Topics to Ask Dental Hygienist Programs<\/strong><\/h3>\nNow that you have decided to become a dental hygienist in Valdez AK, you can start the procedure of comparing schools and programs. As we discussed at the opening of this article, many students begin by looking at the location and the cost of the schools. Perhaps they search for several online options as well. Even though these are significant initial considerations, there are several additional questions that you need to address to the schools you are comparing in order to arrive at an informed decision. Toward that end, we have furnished a list of questions to assist you with your due diligence and final selection of the best dental hygienist college for you.<\/p>\n
Is the Dental School Accredited?<\/strong> There are a number of important reasons why you should only select an accredited dental hygienist school. If you are planning to become licensed or certified, then accreditation is a prerequisite in nearly all states. To qualify to take the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, your dental program must be accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CDA). Accreditation also helps guarantee that the training you receive is comprehensive and of the highest quality. Valdez AK employers frequently desire or require that new hires are graduates of accredited schools. And last, if you are requesting a student loan or financial aid, often they are not provided for non-accredited schools.<\/p>\nIs Adequate Clinical Training Provided?<\/strong> Clinical or practical training is an important portion of every dental training program. This applies for the online college options also. Many dental hygienist schools have partnerships with area dental practices and clinics that provide practical training for their students. It’s not only essential that the college you select offers adequate clinical hours but also provides them in the type of practice that you ultimately would like to work in. As an example, if you are interested in a career in pediatric dentistry, check that the program you choose offers clinical rotation in a local Valdez AK dental practice that specializes in dental services for children.<\/p>\nAre Internships Available?<\/strong> Ask if the dental schools you are considering sponsor an internship program. Internships are probably the most effective way to get hands-on, practical experience in a real dental practice. They help students to transition from the theoretical to the practical. They can also help students form professional relationships in the Valdez AK dentistry community. And they look good on resumes as well.<\/p>\nIs Job Placement Support Provided?<\/strong> Most students that have graduated from dental hygienist programs need assistance obtaining their first job. Check if the programs you are researching have job placement programs, and what their job placement rates are. Colleges with higher job placement rates are likely to have good reputations within the Valdez AK dental profession as well as broad networks of contacts where they can position their students for employment or internships.<\/p>\nAre the Classrooms Small?<\/strong> Ask the programs you are looking at how big typically their classrooms are. The smaller classes usually provide a more intimate setting for learning where students have greater access to the teachers. On the other hand, large classes tend to be impersonal and provide little one-on-one instruction. If feasible, find out if you can attend a few classes at the Valdez AK dental hygienist school that you are leaning toward so that you can experience first hand the degree of interaction between instructors and students before making a commitment.<\/p>\n <\/strong>What is the Total Expense of the Program?<\/strong> Dental hygiene colleges can differ in cost dependent on the duration of the program and the volume of practical training provided. Other variables, for instance the reputations of the colleges and if they are public or private also come into play. But in addition to the tuition there are other substantial expenses which can add up. They can include costs for such things as commuting and textbooks as well as school materials, equipment and supplies. So when analyzing the cost of schools, don’t forget to add all of the costs associated with your education. Most schools have financial aid departments, so make sure to find out what is available as far as grants, loans and scholarships in the Valdez AK area.<\/p>\nAre the Classes Convenient?<\/strong> Before selecting a dental hygienist school, you need to confirm that the hygienist or assistant program furnishes classes that suit your schedule. This is particularly true if you continue working while receiving your education and have to go to classes near Valdez AK in the evenings or on weekends. And even if you select an online college, you will still be required to schedule your clinical training classes. Also, while making your inquiries, ask what the make-up policy is if you should have to miss any classes because of work, illness or family issues.<\/p>\nAttending Dental Hygienist School near Valdez AK?<\/h3>\nValdez, Alaska<\/h3>
Valdez (\/v\u00e6l\u02c8di\u02d0z, v\u0259l\u02c8d\u025bz\/; Alutiiq: Suacit) is a city in Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city is 3,976, down from 4,036 in 2000. The city was named in 1790 after the Spanish Navy Minister Antonio Vald\u00e9s y Fern\u00e1ndez Baz\u00e1n. A former Gold Rush town, it is located at the head of a fjord on the eastern side of Prince William Sound. The port did not flourish until after the road link to Fairbanks was constructed in 1899. It suffered huge damage during the 1964 Alaska earthquake, and is located near the site of the disastrous 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill. Today it is one of the most important ports in Alaska, a commercial fishing port as well as a freight terminal.\n<\/p>
The port of Valdez was named in 1790 by the Spanish explorer Salvador Fidalgo after the Spanish naval officer Antonio Vald\u00e9s y Fern\u00e1ndez Baz\u00e1n.[4] A scam to lure prospectors off the Klondike Gold Rush trail led to a town being developed there in 1898. Some steamship companies promoted the Valdez Glacier Trail as a better route for miners to reach the Klondike gold fields and discover new ones in the Copper River country of interior Alaska than that from Skagway. The prospectors who believed the promotion found that they had been deceived. The glacier trail was twice as long and steep as reported, and many men died attempting the crossing, in part by contracting scurvy during the long cold winter without adequate supplies. The town did not flourish until after the construction of the Richardson Highway in 1899, which connected Valdez and Fairbanks. With a new road and its ice-free port, Valdez became permanently established as the first overland supply route into the interior of Alaska. The highway was open in summer-only until 1950, when it was operated as a year-round route.[5]<\/p>
In 1907, a shootout between two rival railroad companies ended Valdez's hope of becoming the railroad link from tidewater to the Kennicott Copper Mine. The mine, located in the heart of the Wrangell-St.Elias Mountains, was one of the richest copper ore deposits on the continent. The exact location of the right-of-way dispute, in which one man was killed and several injured, is located at the southern entrance of Keystone Canyon on the Valdez side. A half-completed tunnel in the canyon marks the end of railroad days in Valdez. A rail line to Kennicott was later established from the coastal city of Cordova.[5]<\/p>
The city of Valdez was badly shaken but not destroyed in the 1964 Good Friday earthquake. Soil liquefaction of the glacial silt that formed the city's foundation led to a massive underwater landslide, which caused a section of the city's shoreline to break off and sink into the sea. The underwater soil displacement caused a local tsunami 30 feet (9.1\u00a0m) high that traveled westward, away from the city and down Valdez Bay. 32 men, women, and children were on the city's main freight dock to help with and watch the unloading of the SS Chena, a supply ship that came to Valdez regularly. All 32 people died as the dock collapsed into the ocean with the violent landslide. There were no deaths in the town.\n<\/p><\/div>\n