Delta Dental Gives $120,000 to Train Hygienists

By David Darman on Wednesday, July 2, 2003.

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Northeast Delta Dental last week gave the New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord 120 thousand dollars.

The money will help NHTI expand its dental hygienist training program.

Hygienists and nurses head the list of health professionals that are in short supply in the Granite State.

And NHTI and other colleges are stretching as far as they can to train the next generation of these professionals.
NHPRs David Darman has more.

Northeast Delta Dental sponsored a reception at New Hampshire Technical Institute to publicize their gift.

Delta Dental president Tom Raffio handed over the oversized check to the president of NHTI.
02 1314 ?what I?d like to do is have the big check, and a picture. But the real check, trust me, this is not a check in the mail. Show them that I?ve already given you the check. (laughter) ok. This is not a check in the mail. 02 1336

Delta Dental?s gift to NHTI will pay for one faculty member to train 5 hygienists.

Currently, the institute can train 25 students a year, but its New Hampshire?s only such program.

And one more faculty member won?t give NHTI nearly the resources it needs to train the more than 100 people who applied this year.

Jim Williamson is the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Dental Society.

He says the state needs new hygienists as fast as they can be trained.
04 103 when dentists are trying to hire hygenists for their offices, they sometimes have to wait anywhere from four to six months to find one. If you look in any of the ads in the paper on Sunday, in manchester or concord paper, there?s numerous job ads for hygienists. And it has been very difficult for most dentists to hire a hygienist, especially if they have a vacancy, filling that vacancy has been very difficult.

Hygienists are not the only health professionals in short supply in New Hampshire.

It?s no secret that the state needs nurses.

The U.S. General Accounting Office says there are more than 12,000 full time nurses in the state.

And the U.S Department of Health and Human Services says at least 1,200 positions are not filled.

More than half of those vacancies are in the state?s 31 hospitals.

One hundred more jobs are unfilled at New Hampshire nursing homes.

To make matters worse, many nurses in the state are just a few years from retirement.

Shaun Lafrance is vice president at the Foundation For Healthy Communities.

The group is affiliated with the New Hampshire Hospital Association.

He says the federal government offers forgivable loans to nursing students, and some of the money is targeted at students seeking masters degrees.
11 140 because one of the problems that we have identified with the nursing education programs is the faculty shortage problem. So, not only do we have a lack of nurses to actually provide bedside care, there?s just not enough nurses to actually teach in the programs. 11 156

Many students trying to enter NH?s 10 nursing programs find they can?t get in.

At just one school, the University of New Hampshire, more than 400 people applied for just 65 slots.

Kathy Brigham of Penacook attends New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord.

She?s tried to get into that school?s Nursing program, but was rejected last year.

26 207 I?m frustrated because there are so many positions available for students to get into the nursing program. And there are certain requirements certain prerequisites you have to take, to get into the nursing program. And I feel like I?m there, I?ve got them all in order. And I?m just waiting now. I?have to reapply. ..26 237

Officials at New Hampshire Technical Institute say their Nursing Department can accept only half the students who apply.

But Joyce Myles says virtually all the students who apply eventually get in.

Myles heads the Nursing Program.

She says many prospective nursing students are in a hurry to get going with their new careers, because many are returning to school as adults.
23 20 our average aged student is 33 right now. And they?re usually second career. Many are female? They?re working. They?re raising families. They?re overcoming great barriers to get their educations.

The bottlenecks that are holding back students from attending nursing programs will probably persist.

There are no plans to expand the NHTI program, for example, and nursing instructors will probably remain in short supply for the foreseeable future.

In the meantime, however, dentists can soon look forward to seeing at least a few more hygienists on the job market.

But they?ll have to be patient, and wait for NHTI?s newly expanded class to graduate.