By Dr. Susan Ziebarth

September brings with it such amazing excitement back to school, lots of sales in stores, all kinds of fun and new exciting classes that people can enroll in, and for many of this is a punctuation mark for the close of summer with its more free-form style of life. One of my September projects is conducting interviews with high achieving women for a book I am writing. I have found the stories that each of these women has shared absolutely incredible. The highs and the lows, the challenges, and the rewards each has experienced is worthy of a book in itself.

One thread I am seeing through the course of these interviews is that there is often a time in people’s lives where they look back and wonder how they made it through that particular time in their life. It is often a place where so many factors are impacting on the individual and family from external sources. They noted that the daily routine they experienced just to make it through one day to the next was tough even though they thought they were living the life they wanted. It was not until something major happened that rocked their world did they realize that their life had been running like a perpetual motion machine. I have found that September marks a time when routine external demands literally restructure peoples’ lives and they cope by building a perpetual motion machine.

The demands of the workplace are greater as the more relaxed summer is behind us, days are getting shorter, and school and recreational schedules are so complex that it takes weeks to sort out who has to be where when and how they are going to get there. This list doesn’t even cover all the associated stress with back to school shopping, homework, and social dramas. Piece by piece many people construct a perpetual motion machine with lots of tubes, chutes, curves, and spirals so that they can navigate their daily life. Perpetual motion machines make the day-to-day easier in the short run as routines are established but over time we should be looking to see whether they are helping us or hindering us. Are we existing or are we thriving?

Often times we build these perpetual motion machines to make it easier for us to do everything for everyone…except ourselves! We feel guilty if we place our priorities first. We prioritize our needs so low that they become the first to go when time doesn’t permit. If you are in the process of building your fall perpetual motion machine, take a 30 minute break to just sit and think about what you are building. Bring your thoughts about yourself as a parent, spouse, employee, or business owner all out in the open and make sure that somewhere in there you are making room for yourself.

Here are 3 Tips to Build a Better Perpetual Motion Machine.

1. Make your choices conscious ones.
   1. For everything you think of that you hear yourself say “I have to do that” - ask yourself “Who says I have to do it?” If the answer is that it is you that is telling yourself “you have to” take a moment to figure out if you are doing it because it needs to be done, you’d like it to be done, or if you are trying to be an invincible super hero?
   2. Do you hear any shoulds in there? Shoulds usually are things we don’t want to do. Do you REALLY need to do whatever that should represents? Can you enlist help to get it done?
2. Make sure your voice is heard.
   1. Do not place your priorities last. You are an equal partner in your universe don’t take a supporting role.
3. Follow-through with what you have used your voice to say.
   1. Sometimes people say they want to do something for themselves but it takes some effort to protect that something. Sometimes in the moment it is easier to give in and not do your thing. “But Mom, I have to wait 15 minutes at the end of my soccer practice for you to come and get me when you go to your Zumba class and I have lots of homework to do.” Sound familiar? Stand firm or you will forfeit your choices and lose your voice.

Use these tips so you don’t get to a point where you have to tell someone someday that you don’t know how you made it through this time in your life.

Have you built your share of perpetual motion machines? Tell us below in the comments how that worked or is working for you.

By Dr. Susan Ziebarth

Ah, mid-February and the ground is covered with snow (or at least it supposed to be) and you are sitting by the fireplace trying to remember just what were those New Year’s resolutions I made in January. For some remembering is not a problem because they set the same goals/resolutions every year. For others, the goals/resolutions are easily forgotten because by January 2^nd you have already done something that goes against the goal and you might feel, “well maybe next year”.

Goals are a major part of most professionals’ lives. So why is it that some goals can be met and some just do not seem to ever be attainable? Could it be we are missing the mark on goals by setting goals that are not fully under our control to reach?

For the sake of discussion, let’s list a few hypothetical goals:

• Have my client Natasha start flossing.
• Participate in one continuing education program a month from September to June.
• Lose 15 pounds.
• Have my house as clutter free as my operatory.

Would you say these are potentially all good goals? The voices in my head that represent you my dear reader are saying “yes – those might not be my goals but they are reasonable”. Those same voices in my head would be wrong because three of those four stated goals are results not goals. Some of you may now be thinking I should get those voices in my head checked into.

For us to set goals, we form the idea in our mind from a mixture of intellectual desires and felt emotions. We then take action and get a result.

1. Idea and Feeling
2. Action
3. Result

But of those four stated goal examples above, only one is really within our span of control. For Natasha to start flossing she has to take action – are you going to floss her teeth every time for her? To lose 15 pounds you can exercise and count your calories but other factors in your metabolism, emotions, environment can have an effect on your ability to lose weight and thwart your ability to reach losing 15 pounds. Having your house as clutter free as your operatory may be a goal and reachable by you if you live alone. But if you have children or a clutter attracting room-mate or spouse reaching that goal is not totally within your control. All of these things are results that you may or may not achieve as they are outside of your span of control.

Participating in one continuing education program a month from September to June is within your control as the decision and action are within your control (Shameless promotion - DHPro does offer continuing education programs in each of these months for an amazing membership fee of only $35.00 and you can access our full library of courses for replay whenever you like).

