The cost of enrolling in the College of New Caledonia's revamped dental hygiene program was set at $28,740 during the school's board of directors meeting Friday.
The rate is the second lowest of the four programs offered in the province, according to a report to the board. Only Camosun College is lower, at $22,150, and it's expect that school will be increasing its fees, the board was told.
The two-year program stopped taking students in the fall of 2015 - the one-year dental assisting program has remained in place - while it went through a review to better meet industry requirements.
Several features of the renewed edition were highlighted in the report. Among them, the number of spaces sits at 18 - an increase of three - while there will be a instructor for every five students, down from six, and expanded pre-clinical time will allow students to give direct patient care 10 weeks earlier.
The median income for those working in the field is $66,637 and job openings were projected to total 1,460 between 2014 and 2024.
Broken down, tuition will be $20,910, dental fees will be $6,463 and common fees $1,367.
Also Friday, the board approved a one-year suspension of the nursing unit assistant program, also with the aim of bringing it into line with employer requirements.
Although the program went through a name change and the course work was revised in 2016, "it
is apparent through our community partners that there is a need to review the curriculum," acting dean - community and continuing education, Alison Anderson, said in a report.
She also noted applications for enrollment have been declining.
"Whether this is symptomatic of the curriculum or of the saturation in the market at this time is unclear," Anderson said.
