Christina Vongsyprasom

St. Petersburg College has successful long-term partnerships with many clinical facilities in the area, including the Pinellas County Health Department. That means you gain hands-on experience as part of your coursework while meeting a community need.

All dental hygiene A.S. degree students participate in coursework at these clinics, first as observers and then as practitioners in training. 

"We work very closely with St. Petersburg College and have for a long time," said Christine Vongsyprasom, Dental Services Manager for the Pinellas Department of Health since 2007. "Most of our hygienists are graduates from St. Petersburg College. We hire them because when they come out, they're ready to work and can mix right in to our clinics."

Christine said public health is an area that will always need trained professionals, particularly in the dental field. And with SPC in her backyard, she never has to look far for new hires.

"Hands down if somebody asked me what program I would recommend for dental hygiene, I would recommend the St. Petersburg College dental hygiene program," she said. "When you graduate, you are ready to go in to the workforce."