NYU College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry) will offer an accelerated degree track within its dental hygiene program for advanced students, creating a path for dentists with international dental degrees who want to pursue careers in dental hygiene in the United States. Students will earn an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in dental hygiene in the 12-month program.
Dental hygiene is a growing and rewarding occupation: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the field is expected to add 23,700 jobs in the next decade, with an average salary of nearly $ 75,000.
The advanced standing dental hygiene track at NYU Dentistry, the first of its kind in the country, responds to a growing interest from internationally trained dentists looking for a viable career path in the U.S. The program provides a rigorous, accelerated curriculum that accounts for their prior education but ensures that they complete the coursework, labs, and clinical experience necessary to become a dental hygienist.
“We’ve heard from many dentists with international degrees who are passionate about oral health and want to care for patients here in the U.S., but can’t devote another two to three years to additional dental education to be licensed as a dentist. This new accelerated track in the dental hygiene program enables them to get back to seeing patients more quickly as critical members of the oral health care team,” said Dianne Sefo, RDH, MEd, interim chair of the Department of Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting and clinical associate professor of dental hygiene at NYU College of Dentistry.
“We are pleased to offer these dentists the opportunity to build on their previous knowledge and training and to focus on the preventive aspects of dentistry,” added Lisa Stefanou, RDH, MPH, director of the Dental Hygiene Program at NYU College of Dentistry and co-developer of the advanced standing track.
NYU offers the only dental hygiene programs housed within a dental college in New York State. This gives students the opportunity to learn in integrated clinical settings alongside dental students, as well as with faculty members from dental hygiene, dentistry, and dental specialty areas in state-of-the-art facilities that attract the largest, most diverse patient population in the nation. Community-based rotations further enable students to gain valuable clinical experience while helping to educate patients about the importance of oral health and promoting healthy habits.
The advanced standing track is a new pathway within NYU’s overall dental hygiene program, which is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. Graduates of the program are qualified to take the clinical board examinations and the dental hygiene national boards, which are requirements for state licensure. While most dental hygiene programs take two to three years to complete, NYU Dentistry has been a pioneer in accelerated dental hygiene education; the 12-month advanced standing track builds on the success of the NYU Dentistry’s 17-month AAS fast track.
The advanced standing dental hygiene track for internationally trained dentists is accepting applications for its first class, which will begin in Spring 2020. For more information and to apply, visit the Dental Hygiene Program website.
About NYU College of Dentistry
Founded in 1865, New York University College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry) is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating 9 percent of the nation’s dentists. NYU Dentistry has a significant global reach with a highly diverse student body. Visit http://dental.nyu.edu for more.