Code of Maine Rules › 02 - DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL AND FINANCIAL REGULATION › 313 - BOARD OF DENTAL PRACTICE › Chapter 17 - REQUIREMENTS FOR ESTABLISHING A BOARD APPROVED DENTAL HYGIENE THERAPY PROGRAM › Section 313-17-III - CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
A.
Institutional Effectiveness.
The educational institution must
				demonstrate pursuant to section
				II(B) that it meets
				the requirements of this chapter.
1. The
				program must develop a clearly stated purpose/mission statement appropriate to
				dental hygiene therapy education, addressing teaching, patient care, research
				and service.
Intent: A clearly defined purpose/ mission statement that is
				  concise and communicated to faculty, staff, students, patients and other
				  communities of interest is helpful in clarifying the purpose of the
				  program.
2. The program
				must include an ongoing planning and assessment process that is systematically
				documented regarding the improvement of educational quality and program
				effectiveness and that must be broad-based, systematic, continuous, and
				designed to promote achievement of institutional goals related to institutional
				effectiveness, student achievement, patient care, research, and service.
Intent: Assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation
				  of the educational quality of a dental hygiene therapy education program that
				  is broad-based, systematic, continuous and designed to promote achievement of
				  program goals will maximize the academic success of the enrolled students. The
				  Board expects each program to define its own goals and objectives for preparing
				  individuals for the practice of dental hygiene therapy.
Examples of evidence to demonstrate compliance may
				  include:
program completion rates
											employment rates
											success of graduates on state licensing
					 examinations
											success of graduates on national boards
											surveys of alumni, students, employers, and clinical
					 sites
											other benchmarks or measures of learning used to
					 demonstrate effectiveness 
											examples of program effectiveness in meeting its
					 goals
											examples of how the program has been improved as a
					 result of assessment
											ongoing documentation of change
					 implementation
											mission, goals and strategic plan document
											assessment plan and timeline
3. The
				dental hygiene therapy education program must have a stated commitment to a
				human isticculture and learning environment that is regularly evaluated.
Intent: The dental hygiene therapy education program should
				  ensure collaboration, mutualrespect, cooperation, and harmonious relationships
				  between and among administrators, faculty, students, staff, and alumni. The
				  program should also support and cultivate the development of professionalism
				  and ethical behavior by fostering diversity of faculty, students, and staff,
				  open communication, leadership, and scholarship.
Examples of evidence to demonstrate compliance may
				  include:
established policies regarding ethical behavior by
					 faculty, staff and students that are regularly reviewed and readily
					 available
											student, faculty, and patient groups involved in
					 promoting diversity, professionalism and/or leadership support for their
					 activities
											Focus groups and/or surveys directed towards gathering
					 information on student, faculty, patient, and alumni perceptions of the
					 cultural environment
4. The
				program must have policies and practices to:
i. achieve appropriate levels of diversity
				among its students, faculty and staff;
ii. engage in ongoing systematic and focused
				efforts to attract and retain students, faculty and staff from diverse
				backgrounds; and
iii.
				systematically evaluate comprehensive strategies to improve the institutional
				climate for diversity.
Intent: The program should develop strategies to address the
				  dimensions of diversity, including structure, curriculum and institutional
				  climate. The program should articulateits expectations regarding diversity
				  across its academic community in the context of local and national
				  responsibilities, and regularly assess how well such expectations are being
				  achieved. Programs could incorporate elements of diversity in their planning
				  that include, but are not limited to, gender, racial, ethnic, cultural and
				  socioeconomic. Programs should establish focused, significant, and sustained
				  programs to recruit and retain suitably diverse students, faculty, and
				  staff.
5. The
				financial resources must be sufficient to support the program's stated
				purpose/mission, goals and objectives.
Intent:The institution should have the financial resources
				  required to develop and sustain the program on a continuing basis. The program
				  should have the ability to employ an adequate number of full-time faculty;
				  purchase and maintain equipment; and procure supplies, reference material and
				  teaching aids as reflected in an annual operating budget. Financial resources
				  should ensure that the program will be in a position to recruit and retain
				  qualified faculty. Annual appropriations should provide for innovations and
				  changes necessary to reflect current concepts of education in the discipline.
				  The Board will assess the adequacy of financial support on the basis of current
				  appropriations and the stability of sources of funding for the program.
Examples of evidence to demonstrate compliance may
				  include:
program's mission, goals, objectives and strategic
					 plan
											institutional strategic plan
											revenue and expense statements for the program for the
					 past three years
											 revenue and expense projections for the program for
					 the next three years
6. The
				program must be a recognized entity within the institution's administrative
				structure which supports the attainment of program goals.
Intent:The position of the program in the institution's
				  administrative structure should permit direct communication between the program
				  administrator and institutional administrators who are responsible for
				  decisions that directly affect the program. The administration of the program
				  should include formal provisions for program planning, staffing, management,
				  coordination and evaluation.
Examples of evidence to demonstrate compliance may
				  include:
institutional organizational flow chart
											short and long-range strategic planning
					 documents
											examples of program and institution interaction to meet
					 program goals
											dental hygiene therapy representation on key college or
					 university committees
7.
				Programs must be sponsored by institutions of higher education that are
				accredited by an institutional accrediting agency (i.e., a regional or
				appropriate* national accrediting agency) recognized by the United States
				Department of Education for offering college-level programs. The institution
				must meet the requirements of the Maine Department of Education if located in
				Maine or other state department of education requirementsif located in another
				state.
*Agencies whose mission includes the accreditation of
				  institutions offering allied health education programs.
8. All arrangements with co-sponsoring or
				affiliated institutions must be formalized by means of written agreements which
				clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each institution involved.
Examples of evidence to demonstrate compliance may
				  include:
affiliation agreement(s)
9. The
				sponsoring institution must ensure that support from entities outside of the
				institution does not compromise the teaching, clinical and research components
				of the program.
Examples of evidence to demonstrate compliance may
				  include:
written agreement(s)
											contracts between the institution/ program and
					 sponsor(s) (For example: contract(s)/agreement(s) related to facilities,
					 funding, faculty allocations, etc.)
10.
				The authority and final responsibility for curriculum development and approval,
				studentselection, faculty selection and administrative matters must rest within
				the sponsoringinstitution.
11. The
				program must show evidence of interaction with other components of the higher
				education, health care education and/or health care delivery systems.
12. There must be an active liaison mechanism
				between the program and the dental and allied dental professions in the
				community.
Intent:The purpose of an active liaison mechanism is to
				  provide a mutual exchange of information for improving the program, recruiting
				  qualified students and meeting employment needs of the community. The
				  responsibilities of the advisory body should be defined in writing and the
				  program director, faculty, and appropriate institution personnel should
				  participate in the meetings as non-voting members to receive advice and
				  assistance.
Examples of evidence to demonstrate compliance may
				  include:
policies and procedures regarding the liaison mechanism
					 outlining responsibilities, appointments, terms and meetings
											membership list with equitable representation if the
					 group represents more than one discipline
											criteria for the selection of advisory committee
					 members
											an ongoing record of committee or group minutes,
					 deliberations and activities