As a healthcare worker you may be exposed to diseases spread through the blood or other bodily substances.
Bloodborne pathogens are infectious and disease-causing microorganisms carried by the blood.
Bloodborne diseases that you could be exposed to include:
The two most significant diseases which can be transmitted by blood and body fluid exposure are Hepatitis B (HBV) and HIV. HBV is much more virulent than HIV and HBV can live 7-14 days in dried blood.
The Dental Hygiene Clinic follows the College’s Exposure Control Plan that identifies specific procedures and job classifications in which exposure to blood occurs.
Universal Precautions/ Standard Precautions
Standard precautions are our approach to infection control. This approach means treating all human blood and certain human body fluids as if they were infected with HIV, HBV, or other bloodborne pathogens. Because you don’t know for certain who may be infected, we must use standard precautions with all patients to prevent exposure to blood and body fluids.
The Dental Hygiene Program, in order to reduce the likelihood of exposure, has implemented and stablished an ongoing review of our protocols; that includes, but not limited to:
Engineering Controls And Work Practice Control Policies In:
Individuals requesting a milestone review, progression to clinical courses, and graduation from a program in Nursing and Health Sciences must be able to meet the physical and emotional requirements of the academic program. In addition, students admitted to the programs in Nursing and Health Sciences must possess the following qualities:
Because of the unique responsibilities involved in all Health Science professions, each department reserves the right to require that the student who appears to be unsuited for any program therein withdraw from the program and be guided into another curriculum of study at the College.
An individual who poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others or themselves may be denied admission, progression or graduation. The College's determination that a person poses a direct threat will be based on an individualized assessment that relies on current medical evidence or on the best available evidence to assess the nature, duration, and severity of the risk and the probability that the potential injury will actually occur.