Regional Training Centers – a successful model, tailored for rural care
At a time when rural dental care is in crisis, we are raising our hand
Regional Training Centers – a successful model, tailored for rural care
With these challenges in mind, we knew any program design would have to expand access to care in the short-term while addressing the critical workforce challenges in the long-term. We also know that trust from potential students, patients, and existing practitioners will be central to success. Part of that trust must come from local partnerships and a genuine commitment to investments to remove the geographic barriers to entering the profession.
Based on these criteria, we focused on three counties with acute need near existing Pitt regional campuses: Cambria, McKean and Crawford counties. All three counties are emblematic of the challenges facing rural communities across the Commonwealth, with unemployment and poverty rates exceeding the average for Pennsylvania. Ultimately, we selected the community of Titusville in Crawford County for the first RTC.
The establishment of the RTCs will create a permanent, sustainable training infrastructure that will provide education in oral healthcare, create job opportunities, support oral health providers, and improve access to healthcare services for all families. In addition to having an immediate impact on the workforce crisis, this approach will also increase revenue for partner hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers( FQHCs), provide immediate job opportunities and family-sustaining wages for graduates, increase economic output in RTC counties, and increase local taxable income generating more revenue for local and county governments.
We are creating regional training centers( RTCs) that will not only increase access to oral healthcare but also improve the overall economic and social health of communities …
Evidence suggests students trained in their local communities are more likely to stay and serve those communities upon earning their degrees or credentials. Consequently, we developed a hybrid teaching model in our RTCs that includes flexible online coursework and clinical training in our RTCs. Our students enjoy the benefit of forgoing the cost of relocation while remaining rooted to their local communities where their connections are the strongest.
The option for remote learning opens avenues to many people who otherwise might not pursue careers in healthcare. And, especially for non-traditional students, the true“ not-so-secret sauce” is the handson learning in the clinic. That is where the teaching and service components of our mission come together to address acute and long-term access challenges.
The RTCs will offer three programs: a Dental Assistant Training Program( DATP); a Dental Hygiene Hybrid Track( DHHT) expanded from the Oakland Campus program; and a General Practice Residency( GPR). The DATP is a six-month program that prepares assistants to work in dental offices. The DHHT is a two-year program, after participants have completed necessary pre-requisites, that confers a bachelor’ s degree from Pitt. The GPR program is a one-year advanced education program for recent dental school graduates. Each RTC will train 12 dental assistants, five dental hygienists and three residents per year.
18 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2025 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL