We are pleased to welcome Carol Rykiel, Westwood College’s new Dental Assisting program chair to our Denver North campus. Ms. Rykiel began her employment at the campus on December 9, 2013.
Ms. Rykiel has been employed in the dental field with a career spanning 25 years at dentist offices in the Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; and Denver. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado’s School of Dental Medicine. During the first few years of her professional career, she was a dental assistant and, in 1994, began her extensive career as a dental hygienist. She has since earned her graduate degree from Colorado State University online.
She also taught dental assisting at a private practice in Nebraska, which spurred a desire to further pursue a career in academics. She says, “I’m really looking forward to being on the ground floor of the new dental assisting program and really helping to set the bar high. We want to be the benchmark for other programs.”
During her career, she provided clinical dental hygiene services at various dentist offices, assisted offices with training employees on OSHA requirements, developed community outreach opportunities, and transitioned record keeping practices from paper to electronic records.
As someone who’s passionate about her field, she believes dental assisting is a great option for “those who want to make a difference and have a hands-on opportunity with patients and behind the scenes. The variety of places, practices and specialties is such a good fit for somebody who is passionate and wants a dynamic healthcare profession.”
Ms. Rykiel grew up in Pennsylvania and came to Colorado to pursue her interests in skiing, hiking and enjoying the outdoors. Now with strong community contacts in the Denver metropolitan region, she will provide a valuable link between Westwood College and the community, ultimately solidifying relationships with local dentists and the various local dental organizations. She also has strong organizational skills that will enable her to represent the college well as we move forward with the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) application.
She says, “What truly inspires me is the opportunity to give back and pass on the information in this amazing profession that’s showing enormous growth. I get to invite other people in to share my knowledge and pass the torch.”