NICC Dental Assisting program receives re-accreditation
Monday, September 25, 2023
Dental assistants assist healthcare providers with sterilization of instruments, preparing materials, office administration and assisting with dental procedures including fillings, crowns and extractions.
PEOSTA, Iowa—The Dental Assisting program at Northeast Iowa Community College has received the accreditation status of approval without reporting requirements after its re-accreditation site visit this past summer.
The re-accreditation was awarded by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. Approval without reporting requirements is a classification granted to an educational program indicating that the program achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation.
NICC Dental Assisting Program Director, Dawn Klostermann, and Clinical Coordinator Jennifer Kohlmeyer, lead the program at the Peosta campus with the support of lab instructors Tina Adams, Tori Krapfl, Tara Metz and Nancy Schmidt and the allied health department.
The strength of the NICC program is supported by the faculty’s professional dental assisting experience and the program’s comprehensive instruction, according to Klostermann.
“Our faculty has a combined 170 years of experience in dentistry, and every member of our team still works in the field! We prepare our students for their own career in dentistry by bringing real-world experience to the classroom. We stay relevant with the materials being used by dental professionals and have a very rigorous set of expectations for students’ performance and professionalism in the classroom, clinic and lab. This prepares effective and efficient dental assistants to be successful in their profession,” Klostermann said.
Dental assistants assist healthcare providers with sterilization of instruments, preparing materials, office administration and assisting with dental procedures including fillings, crowns and extractions. Upon successful completion of the program, students are eligible to take the Iowa Dental Board state registration exams to become a Registered Dental Assistant (RDA). Graduates are also eligible to take examinations prepared by the Dental Assisting National Board to become a Certified Dental Assistant (CDA).
NICC graduates have achieved 100 percent job placement in dental offices for the past five years. Classroom and lab work teach proper general chairside skills, radiographic and laboratory techniques and effective oral/written communication skills. The program also includes clinical rotations in local dental offices and experiential learning in an on-campus dental clinic with patients and volunteer dentists. Visit nicc.edu/dentalassisting for more information.