Dental program may be cut
By Luke Savitch
IV Leader Staff, Jan. 30, 2003
The future of the dental assisting program at IVCC remains uncertain, but it may be cut as college administrators search for ways to reduce costs in the wake of the failed Nov. 5 referendum.
Since the dental assistant program is considered a “low enrollment program,” the Illinois Valley Community College Board of Trustees considered discontinuing the program during the December board meeting.
The board tabled that motion after program coordinator Pat Pearson, area dentists, and 3-4 dental assistant graduates met with the administration to talk about how to save the program.
Pearson said the outcome of the board meeting and resulting talks is still “hard to tell.” However, she believes ideas to increase enrollment and income will be beneficial and may save the program.
The board will meet again on Feb. 19 to come to a decision.
Shanon Urbanski, an employee of Dr. John J. Derango and also a graduate of IVCC’s dental assisting program, said the dental assisting program prepares students for their work experience.
“Going through the dental assisting program really prepared me for working in a dental office,” she said.
While dental assistants do not need formal schooling to be hired by dental offices, Urbanski said she believes “most dental offices prefer to hire an assistant that has gone through [a certified] program [rather than] spending a lot of time training someone.”
She believes that some of the dental terminology or tasks would be more difficult to achieve without some formal training in the field.
Pearson said seven students will graduate from the dental assisting program in May and nine students are on the part-time track to get their degrees.