WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Eighteen dental hygienists recently completed a local-anesthesia training program offered by Pennsylvania College of Technology’s School of Health Sciences and Workforce Development & Continuing Education.
The group completed the 30-hour training program, Local Anesthetics for the Dental Hygienist, on April 6.
The course is designed to provide licensed dental hygienists with the knowledge and skills to administer local anesthesia in a clinical setting. Offered over two weekends, instruction included hands-on application in the college’s dental hygiene facilities, encompassing specific requirements set forth by Pennsylvania’s State Board of Dentistry.
Those who completed the course are eligible for certification by the state Board of Dentistry to administer local anesthetics.
Since administration of local anesthesia was added in 2009 to the scope of dental hygienists’ practice in Pennsylvania, Penn College has conducted several training programs to address workforce needs.
The college has also integrated local-anesthesia training into its requirements for an associate degree in dental hygiene since 2011.
“The number of dedicated dental hygienists and level of professional commitment was outstanding,” said Shawn A. Kiser, director of dental hygiene. “The graduates of this class certainly have a new skill set that will help improve the quality of dental care for the clients they serve.”
For more information, visit www.pct.edu/wdce or call 570-327-4775.
For more about Penn College, which is celebrating 100 years of applied technology education, visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.