Middlesex County College - Program Competencies

Program Competencies

COMPETENCIES FOR ENTRY INTO THE PROFESSION OF

DENTAL HYGIENE

The Middlesex County College Dental Hygiene program is a competency based curriculum. Competencies describe the abilities expected of a dental hygiene graduate upon entry into the Dental Hygiene profession. Competencies combine skills, understanding, and professional values and are performed independently in realistic settings.

CORE COMPETENCIES (C)

C.1	Apply a professional code of ethics in all endeavors.

C.2	Adhere to state and federal laws, recommendations, and regulations in the provision of dental hygiene care.

C.3	Utilize basic scientific knowledge as the theoretical basis for clinical practice.

C.4	Provide dental hygiene care using critical thinking and problem solving in the provision of evidence-based practice.

C.5	Perform on-going self-assessment for professional growth and life-long learning.

C.6	Provide quality assurance mechanisms for health services.

C.7	Communicate effectively with individuals and groups from diverse populations.

HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION (HP)

HP.1	Promote optimal oral and general health to patients while respecting their goals, values, and beliefs..

HP.2	Identify population risk factors and develop, implement and evaluate strategies to promote health and prevent disease.

HP.3	Utilize appropriate methods to ensure the health and safety of the patient and dental professional in the delivery of dental hygiene services.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT (CM)

CM.1	Assess the oral health needs of the community and the resources available to facilitate access to care.

CM.2	Plan ad implement community oral health services in a variety of settings.

CM.3	Evaluate the outcomes of community based programs.

PATIENT CARE (PC)

ASSESSMENT
PC.1	Collect analyze, and record data on the general, oral and psychosocial health status of a variety of patients to identify oral health conditions and patient needs.

DIAGNOSIS
PC.2	Utilize critical decision making skills to reach conclusions about the patient's dental hygiene needs based on all available assessment data.

PLANNING
PC.3	Colloborate with the patient, and/or other health professionals, to formulate a comprehensive dental hygiene care plan that is patient centered and based on current scientific evidence.

IMPLEMENTATION
PC.4	Provide individualized treatment as identified in the assessment, diagnosis and planning phases that include preventive and therapeutic services desined to achieve and maintain oral health.

EVALUATION
PC.5	Evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented clinical, preventive and educational services and modify as needed.

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT (PGD)

PGD.1	Access professional and community networks to pursue career, educational and professional goals.

PGD.2	Promote the profession through service activities and affiliations with professional organizations.

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