I won’t soon forget sitting at my computer to read an email from a fellow hygienist who commented on one of my articles. The article she was referring to was “9 Benefits of Not Scheduling a New Patient in Hygiene."
Her last comment was, “Your vision is very old-fashioned and confines RDH significantly and continuously.” What? Me? It made me feel sick to my stomach, and I almost threw up (true story)! Reflecting on it later, though, I was grateful for her comments, as well as the opportunity to step back and genuinely look my vision and what I wrote.
First, it’s a new year, and a perfect time to clarify my vision for readers. I write, coach, consult, mentor, and share so we can rise above the old ways of being and claim a new, more self-honoring way of practicing and doing business. As women professionals and entrepreneurs, we often:
- Undervalue ourselves and not ask for what we are worth or charge what we’re worth
- Give too freely, practice poor boundary setting, and burn out
- Get stuck in “overwhelmed” with too many ideas to implement — with none of them “paying off.” It’s here where we begin to make ourselves wrong and create stories that we’re not good enough or not cut out to be an entrepreneur, sales person, VP, speaker, consultant, yoga teacher, wellness coach, dental hygienist, dentist, educator — fill in the blank.
Secondly, I did not adequately explain the backdrop for the Director’s Message, I now recognize. It was a traditional dental office — a dental practice owned by a dentist. In this context, the entrepreneur or business owner, I believe, ought to determine the relationship, partnership, and or a solution-oriented oral health plan first. In no way does this negate the knowledge, skills, and abilities of a dental hygienist (or, for that matter, the vital roles of any of the team members). My intent was to communicate that the owner of a small business — the licensed leader of a dental practice — needs to initiate the connection with a new patient or client. In non-traditional or alternative delivery care models or settings when a dental hygienist is the owner, then he/she ought to initially meet and treat the new patients.
“Nobody ever washes a rental car.” ― Scott J. Simmerman PhD
Blessings,
Kristine A. Hodsdon RDH, MCEC
Director, RDH eVillage
Kristine’s disclosures: Kristine is the owner of Dental Influencers, LLC and a consultant and trainer with Pride Institute.
