by Susan Clark, RDH
Three years ago, I was in a near fatal automobile accident. While recuperating, I panicked, wondering what direction my life would take if I could not go back to work as a dental hygienist is private practice. Dental hygiene was all I knew and all I wanted to do. I started thinking about what impact, if any, I had made as a hygienist in my community, for my profession or my component.
My answer was real easy: NOTHING! How could I be an imposing figure when I wasn't even a member of any of these groups? I was just a dental hygienist happily working in private practice, settling for status quo, and occasionally attending seminars to attain the required CE credits necessary to keep my license current. Pathetic, I know, but how many of you are still like I was?
My automobile accident was the wake-up call I needed to change my life. Fortunately, I was able to return to work as a dental hygienist in private practice, but this time I changed my attitude about how I viewed my role as a dental hygienist. It was at that moment that I realized that dental hygiene was not just a job, but a long-term professional career choice I made.
Dentistry is a business and the astute dental hygienist is its most valuable asset. Not only must you believe this fact, it is important to make your employer aware of how invaluable you are for their practice and their patients. We are the cornerstone for the dental practice that promotes and generates the dentistry that will keep a practice productive and profitable. Think about it, the only other time dentistry is generated is with the new patient or the emergency patient. Since dental patients see their hygienist 2-3 times a year more than they see the doctor, we are the ones who can build the patient relationship that makes case presentation and case acceptance possible.
It's one thing to say that you are a dental hygienist, but it is another thing to invest in yourself as a dental hygienist. Are you living up to your full potential? Initiate some critical thinking about what direction you want to go to enhance your role and empower yourself in our profession. Transform a routine dental hygiene job into a rewarding, empowering career.
Hygienists who take advantage of CE seminars have a higher level of career satisfaction than those who do not. By becoming more engaged in their career they are less likely to succumb to work-burnout. Learning new information or hearing a different point of view is energizing. By networking with other hygienists, you can reap the rewards of their experiences and bring those new innovative ideas back to your office. It is also a great opportunity to make new friendships.
Being a dental hygienist can be a long-term professional career with many personal, professional and financial rewards. It is up to you to decide if you want to reap these rewards.
My reward resulted in my first book, Exploring Dental Hygiene, Finding The Hidden Rewards (www.sgclark.net).
I also became actively involved with the Tri County Dental Hygienists' Society by becoming the Student Member Liaison for the American Dental Hygienists' Association. I give back to my community by offering free dental services to the underprivileged and needy. Satisfaction starts from a loving heart and the desire to succeed. As Napoleon Hill once said, "Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat."
For those of you looking for a change other than working in private practice or the dental hygiene student deciding what career path to take upon graduation, read my article next month's issue of RDH e-Village to find out what other career path you might take to enhance your career and make all your dreams and desires come true, while still being a proud dental hygienist.
Susan Garcia Clark, RDH, is a native New Yorker, who has been residing in and honing her skills as a dental hygienist in California for the past 27 years. She received an associate degree in Humanities from Rockland Community College in 1972, as well as becoming certified as a dental assistant during that period. Susan received her associate's degree in dental hygiene from the University of New Mexico in 1981 and continued at Loma Linda University to satisfy the requirements to be able to administer nitrous oxide, and local anesthesia and perform root planning and curettage in California. Susan is a member of the ADHA, the Crown Council of Dentistry, Temecula Inland Valley Dental Study Club, Tri County Dental Hygienists' Society, and the Liaison for the Student Members of the ADHA. In addition, she has been actively involved with numerous charities including, Smiles for Life, Team Mates for Kids and Kidsafe International. In November 2007, she wrote and self-published her first book, Exploring Dental Hygiene, Finding the Hidden Rewards. To purchase a copy please visit: www.sgclark.net.
