West Potomac Academy Dental Students to Volunteer in Mission of Mercy Project
Dental Careers students from West Potomac Academy will volunteer as dental assistants in the MOMS Mission of Mercy project alongside local dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants to offer free dental care to the community on March 12 and 13 at the Northern Virginia Community College Medical Campus in Springfield. West Potomac Academy is one of six high school academies in Fairfax County Public Schools FCPS.
WPA Dental Careers students have volunteered for the MOMS project since it started in 2001. Students will be actively assisting dentists and dental hygienists and taking x-rays. While working with patients, students demonstrate poise, professionalism, knowledge, and a courteous chairside rapport with their patients. Some students are able to speak to patients in their native languages, easing communication and providing comfort during procedures.
Dental Careers instructor Regina Weems has built multiple career- based community service projects into the Dental Careers curriculum. Within the West Potomac community, students conduct dental screenings with Head Start and Pulley Center students. Each Dental Careers class sponsors surgery for Operation Smile, http://www.operationsmile.org/, providing cleft lip or cleft palate surgery for a needy child. Students also make custom mouthguards for FCPS athletic programs as a fund-raiser and spend eight weeks in paid internships with local dentists. After successfully completing two years of the Dental Careers program, students receive state dental radiology certification.
via FCPS
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