Pictured | Mia Guerra | Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion; Pre-Dental Hygiene | Mishawaka, Indiana (hometown)
Student Government Association | Senator
Volunteer Activity | Pet Refuge
Club Affliation | Feminist Student Union (secretary)

Withdrawal

See Academic Regulations and Policies for all campuses in the IU South Bend Bulletin for policies regarding:

• Withdrawal from a class
• Withdrawal from the university

A grade lower than a C is not a valid reason for withdrawal from a course.

Separation from the Dental Hygiene Program

Students separating from the program (suspension, withdrawing, or who have been dismissed) should immediately communicate with the Program Director. The Program Director, Administrative Assistant, and student will manage separation procedures to ensure all appropriate items for the student are resolved (i.e., locker clearance, return of equipment, Crimson Card access).

Temporary Leave of Absence

A student may request in writing a leave of absence for a period of non-enrollment of more than three consecutive days, which may or may not be approved by the Program Director in consultation with the faculty and appropriate administrators. Requests for leave of absence are evaluated and approved on the basis of academic standing and potential for progress toward the degree.

Official documentation related to the leave may be required. Contingent upon approval, as well as the semester of enrollment coupled with the reason and the number of days missed, the faculty and/or Dental APG Committee (as appropriate) will determine the plan regarding the student’s re-entry into the curriculum upon their return, ensuring that any missed work, assessments, or requirements are accounted.

Withdrawals

Voluntary withdrawals from the DH program may be arranged by contacting the Program Director. In such instances, grades of “W” or “F,” depending upon student academic achievement at the time and date of request, will be entered in the official University record. The student may also forfeit part or all of the current term tuition depending on the timing of the withdrawal per university policy. The withdrawal refund schedule can be found on the IU South Bend’s Bursar’s website.

A student should consult with the Program Director and is encouraged to use all campus resources available if a withdrawal is under consideration. More detailed information on support services can be found on the IU South Bend webpage.

Withdrawing from a critical course will lead to out-of-progression status and required a request for reinstatement. Reinstatement is dependent on resources available at the time of the request for reentry. Reentry is not guaranteed.

Students granted a leave of absence, delaying the clinical course sequence, changes their status within the program to out-of-sequence. Therefore, the policies and procedures for reinstatement apply to them. Reinstatement is granted depending upon the availability of clinical spaces and satisfactory completion of any condition and/or faculty recommendations existing at the time of leave. Reinstatement to the programs in dental education is not guaranteed.

Reinstatement Policy and Procedures

Students may request to be reinstated to the clinical program from which they withdrew or were dismissed. The student will be reinstated based on academic standing, potential for progress toward the degree, availability of resources to take on the additional student, and satisfactory completion of any conditions and/or faculty recommendations existing at the time of dismissal. Reinstatement depends on if there is the availability of at the time of clinical reentry. Students out of progression for more than 2 academic years are encouraged to reapply if eligible for the program due to the evolving nature of the practice of dental hygiene and necessity to successfully pass board exams.

Reinstatement to resume progression is dependent on space availability and student success indicators. In the event, multiple students are contenders for limited openings in the program, student overall GPA, program GPA, and programmatic success indicators will determine open position fulfillment. Program documentation and student submitted materials will be used to determine the reinstatement decision. Programmatic success indicators are the identified skills and abilities that relate to the essential abilities outlined for each program and evidence of professional development. If denied reinstatement the student may appeal according to the procedures outlined in the School of Health Sciences Appeal Policy.

Reinstatement Procedures

• Step 1 | Reinstatement to the IU South Bend campus

• Step 2 | Approval for Reinstatement by the Applied Health Science Council

Documentation must be submitted by the due dates below. Minimum documentation includes a request for reinstatement letter with background information and an action plan for success that addresses the factors that resulted in the interruption of degree progress. See Program Handbook DE.009 Reinstatement Policy for specifics.

• To be reinstated for spring semester | July 1
• To be reinstated for fall or summer semester | November 1

• Step 3 | Validation of Theory and Clinical Competencies

All course objectives and skill competencies must be validated as outlined below before a student can re-enroll and begin clinical course work to ensure patient safety and regulatory compliance. Validation course work must be completed with a passing grade of C or better. Skill assessment evaluations are subject to procedures defined in the Division of Dental Education Skill Assessment Grading Policy.

The student will enroll in an IU South Bend Dental Hygiene course and validate all course objectives and skill competencies within the defined time frame to be reinstated into the program clinical sequence. Course credit will vary depending on specific student validation needs. Validation must occur within the semester prior to the intended reinstated clinical course.

An attempt of the Division of Dental Education validation of theory and clinical competencies course or related course is permitted once. An unsuccessful attempt of theory and clinical competencies validation will result in permanent dismissal from the Dental Hygiene Program.

Suggested course objectives, and skill validations required for each clinical sequence for the 1-Plus-3 Curriculum include all critical coursework “mapped” in the degree prior to the semester of enrollment.  If a student is being reinstated into a non-clinical course, but will be continuing in the clinical sequence following the successful completion of the course, then the student must pass all clinical competencies and demonstrate safe clinical practices prior to beginning the clinical semester following the expectations of revalidation for clinical coursework.

• Step 4 | Reinstatement in Clinical Sequence

Upon successful demonstration of academic and clinical competencies within the designated time, the student will be reinstated into the Dental Hygiene Program to begin the clinical course work of the program. Reinstatement will result in updating the student to the current degree mapped curriculum offered by the program. Previous degree maps may not be possible due to changes in curriculum offerings.

Transfer Credit Hours

Transfers between Indiana University Campuses

Entry-level Clinical Dental Hygiene students in good academic standing at another Indiana University campus may seek intercampus transfer. Students seeking intercampus transfer must meet the academic policies of the IU South Bend program. Intercampus transfer requests are evaluated individually on the basis of clinical space available and a review of student records.

Course work will be carefully evaluated for competencies and outcomes as stated in the IU South Bend curriculum documents. Although a course number may be shared across campuses the curriculum may not align resulting in the need to complete additional coursework to make up for missing content and demonstration of skill mastery for safe treatment.

Transfers from Non-Indiana University Dental Hygiene Degree Programs

Entry-level Clinical Dental Hygiene students in good academic standing at another university who wish to transfer should contact the director of the IU South Bend Dental Hygiene degree program. The director of dental hygiene evaluates Dental Hygiene courses completed at another university for transfer equivalency and student placement. All other transfer policies must be followed.

Interested students in good standing are encouraged to connect with their Program Director and the IU South Bend Program Director for the evaluation of completed coursework for transfer and to maximize potential for transfer.