December 1, 2017
One of the best things about bringing her American Career College dental assisting students to large community health events, said Sarah Rodriguez, is it's a learning experience — mostly for her.
Rodriguez, a dental assisting instructor at ACC-Los Angeles for 10 years, said events like November’s Care Harbor LA, gives her students hands-on experience in filming dental X-rays, aspirating, assisting with tooth restorations, helping hygienists, applying fluoride treatments and more.
“Basically, they’re doing whatever the dentists are allowing them to do,” she said.
But, more importantly, Rodriquez said, she gets to see the general nature and overall comfort of the student’s firsthand.
“You can see kind of the different personalities of the students, like how some students are leaders and some students are followers,” Rodriquez said. “Some students stay and watch what everyone else is doing, some jump right in; so we get to see that as instructors and take it back to the classroom and say, 'OK, this is what I observed. How did you guys feel about this?' No matter what, it's a great experience all the way around.”
ACC-LA optical technician instructor Benny Calaustro echoed Rodriquez’s sentiments. An instructor with ACC for 13 years, Calaustro said besides providing a service, his students are getting a good idea of what’s in store for them working as an optician.
“They learn to listen about complaints, concerns about glasses,” Calaustro said. “These are vital things for them, things that they would need to survive outside."
Ontario Campus: Voted Best Career College in the 2023 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Readers Choice Awards.
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OC Campus: Voted Favorite Career College in the 2023 San Gabriel Valley Tribune Readers Choice Awards.