The Dental Hygienist is a licensed preventive oral healthcare professional who provides a variety of patient care services. The graduate will be able to work in a variety of settings such as private practice, group specialty practice, hospitals, and schools. After completion of the Associate degree program, graduates are eligible to sit for licensing board exams. The student's clinical experience will span three semesters, including a summer session and will take place at several facilities, including the Harcum on-campus Cohen Dental Center, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia VA Hospital, Community Volunteers in Medicine, and Kornberg School of Dentistry at Temple University.
Program Goals: The Dental Hygiene program provides a comprehensive education designed to give students the knowledge and skill to perform as a competent dental hygiene practitioner. The program seeks to create an educational environment that facilitates the development of an ethical, self-directed, problem-solving dental health care professional that is prepared to function within the changing health care system of the future.
Through the utilization of various educational principles and by providing a variety of on-site clinical and community-based experiences, the Dental Hygiene program endeavors to facilitate the development of individuals who will be able to:
Prerequisites for Admission:
Admissions Requirements:
Students accepted into the Dental Hygiene program must meet the following additional criteria:
Admission to the Dental Hygiene program is competitive, and completion of minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admittance to the program. Criteria such as completion of non-Dental Hygiene coursework, cumulative grade point average, and date of completion of minimum requirements may be used in the evaluation and decision process.
Due to class size limitations, the College does not guarantee continuous enrollment between non-Dental Hygiene coursework, the Dental Assisting Certificate program, and the Dental Hygiene program. Should a current Harcum student be interested in the Dental Hygiene program, a new application, along with supporting documents, must be submitted to the Admissions Office. All Dental Hygiene admissions requirements must be met.
Transfer Credits
A maximum of 36 transfer credits in equivalent Harcum College Dental Hygiene coursework can be accepted. Transfer credits are determined by the Harcum College Admissions Committee and Transfer Credit Evaluator. The courses that are transferable are the following with a grade of a "C" or better. Also, all science and math courses expire after 10 years.
Essential Functions
The Essential Functions, as distinguished from academic standards, refer to those physical, cognitive, and behavioral abilities required for satisfactory completion of all aspects of the dental hygiene curriculum. The essential abilities required by the curriculum are in the following areas: intellectual, motor, sensory, communication, environmental, and the behavioral and social aspects of the performance as a dental hygienist. These are attributes that each student must possess and the use of a third party for the fulfillment of these attributes is not adequate. Intellectual: The program requires essential abilities in information acquisition. The student must have the ability to master information presented in course work in the form of lectures, demonstrations, independent study, clinical experiences, written material, material presented through computer imaging and projected images. The student must have the ability to complete reading assignments and to search and evaluate scientific literature. The ability to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and understand the spatial relationship of structures is important. Further, the student must be able to complete computer-based assignments and use the computer for searching, recording, storing, and retrieving information. The student must have the ability to recall, comprehend, integrate, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize. Problem solving skills are essential. Motor/Sensory: Student must have fine motor function and the manual dexterity to provide dental hygiene care to patients. Students must be able to negotiate and function in the clinical patient care environment. Functional vision, hearing and tactile sensation must be adequate to perform a clinical examination, including, the gathering of information on texture, color, palpable changes in tissues, and fine changes on tooth surfaces. The student must possess the visual ability to assess and provide services in the oral cavity and interpret radiographs. Communication: Students must be able to communicate clearly and effectively in both the academic and clinical setting. The student must demonstrate the ability to write coherently, using appropriate grammar, mechanics, punctuation, spelling, and diction. Written communication in the clinical setting must be complete, legible and accurate. The student must be able to verbally communicate in a professional manner with patients, faculty and other members of the dental care team. Environment: Students must be able to work in a clinical environment and follow required guidelines for infection control. This may include chemical solutions and aerosols for surface disinfection. Protective gloves, masks, eyewear and clinical attire must be worn. Behavioral and Social: The student must be able to work in a cooperative professional manner with individuals of differing personalities and background. Being able to participate effectively as a member of a health care team is important. Students must possess the emotional health required to complete all academic and clinical requirements and follow appropriate protocol. The student must be able to understand the basis and content of dental ethics. The student must be able to identify the components of professional behavior and perform accordingly. This includes time management skills, communication styles and interactions.
Approval/Accreditation Status
The Dental Hygiene program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of "approval without reporting requirements." The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at 312-440-4653 or at 211 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611.
Click here to review the Pennsylvania State Board of Dentistry's licensure information.
Dental Hygiene Program Director: Jean Byrnes-Ziegler Melville Hall, Room 320 Phone: 610-526-6046 jbyrnes-ziegler@harcum.edu
Admissions Questions? Tyler Gangi Phone: 610-526-6106 tgangi@harcum.edu
Licensure Information
Career Pathways and Scope of Practice