Members of College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Dental Assistant program spent Wednesday, Sept. 12, volunteering during the Amen Free Clinic at Expo Idaho!
Sixteen students from the College’s program helped to sterilize dental equipment, hand out supplies, and assist with teeth extractions during the free health clinic.
The event provided a great opportunity for students to get hands-on training while helping people in the community. Students benefit from experiential learning during their first semester while they learn in the classroom about lab materials and skills. Additionally, students gain valuable experience helping and interacting with patients.
“That’s my heart, to serve people in our community – so helping people who can’t do day-to-day things because of the pain they are in, is life changing,” said Monica Satake, Associate Professor in the Dental Assisting program. “During training for this event, one of the directors said, ‘We may only get to see these patients for five minutes, but for those five minutes, we want them to know they are the center of the world.’”
