Dental Hygiene Bridge, A.S.

Note to applicants: Applicants who have already completed a Dental Assisting vocational program (within the last 5 years), possess DANB certification and 1-year chair-side experience, should apply to the Dental Hygiene Bridge Program to receive credit for previous coursework. Vocational courses taken in a Dental Assisting program do not transfer to the traditional A.S. in Dental Hygiene degree program and will have to be repeated even though the content may be similar.

The following requirements must be met in order to apply to the Program:

1. Complete Getting Started at Santa Fe College and Health Sciences requirements.
2. Be a graduate of an ADA accredited 1230 contact-hour Dental Assisting program within the last 5 years. Be DANB certified and have at least one-year chair side dental assisting work experience.
3. Complete prerequisite coursework with a grade of C or higher:
   • BSC 2084/L Principles of Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab (BSC 2085/L and BSC2086/L may be substituted in place of BSC2084/L)
   • CHM 1030/L Elements of Chemistry with lab or higher chemistry with lab
   • ENC 1101 College Composition
   • HUN 1201 Human Nutrition
   • a Humanities/Fine Arts course
   • SPC2600 or SPC2608 Public Speaking
   • MCB2010/L Microbiology with lab
   • PSY2012 General Psychology or DEP2004 Developmental Psychology
   • SYG2000 Intro to Sociology or SYG2010 Social Problems or SYG2430 Marriage and Family
   • Possess a 2.50 or higher overall college GPA  
4. Complete an interest essay at time of application (Essay must be 500 words or less. Criteria and submission instructions noted on the online application screen).

All transcripts and coursework must be evaluated and accepted by SF College prior to the application date in order to qualify for application. 

Application Dates and Deadlines

All tuition and fees are estimated costs and subject to change without notice.

Selection criteria and points system is subject to change.  It is the applicant's responsibility to check with the Health Sciences Advisement Office for up-to-date requirements and information.

All work experience MUST be documented and signed by employer. Incomplete or undocumented forms will not count for points consideration. HSAO cannot contact employers or verify experience hours. Documentation must include dates, hours worked, PT or FT status and duration of employment. Chair side dental assisting experience must be clearly noted.

The Associate in Science in Dental Hygiene-Bridge at Santa Fe College is a four-semester program including the time necessary to complete prerequisite coursework. Coursework is completed in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. The program is based on a 35-40 hour week schedule.

The philosophies of the program are as follows:

• To prepare students to assume the responsibilities of a health care professional and co-therapist in the practice of dentistry.
• To provide instruction which develops competencies in all of the professional services required of a Dental Assistant and Hygienist and prepare students to continue to develop and maintain professional competencies.
• To instill in students a commitment to provide quality services to all patients without discrimination.
• To stimulate interest and encourage students to participate in the development of the professions of Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene, through continuing education, research, and involvement with the professional organizations.
• To nurture the development of ethical and professional behaviors.
• To provide an atmosphere where growth and development flourishes and mutual respect exists between faculty and students participating together in the learning process.
• To provide curricula content which contains the most relevant, current, and accurate theoretical and clinical knowledge.
• To sequence curricula to allow for the most logical progression of content presentation, learning, and clinical skill development.
• To structure curricula to utilize a case-based teaching format, thereby facilitating the transfer of didactic material to clinical practice.
• To ensure that the curriculum provide learning experiences which reflect and meet the criteria of national boards/certifications and state regulatory agencies.
• To strive to meet community and individual needs through innovative curriculum development.
• To recognize the continuously changing needs of society for dental services, and to prepare the student to provide needed services regardless of the patients' age, sex, race, national origin, religion, marital status, social or economic status, and physical or mental disability.
• To encourage faculty and students to demonstrate behaviors which reflect the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.

The Dental Hygiene Bridge Program is a practice discipline with cognitive, sensory, affective and psychomotor performance requirements. Based on these requirements, the following list of Program Performance Standards has been developed. Each standard has an example of activities which a student will be required to perform, with or without an accommodation, while enrolled in the Dental Hygiene Bridge program. The Program Performance Standards should be used as a guide to assist applicants in determining whether or not accommodations or modifications are necessary in order to meet program participation requirements. Applicants who identify potential difficulties with meeting the Program Performance Standards should communicate their concerns to the Academic Chair for Dental Programs. If the concern is related to a documented disability, applicants are responsible for contacting the Disability Resource Center.  Determination of reasonable and appropriate accommodation will be made on an individual basis in consultation with the Disability Resource Center. Additionally, applicants should assess their aptitude and ability to perform professional duties by reviewing the Program Performance Standards below and discussing them with their healthcare provider.

To view the program's effectiveness data, please go to the Health Sciences Program Effectiveness page.