Complaint Review: El PAso Community College

 My name is Jeri Hallberg Harmon.

 Because of the efforts and the professionalism of the dental assisting and the dental hygiene Instructors and programs, I was able to establish a foothold on my higher education. EVERY CREDIT, and I mean EVERY CREDIT I received from the El Paso Community College Dental Programs were accepted by Excelcior College in New York, as well as the University of Houston.

 As a young woman I went to EPCC. I really did not know what I wanted to be when I "grew up", but my parents wanted me in school and I wanted to please them.

 My well rounded education at EPCC has proven one of the greatest gifts  bestowed upon me by my parents and the EPCC instructors.

 The education I had has proven, over the last 30 years to be extremely valuable.

 I have been able to achieve several goals: a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts, a Master of Education as a  Communication Instruction Specialist.

 Most importantly, as  a mother and volunteer in the community for numerous worthy health and education  organizations.

 I made a few life long friends, and learned, " YOUR MOTHER IS NOT HERE, CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF!!"

The programs at the dental school helped me become a CERTIFIED COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER, a pre nursing student and recipient of a KELLOGG GRANT in which I worked in rural pre nursing services.

I was compelled to say something positive about Sharon Dickinson.

 It was she who, after the death of my grandfather, and at least two attempts with the dental hygiene program that she suggested the dental assisting program.

 Quite frankly,  I liked the dental assisting program better, I enjoyed the oral surgery the most.

 The dental programs at El Paso Community College are rigorous and demanding.

I restarted  with the dental assisting certificate program. Was able to complete that with decent grades. Then Sharon suggested that I go for the two year degree, she told me: '' You will have it  ( THE DEGREE) for the rest of your life."

 I liked that idea, continued the program and was pleased to have earned that Associate of Applied Science Degree in Dental Assisting.

 Because of the classes in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, enbryology and histology, I was able to gain employment twenty years later as a medical instructor teaching medical coding, medical transcription, medical terminology, business English.

 I would say to the complaintant, we all have rules to follow.

 Make the classes that you have work for you.

 Apply to Excelsior College in Albany New York, transfer all of your credits... you might be surprised. 

 AS FOR SHARON DICKINSON, SHE HAS always BEHAVED IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER, FOLLOWED THE RULES, EXPECTED THE STUDENTS TO RISE TO THE OCCASION.

I know I can look back and say  an extremely humble and sincere "Thank You" to Sharon and my EPCC instructors. I can not image where I would be today without their patience, discipline, expectations of high standards  and guidance.

         I write this letter with the finality of explaining a personal case or problem that I am going through.  I am a full-time student in the Dental Assistant Program managed by the director, Ms. Dickenson.  Around May 29, 2009, I decided to apply for the Dental Hygienist Program, so I tasked myself with gathering all the information that I needed to apply for the program from Ms. Dickenson.   She explained to me the documents that I needed and the requirements that I had to complete in order to enter the Dental Hygienist Program.  This information was in agreement with the one I received from one of the Counselors of EPCC.

        When I spoke with Ms. Dickenson she advised me that I had to fulfill the accuplacer exam, turn-in my high school certificate, send my Bachelors  Degree to Austin, Texas to be evaluated, take a physical exam, and turn in my immunizations record among others.  I tried to have everything that Ms. Dickenson asked for in ten days.   After the interview with Ms. Dickenson, I immediately went to take the accuplacer for essay, math, and reading.  I took the reading accuplacer several times and was unable to pass it.  I understood what was and still is my disadvantage in that exam (since I have taken several times and been unable to pass it).  English is my second language and Ive never seen some of the words that are key to choosing the right answer, furthermore, without the help of a English to Spanish dictionary, it is difficult to pass.

        When the accuplacer rankings came out, I went to speak with Ms. Dickenson and explained that my problem was passing the reading exam.    After I explained my situation and had everything else in order, Ms. Dickenson told me that without passing the reading exam, it is impossible to enter the Dental Hygienist Program.  But she advised me that I could go into the Dental Assistant Program again because it was a good opportunity since I already had the knowledge and experience and it would be easy for me.  And I could get ahead in the classes since the first semester of Dental Assistant and Dental Hygienist are almost the same material.  She also told me that if I went into the Dental Assistant Program, I would automatically pass into the Dental Hygienist Program and would not have to worry about the accuplacer anymore, which seemed like a good deal to me.  She also mentioned that I would be certified and would be a RDA in Texas and eventually I would become DANB.

