La Grande, OR- Oregon Institute of Technology’s (Oregon Tech) very selective Dental Hygiene program is proud to announce the graduation of its 2015 Class on March 8, 2015 in La Grande. Offered in partnership with Moda Health/ODS and Eastern Oregon University (EOU), the 21 graduates are now qualified to apply for the top dental hygiene licensure in Oregon with an Expanded Practice Permit. Oregon Tech limits the annual number of students in the La Grande program to about 27 in order to keep quality high and student/faculty ratios low.
Oregon Tech’s graduates have a lot to look forward as they enter the job market. The Class of 2014 had a 100% passing rate on National and Regional board examinations, close to 100% employment rate within months of graduation, and average starting salaries ranging from $52,000-64,000. Besides its Dental Hygiene associate degree in La Grande with Moda Health and EOU, Oregon Tech also offers bachelor’s degree programs in partnership with Chemeketa Community College in Salem and on its Klamath Falls campus.
“Dental hygienists are becoming health care leaders at a transformational moment in history,” said Viki Points, Program Director of Oregon Tech’s La Grande-based program. “They will be encountering new treatments, new technology, and hopefully a new level of dental hygiene provider in the near future.”
The Dental Hygiene associate degree prepares studentswith an intensive program including labs, dental hygiene patient care, local anesthesia, and nitrous oxide sedation. The students work on community health projects from inception, to seeking grants, to implementation. The class of 2015 has served many populations including veterans, low-income senior citizens, migrant farms workers, developmentally disabled adults, and low-income children.
Points added, “All of us at Oregon Tech Dental Hygiene in La Grande are so proud of our graduates for completing this rigorous program and exceeding all expectations. They have demonstrated a passion for their career choice that shows in the care they provide to their patients and their community. They have already cared for diverse populations and have volunteered their services throughout their time here. The Oregon Tech Dental Hygiene mission is to provide a service based education and these students have exemplified this attribute. We welcome them into the Oregon Tech dental hygiene alumni family.”
Graduates of the Dental Hygiene Class of 2015 are a unique group, made up of all women this year, and including career-changers, parents, students of different ethnicities, first-generation (in their family to earn a degree), and some who come into the program with a degree in another field already. Graduates will be prepared to work in private practices and clinics, medical facilities, research facilities, and public health clinics, with the majority planning on staying in Oregon.
This year’s graduates hail from several communities in Oregon including La Grande, Wallowa, Baker City, John Day, Echo, Burns, Bend, Oakland, Hood River, Lebanon, Prineville, Medford and Amity; and from Weiser, Idaho; Honoka’a, Hawaii; Palmer Alaska; and Oakdale, California.
Dental Hygiene Graduation Ceremony Details:
Time: Sunday, March 8 at 1:00 pm
Location: EOU Campus, Loso Hall, McKenzie Theatre; One University Boulevard, La Grande, OR
Oregon Tech’s graduates have a lot to look forward as they enter the job market. The Class of 2014 had a 100% passing rate on National and Regional board examinations, close to 100% employment rate within months of graduation, and average starting salaries ranging from $52,000-64,000. Besides its Dental Hygiene associate degree in La Grande with Moda Health and EOU, Oregon Tech also offers bachelor’s degree programs in partnership with Chemeketa Community College in Salem and on its Klamath Falls campus.
“Dental hygienists are becoming health care leaders at a transformational moment in history,” said Viki Points, Program Director of Oregon Tech’s La Grande-based program. “They will be encountering new treatments, new technology, and hopefully a new level of dental hygiene provider in the near future.”
The Dental Hygiene associate degree prepares students
Points added, “All of us at Oregon Tech Dental Hygiene in La Grande are so proud of our graduates for completing this rigorous program and exceeding all expectations. They have demonstrated a passion for their career choice that shows in the care they provide to their patients and their community. They have already cared for diverse populations and have volunteered their services throughout their time here. The Oregon Tech Dental Hygiene mission is to provide a service based education and these students have exemplified this attribute. We welcome them into the Oregon Tech dental hygiene alumni family.”
Graduates of the Dental Hygiene Class of 2015 are a unique group, made up of all women this year, and including career-changers, parents, students of different ethnicities, first-generation (in their family to earn a degree), and some who come into the program with a degree in another field already. Graduates will be prepared to work in private practices and clinics, medical facilities, research facilities, and public health clinics, with the majority planning on staying in Oregon.
This year’s graduates hail from several communities in Oregon including La Grande, Wallowa, Baker City, John Day, Echo, Burns, Bend, Oakland, Hood River, Lebanon, Prineville, Medford and Amity; and from Weiser, Idaho; Honoka’a, Hawaii; Palmer Alaska; and Oakdale, California.
Dental Hygiene Graduation Ceremony Details:
Time: Sunday, March 8 at 1:00 pm
Location: EOU Campus, Loso Hall, McKenzie Theatre; One University Boulevard, La Grande, OR
