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Application Deadline:
Closed
Course Dates: January 13 – May 9, 2025
Travel Dates: January 17 – 26, 2025
Dental Hygiene Service Learning Experience in the Bahamas
This is a service learning experience through an organization called Great Shape!, Inc., that was established in 1988. One of Great Shape’s programs is called “1000 Smiles project.” While the primary purpose is to help those in need, there is plenty of cross cultural interaction, and learning.
During the week-long experience (approximately 32 hours), the group will divide into 3 or 4 separate teams consisting of dentists, assistants, hygienists, and other helpers. Each team is assigned to a different location. Portable dental equipment will be set up for use in temporary clinic locations ranging from country schools to rural health and hotel clinics, where dental hygiene services and care will be provided. The volunteers will also distribute toothbrushes and toothpaste, while providing patient education in oral health in the local schools and throughout the island community. This International experience will count as practicum hours for the course DEH 2702C.
Think you can’t afford to study abroad? Scholarships and other ways to fund your study abroad program are available. Explore scholarship options now.
Available courses – Students must enroll in the course listed below during the spring semester in order to be able to participate.
Note: Students must confirm with an academic advisor that they meet all college enrollment requirements AND course prerequisites to be eligible to enroll in the course listed. Students receiving financial aid must confirm with a financial aid advisor whether their study abroad course will be covered by financial aid.
Professor: Amy Krueger
Lead faculty contacts
After you submit the application online, we will review your application and e-mail you with details of scheduling your interview with the Bahamas Dental program lead faculty, Amy Krueger, 727-341-3691.
Other SPC Study Abroad trips
Learn more about other Study Abroad countries where SPC students have made their mark.
Student Travel Blog – For a taste of what it’s like to study abroad, or to follow our students as they travel, read posts from the study abroad blog below.
This SPC dental hygiene study abroad program in Nassau, Bahamas was a wonderful experience that I will cherish in my heart forever. It was a great privilege to be able to work with the non-profit organization, Great Shape! 1000 Smiles, to treat and educate all of my patients there. Whether they were part of the … Continue reading SPC Bahamas: A wonderful experience that I will cherish in my heart forever!
I recently had the opportunity to provide free dental care to underserved patients in the Bahamas, one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been to. Nine classmates and I were selected to go on this incredible journey together as a team. It began with one flight connecting us in Atlanta and the next … Continue reading SPC Bahamas: SPC gave me the experience of a lifetime.
The moment I was accepted into the Study Abroad program to provide dental care to the Bahamian people, I knew that I would be making a lasting impact on them. This is especially true given their limited access to dental care.When we arrived in the Bahamas, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve never traveled … Continue reading SPC Bahamas: It gave me insight into where I could be with my career in the next few years.
One of my first thoughts on my flight back from this study abroad experience, was “how do I even describe these incredibly profound experiences to people who were not there to experience it?” How do I describe the pure warmth I felt from working with such kind and grateful people every day? The indescribable kindling … Continue reading SPC Bahamas: An incredibly profound experience
This experience has shown me the purest form of love by the people of Jamaica. I feel like a changed person from this trip, it has shaped me into a more compassionate person. I not only improved my clinical skills but also my people skills, I am a much stronger clinician for my patients because … Continue reading Jamaica changed me for life
Staying positive and going with the flow were the key topics during our trip to Jamaica. You never knew what the next patient had going on relating to their oral health and the goal was to see as many patients as possible. Many of the patients that we saw had never been to the dentist … Continue reading Transformative Journey: A Dental Hygiene Adventure in Jamaica
This program has been the highlight of my 2-year Dental Hygiene program. Before this experience, I never thought about the access to care that other countries, like Jamaica, lack. I saw firsthand how poor the communities we worked in were, yet every single person was so happy and loving. The culture was so different than … Continue reading SPC Jamaica Program: Once in a lifetime experience
Jamaica was an amazing experience! I am so grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The people of Jamaica were extremely grateful for the services we provided. The children are so respectful and appreciative. Visiting the impoverished areas was eye-opening and made me realize how much we take for granted. I believe this opportunity greatly improved not … Continue reading SPC Jamaica: An Amazing Experience
It is hard to find the right words to describe my study abroad experience in Jamaica. I knew when I applied that this would be a great experience and a way to sharpen my clinical skills as a dental hygienist. What I did not realize was how rewarding the humanitarian aspect of this opportunity would … Continue reading SPC Jamaica Program: Indescribable Experience
You may be eligible for a scholarship to study abroad with St. Petersburg College! Apply by Nov. 1.