Blog / Community October 21, 2017
October 21, 2017
Nearly 20 dental assisting students and staff from American Career College-Orange County participated at a free health fair this October.
Lestonnac Free Clinic
Location: Westminster Rose Center
Lead By: Dr. Timothy Bui
Faculty Support: Cecilia Cabrera, Claudia Kim and Deborah Taylor
Participating students:
Joseline Ramirez
Luis Marroquin
Cindy Perez
Sara Rojo Castano
Michele Bui
Sandra Buenrostro
Ana Cecilia GonzalezDeanna Fink
Cordicia Turner
Meray Farag
Shalonda Flores
Noami Orduno
Antoine Ruff
“I am very proud to say that the doctors, staff and the head of the fair, Dr. Timothy Bui, were very, very pleased with our students,” ACC-Orange County dental assisting (DA) program director Cecilia Cabrera said. “Overall, the event was a success.”
Of the 13 DA students who volunteered with the Lestonnac Free Clinic in Westminster, three were externs, four were seniors and the rest were at different levels of their program — including one student who had only been in class for three weeks. More than 1,200 people came to the event for medical attention; nearly 200 people received dental treatment during the one-day clinic.
“It was a very tiring event, but our students owned it,” Cabrera said. “Everyone stayed and assisted for hours.”
By day’s end, Cabrera said that the ACC dental assisting students had taken charge of the X-ray station and chair-side assisting; ACC DA faculty were running the medical supply and instruments section and ACC Career Services specialist Deborah Taylor had earned the nickname “Dismissal Debby” for her help in guiding patients through the post-treatment process and paperwork.
“Most of the 38 dentists there liked our students so much that they only wanted to work with them for the whole event,” Cabrera said.
At one point, Cabrera said she even saw doctor of dentistry students watching and learning from her students.
“That was so awesome,” she said.
Afterwards, the clinic organizer told Cabrera and instructor Claudia Kim that ACC students were the best of all the DA students he had invited previously, and that he had already booked the ACC-OC students for Lestonnac’s next health fair.
“The students were so excited to share their experiences in class and were proud of what they did and how they felt when their doctors praised their work,” Cabrera said. “One of my seniors even said after the event, ‘Ms. C, now I’m ready for externship.’”
Ontario Campus: Voted Best Career College in the 2024 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Readers Choice Awards.
LA Campus: Voted Best Career College in the 2024 LA Daily News Readers Choice Awards.
OC Campus: Voted Best Career College in the 2024 San Gabriel Valley Tribune Readers Choice Awards.