as directed.

Submit all new Forms as if you were applying for the first time, but please indicate that you are a Re-applicant on the Course Plan Form.
Follow all other Application Procedures as directed.