Nine more programs at Fanshawe are being suspended in the fall, the college announced. The news comes amid a projected deficit of $26.5 million for the current year.
Two program suspensions were announced back in November, while another eight were announced internally in January.
“I think it’s crazy. People are going to lose jobs. People can’t be dental assistants here anymore. It’s awful,” said Alyssa Bennett, a first-year student in the now-suspended Dental Assisting program.
It was upsetting because of its quality, said Jaden Symes, another student.
The institution stated that it will reach out to all applicants and help them explore their options.
It also said some in-demand programs, like Dental Assisting, are being dropped because they operate at a significant deficit. Mainly due to the imbalance between operating costs and incoming tuition.
Ontario Dental Association (ODA) President Dr. David Brown expressed concern about the decision because Ontario currently lacks about 4,400 dental assistants.
“There will be fewer and fewer assistants in the works, and unless we have an ongoing replenishment of those within the province, it’s going to be harder for dentists to treat patients because they don’t have the team to be able to treat them properly.”
Brown said the quality of care will be the same, but Londoners may find it harder to see a dentist. Especially if they don’t have the staff to manage the hours available to treat patients.
The decision could create future job problems, not only in patient services but also in dental offices across Canada, said Brown. He believes the program is worth keeping so the government should look at ways to sustain it.
“The challenge with these programs is that the rules, as far as financial assistance for students, were changed in that it’s only eligible for grants now.”
Brown added ODA applied for the skills development fund to try and open up more positions within dental assisting.
“For dental assistants, I think they just need to look at the plans, look at the funding of it and make it more affordable for students to apply.”
Some students want only one thing from Fanshawe.
“I think they should bring it back. It’s a good program,” said Bennett.
Despite all these decisions, Symes said her career plan remains unchanged.
“I’m going to continue out this course, and then when it’s finished, I’ll be a dental assistant,” said Symes.
