Dental Assisting students must complete 12 hours of community service or professional development as part of their course requirements.
Each year, students collectively contribute more than 300 hours of community service by participating in events such as Give Kids a Smile, local blood drives, the American Heart Association Heart Walk and other local outreach activities.
The Dental Assisting program has partnered with Wake Smiles, a nonprofit, volunteer dental organization in Raleigh, since 2016, providing students the opportunity to serve patients who otherwise would not have access to dental care.
Wake Tech offers various professional development events to registered full-time Dental Assisting students.
Service learning
Service learning integrates community engagement projects with student learning to provide real-world experiences that foster cultural and classroom understanding, critical thinking and civic responsibility.
Students who participate in service-learning experiences often enhance their chairside skills and enter their Spring semester clinical rotations better prepared. Those who complete 30 hours of volunteer service-learning outside the classroom are awarded a cord distinction at graduation, recognizing their dedication to community service and professional development.
Since 2016, the Dental Assisting program has partnered with Wake Smiles, a nonprofit volunteer dental organization in Raleigh. The collaboration allows students to gain valuable hands-on experience while providing care to patients who may not otherwise have access to dental services.
Professional organizations