Any dental assistants or hygienists in S.A. (Beeville, Center: school, college)

[zebrashoes]

Hi I really really want to be a dental hygienist but I goofed off my whole first year of college and made two F's and the rest A, B, and C's. My second year was alot better I made A's and B's. I know my grades are not good enough to get into the program at UTSA though. Its really competitive. I am wondering for those in dentistry, if I go through the dental assisting program and get experience do you think I would have a chance? Would having experience help to overlook some of my bad grades?

[perticusrex]

Are you planning on going thru a DA program at UTSA? Are you referring to the program at the UT Health Sci Center? Department of Dental Hygiene I didnt know UTSA offered a DA program, I know SAC does as well as Kaplan College. Can you retake the courses you didnt do well in and reapply to UTHSC?

Theres another program at Coastal Bend College in Beeville. vct.coastalbend.edu


Personally I dont know any DAs who went on to become hygienists. DAs make not so good wages right out of school BUT if you latch onto the right group or dentist you can advance fairly quickly. I am unsure how well the experience of chairside would be for you unless you were the hygiene DA full time but I do know lots of DAs who want to eventually get into hygiene, I just havent met one who has actually done it. The hygienists I know all went right into hygiene. Good luck!

[zebrashoes]

yes i was looking into the DA program at SAC but the hygiene program at UTSA is the one that I ultimatly wanted to get into.