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Officials at Baker College of Port Huron have announced that all of its 2011 graduates from the dental assisting certificate and associate degree programs have successfully passed the Michigan Board Exam, earning the Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) credential.

“The success of our dental assisting graduates is the outcome of a team effort by faculty and staff,” said Connie Harrison, Ph.D., Baker College of Port Huron president. “Under the leadership of our dental assistant program director, Lori Meikle, our program has become a model of excellence in preparing individuals for careers as dental assistants.”

The Baker College of Port Huron dental assisting program has been fully accredited since 2009 by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. This is a specialized accrediting body nationally recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation and also by the United States Department of Education. Only graduates from programs accredited by the ADA are eligible to sit for Michigan’s licensing exam, and the RDA credential is the only one recognized by Michigan’s Administrative Rules of Dentistry.

RDAs are licensed healthcare professionals who administer direct restorative and preventive dental services to dental patients under the supervision of a licensed dentist. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, employment for dental assistants is expected to grow 36 percent by 2018.