        Based on the above, and most importantly, that I would automatically pass into the Dental Hygienist Program without worrying about the accuplacer, I made my decision to study Dental Assistant again.  Afterwards, I went to see the counselor to register and when I was in her office, she called Ms. Dickenson to ask her If I could still get into the Dental Assistant Program, since the registration date had already passed.  After she finished her call, she advised me that I could register and I mentioned that Ms. Dickenson had told me that I would automatically be passed into the Dental Hygienist Program without having to worry about the accuplacer.  This was something that she personally did not like because she felt that I had to go through the ranking process like all the other students and that it was not fair, but if Ms. Dickenson had said the above, then it was her decision.  So I entered the program in August 2009 with the intention of going into the Dental Hygienist Program, which has always been my goal.

        Since I did not hear anything from Ms. Dickenson at the start of June 2010, I took the reading exam again, but was unable to pass it.  Afterwards, I spoke with Ms. Dickenson about the problem I was having and she told me that she was very sorry, but if I did not pass the reading exam, it was impossible for them to accept me in the Dental Hygienist Program.  Then I mentioned and reminded her about what she had told me about going into the Dental Assistant Program and automatically being accepted into the Dental Hygienist Program and everything else mentioned above.  At that moment, she denied it and said that perhaps I had confused the information, which I disagreed with and told her that I was sure I had not misinterpreted any information.  Since I had already graduated from the Dental Assistant Program at Concorde Institute in Denver, Colorado in 2001 and had several years experience working as a Dental Assistant, I had nothing to gain, if not acceptance into the Dental Hygienist Program.  She told me that she was sorry, but that things do not work that way.

        Then asked her if there were any other options and Ms. Dickenson answered me that only if I was certified or registered could I enter into the Dental Hygienist Program, but since I did not have either, I could not be accepted into the program.  And that in July we would be certified and registered.  Then I commented to her that since she already knew about my situation, why had she not informed me about this option, so I could have prepared and been certified before July.  I have had the opportunity to get certified previously but did not pursue it out of respect for her and not getting ahead of the programAfter I told Ms. Dickenson the above, she said that she was sorry, but there was nothing she could do.

        I left her office with one of the greatest frustrations of my life because I studied for one long year, something that I had already studied and have plenty of experience and knowledge in, but above all for having trusted in the word of a someone that I thought was an integral and professional person  based on the simple fact that shes part of the community college, and the Director of the Dental Assistant Program and the personal assistant of the Dental Hygienist Program Director, Dr. Hekval.  Unfortunately, my case is not the only one; there was another student in the current Dental Assistant Program whose case is very similar to mine.
         
      After talking to the Department Dean, the El Paso Community College Vice President and the President; I understand why Ms. Dickenson misled me and gave me fraudulent information about entering the Dental Hygienist Program.  And it is because if she does not have enough students in her class, then the class is cancelled.  I believe that this is an abuse of her authority and position.  She does not have the best interest of the students at heart and only thinks of what best benefits her and her position at El Paso Community College.   I am also aware of past students that Ms. Dickenson has misled/misinformed to fill her Dental Assistant Program slots. I hope that with the information above and below you can help bring an end to this abuse of position and authority by this unethical EPCC employee.  

"    I left her office with one of the greatest frustrations of my life because I studied for one long year, something that I had already studied and have plenty of experience and knowledge in,"

  One year?   Has it occured to you that rather than attempting some elaborate scheme to get around the basic english proficiency requirement for a dental hygienist, that you could have just studied english instead of wasting a year repeating something you had already done?   I'm not sure if you wrote this report yourself, but if you did, you would not have had to study very hard.  Your english appears to be pretty good.

   This often happens when you try and take shortcuts (that are not very short).  Often people spend more effort trying to get around basic requirements than it would take to just meet the requirements. 

   English is also my second language and I assure you that in the long run, it's worth doing things the proper way.