15 Sep
by Derrick Vander Waal
SIOUX CENTER, IOWA – Tessa Hulstein was interested in joining a team that cared deeply about its patients and wanted to make a difference in their lives.
SIOUX CENTER, IOWA – Tessa Hulstein was interested in joining a team that cared deeply about its patients and wanted to make a difference in their lives.
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| Tessa Hulstein is serving as a dental assistant at Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center. She hopes to help people understand the importance of caring for their teeth. |
She saw that with Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center.
Now, Hulstein has her chance to take part in that. She recently assumed her role as a dental assistant at Promise.
“I think they have a wonderful office here, both dental and medical, and I’m excited to be part of the team and see how much more Promise keeps expanding,” she said. “I hope that I can really help people understand the importance of caring for their teeth and getting them fixed properly. I hope I can make coming to the dentist’s office a little more fun and relaxing for the patients.”
Hulstein grew up in Chandler, MN, and graduated from Southwest Christian High School in Edgerton, MN, in 2012.
She knew she wanted to go into the medical field and be able to make a difference in people’s lives. However, becoming a nurse wasn’t for her. She had some friends who had studied dental assisting at Minnesota West Technical and Community College in Canby, so she figured, “Why not try it?” She followed that path and earned her diploma in dental assisting this year at Minnesota West.
As a dental assistant at Promise, she interacts with the patients and gets them ready for their appointments with Dr. Kenneth Tjeerdsma. She then helps the dentist during the procedure with fillings, crowns, sealant and other tasks. She also helps to educate and inform the patient about what is going on with the procedure and overall dental health.
“The most rewarding part of the job is when people thank you and genuinely mean it,” Hulstein said. “It is great to see when people are really happy with how their teeth look and when they take pride in how they care for them.”
Promise Community Health Center, headquartered in Sioux Center, is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in the far northwest corner of Iowa. To learn more, visit www.promisechc.org.
MORE ABOUT TESSA:
Tessa Hulstein loves riding horse, showing her horse and doing ranch rodeos in her spare time. She loves spending time with her family and her boyfriend, and she particularly enjoys various outdoors activities such as trail riding and camping. She is an animal lover.