Bay Mills Community College and Northwestern Michigan College partner to train more dental assistants

A new partnership has been announced between Bay Mills Community College, located in Brimley, Michigan, and Northwestern Michigan College, located in Traverse City, Michigan. The partnership aims to increase the number of dental assistants serving in northern Michigan, with a particular focus on Native American students.

The partnership was announced on March 10, and will allow Bay Mills students to transfer to Northwestern Michigan College’s dental assistant program after the completion of their first year. Once at NMC, the students will study for one more year after which they will be allowed to sit for the state exam to become a registered dental assistant. 

In an article from Native News Online, dean of science and allied health at Bay Mills Diana McKenzie talked about the disparity of workers in the dental assisting field, saying, “Our communities need more dental professionals of any kind. This seems like a really good fit.”

Bay Mills Community College enrolls nearly 600 students, over half of which are Native American.

Of the six accredited dental assisting programs in Michigan, Northwestern Michigan College’s is the furthest north in the state.

Dr. Jessica Rickert, a retired Traverse City-area dentist, who hired graduates from NMC in her practice, talked about the benefits to having a registered dental assistant on staff, saying, “With a registered dental assistant, a dentist can see about 60 percent more patients. They can do more clinical procedures under the dentist’s supervision.”

Dr. Rickert was the first female Native American dentist in the country, and is the only one in Michigan. She leads Anishinaabe Dental Outreach, an organization that aims to improve dental health in Native communities. She noted that of the 315,000 dental assistants in the country, less than one percent of them are American Indian or Alaska Natives.

Dr. Rickert also spoke of the need for dental care in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, saying, “The scarcity of timely dental care is causing serious hardship. They have a wonderful program at NMC. Dental assisting is such a great career, and it’s really fulfilling and it’s necessary. Let’s make this happen.”
 
She also mentioned that there are scholarships available to students of color from the American Dental Association and the Michigan Dental Association.

More information about Bay Mills Community College can be found at the school’s website.

More information about Northwestern Michigan College can be found at the school’s website.