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The four dental hygiene graduates, from left, standing, Kelsey Dorsey and Sheri Printz. Seated are Heather Howell and Sara Lien. |
The first class of dental hygiene students at the UNMC College of Dentistry West Division will graduate Saturday (May 7). The graduation will take place at 5 p.m. in the auditorium of the UNMC College of Nursing West Division, 4502 Avenue I, in Scottsbluff.
Graduating are Kelsey Dorsey of Arcadia; Heather Howell of Newcastle, Wyo.; Sara Lien of Gering; and Sheri Printz of Sidney. Dorsey will receive the outstanding clinician award, and Lien already has received the Nebraska Dental Hygiene Association’s outstanding student award. Each of the students will receive a bachelor of science in dental hygiene.
“All of the graduates have been outstanding students,” said Todd Junge, coordinator of the west division dental hygiene program for the UNMC College of Dentistry. “I’m really proud of these students. Not only for being the first, but also for overcoming any hurdles that come with starting a new program and for making the best of any opportunities given them.”
UNMC expanded its dental hygiene program to Scottsbluff/Gering in 2003 with help from a state grant. The goal was to make the program more accessible to students living in western Nebraska and to provide much needed access to dental care to panhandle residents.
In the past two years alone, the four graduating dental hygienists have seen more than 1,000 patients. “That includes patients coming into the clinic, on rotations and during outreach to local schools,” Junge said. “These students have had a hectic two years, in terms of outreach they have participated in, as well as their regular classes and clinic duties.”
Besides going to classes five days a week and working in the clinic at least 12 hours or more a week, the students have participated in activities such as: a three-day rotation on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; dental health screenings for Mitchell (Neb.) Public Schools; and the 2004 Dental Day event in Alliance.
“We’ve also driven to Omaha to help with the sealant program and to the College of Dentistry campus in Lincoln for Children’s Dental Day,” Junge said.
The UNMC College of Dentistry’s dental hygiene program is a two-year, bachelor’s degree granting program. Students enter the program after they complete two years of undergraduate prerequisite courses.
The Scottsbluff/Gering students “attend” classes via distance learning at Panhandle Community Services (PCS) in Gering. The PCS is also where they do any clinical training.
Meet the graduates
Sheri Printz
As a child Sheri Printz, spent a lot of time at her father Bill Printz’ dental practice in Sidney, Neb. “I thought it was fun,” Printz said.
Printz plans to put her bachelor of science in dental hygiene to use working for her father in Sidney and for Dr. Ryan Foote in Mitchell, Neb. She will live on a ranch near Torrington, Wyo.
Printz said she studied dental hygiene because she wanted to educate people about their oral health. “Our career is not just saliva and teeth,” she said. “We do a lot more than what people actually think. We help prevent disease and help people maintain a healthy oral state.”
Todd Junge, Printz’ dental hygiene instructor, described Sheri as a fun-loving person.
“She really cares about her patients,” Junge said.
Heather Howell
Heather Howell will return to Newcastle, Wyo., to begin her career in dental hygiene working for the same dentist who inspired her interest in the field.
After shadowing Dr. Richard Ratts, D.D.S., one summer Howell became interested in the field. “Dr. Ratts really encouraged me to pursue a career in the dental field,” she said.
Howell said she enjoys working with the patients and helping them understand what is going on in the mouth to prevent future problems. “Often people don’t realize how many problems are contributed to the bacteria in their mouth,” she said.
Howell credits the UNMC program for preparing her for a career in dental hygiene. “The program is just really unique,” she said. “For one thing we are based out of a federal clinic so we get to see patients who normally don’t get care because they can’t afford it.”
Another plus of the program is that she was able to attend school not far from her hometown. “Newcastle is just two-and-a-half hours north of Scottsbluff,” Howell said. “This made the decision to apply for the UNMC College of Dentistry’s West Division program easy.”
Kelsey Dorsey
Kelsey Dorsey of Arcadia looks forward to practicing her dental hygiene skills in Grand Island, where she and her husband recently moved.
Dorsey, who is expecting her first child in June, wanted to be closer to family. “Both mine and my husband’s parents live in Arcadia, which isn’t far from Grand Island,” she said.
Dorsey is confident she is well prepared to meet the demands of working in a dental office, in part, because the students did their clinical training in the dental office at Panhandle Community Services in Gering. “We scheduled our own patients, were in our own operatories and was responsible for that space,” Dorsey said.
At first it was challenging to be so far from the main campus in Lincoln, she said.
“We took classes with our peers via satellite, which was awkward at first, but once we got use to it everything went smooth,” she said. “In fact the learning was more individualized, now it would be hard to go back to a regular classroom setting.”
Another bonus of the UNMC College of Dentistry West Division program is the proximity of Scottsbluff and Gering to Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. “We were able to go to Denver and into Wyoming,” she said. “We had a lot of fun.”
Sara Lien
Sara Lien of Gering knows how important it is to rural Nebraska to have access to qualified dental hygienists.
Besides the clinical work, a dental hygienist can help spread the word about oral health, participate in outreach efforts in the community and aide the dentist in preventing and treating oral disease.
After graduating with a bachelor of science degree in dental hygiene, Lien will begin working in Scottsbluff with Dr. Gary Cheloha.
Lien began her studies in dental hygiene at the College of Dentistry in Lincoln, but moved to Gering when asked to be part of the fledgling program. “I actually was planning to stay in Lincoln once I graduated, but I was asked to come to Gering and I’m really glad I did,” she said.
Working at the clinic at Panhandle Community Services, Lien said she has a richer understanding of the critical need for affordable and accessible dental care among low-income families. “We need more places like PCS in western Nebraska to provide services,” she said.
Lien, who is planning an October wedding to Greg Ernst, said she is excited to begin her career as a dental hygienist. “There is more to being a dental hygienist than just cleaning teeth,” she said. “It’s about patient education and providing a valuable service to the community.”