Look back at some of your goals that are frustrating you because you have not been able to achieve the results you desire. Are you really not good at meeting your goals or are they not your goals but desired results? The goal should be the action to achieve the desired result. My goals is to, “do this and this” to reach my desired result.

This kind of thinking is very different than the goal setting treatment plans. How does this approach to thinking of your goals make you feel?
 

By Dr. Susan Ziebarth

No matter what your belief system and how you honor the season, there is something universal we all share - a feeling of gratitude! This holiday season I am very grateful for living in an Ontario city where the health care system and its care providers were able to diagnose and begin treatment for breast cancer in what I perceive to be a record breaking short time. I am so very grateful for the incredible support of family, dear friends, and colleagues. Through this experience, I have had many kind and caring people urging me not to worry about the outcome.

The wonderful thing I experienced was a lack of worry. For a seasoned worrier, this is an odd experience. And, for an inquisitive researcher this experience set me in motion to focus my reading on worrying.

For those worriers out there – whether your worries focus on health, money, children, work, or any other of life’s wonderful adventures – one of the best and most practical resources I found is available to you online for free. While Dale Carnegie is famous for public speaking expertise, his research on worry has proven the test of time. The basic principles are outlined on the site and in a free e-book which is available if you provide your email address.

http://www.dcarnegietraining.com/resources/dale-carnegie-principles

His writing in the purchased version of the book shows the reader how worrying negatively impacts our health and he shares many stories of how the basic principles have been used by many people to overcome debilitating worry. Most public libraries carry Carnegie’s books. While the basic principles are available free, I am not sure I would have really understood how people used them if I had not read the stories in the book. The stories also help put your personal concerns into a bigger picture.

Another way to end the year on a high note is to focus on what you are thankful for. Sometimes we tend to focus on the bumps and challenges in our path and not on the wonders of our lives. This is a natural reaction for people. Think about a toothache. When our teeth are not hurting, we take them for granted but when a particular tooth begins to attract our attention, we suddenly realize how big that tooth can seem in relation to the rest of our body.

As the year winds down, why not give yourself a gratitude assignment to help attract more of those things for which you are thankful. Make a list of things you felt and lived through this year for which you are grateful. Note your accomplishments, every joy, every wonderful person who has graced you with their involvement in your life, every appreciation of beauty, to name just a few. Write them down and put stars next to the things you want to continue to draw into your life in 2012.

I am grateful to the wonderful members of DHPro for your trust in us, participation in our webinars, our fun times such as our iPad giveaway, being friends on our Facebook page, and for writing blog posts and adding your comments to them. We look forward to sharing an exciting 2012 with you. Please leave a comment below with a note of something in your life that you were grateful for this past year and if you are grateful for what we share with you, don’t forget to like us on Facebook and tell your friends about us.

May you enjoy peace, joy, and health!

This year I was able to experience an American Thanksgiving complete with turkey and Black Friday Day sales. I am not a big shopper and I am definitely not a crowd person so I was happy to hear the sale tales from my nephew.

The picture that accompanies this post is from my nephew’s experience. The sale tales started me thinking about the phenomenon that would see people lined up for hours and in some cases tenting in line to obtain a few significantly reduced prize possessions.

Marketers know that to sell something you have to either bring your client pleasure or eliminate their pain. In the case of Black Friday, the stores have a few items so drastically reduced that the clients have the pain of high prices reduced and the pleasure of things such as HD TVs to bring happiness. So how can we learn from the Black Friday experience to help with social marketing and health seeking behaviours?

Many clients will seek pain relief at a dental office when the pain can no longer be ignored. The demand for teeth whitening also speaks to the desire for pleasure with an improved appearance. For health prevention behaviours however, the relationship between the preventative action and the healthy outcome often have too long of a time span between them. Despite the uncomfortable conditions of standing in line at a store the reward of reduced cost and desired purchase is immediate.

Some behaviour change theories suggest the importance of highlighting the risk of unhealthy behaviours and the vulnerability of us as humans to these risks.  The idea is to try and convince people that they are in pain and just don’t know it yet. The warnings on cigarette packages are one such attempt at such an approach and work on a segment of society as opposed to an individual approach.  Speaking to a specific client about the negative indicators you are seeing in their oral cavity as a result of smoking is more likely to be heard and felt as a risk factor and the client is more apt to make changes as a result.

But how do we move people who have to prioritize their monies and payments to take preventive action and seek the services of a dental hygienist. Culturally people who have insurance are often more accustomed to the routine of attending to oral health care.  From your knowledge of health seeking behaviour theories what you think best relates to the Black Friday demand. What elements of pain removal or providing pleasure could be offered to potential clients to have them desire preventive treatments?

By Dr. Susan Ziebarth

Last weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada and I was very  fortunate to have the opportunity to visit my family. I had a fantastic  conversation with my sister which I am going to extract a little story from.  She sat there in front of me beaming ear to ear with her shoulders shrugged up  and said “I can have 3 cats”. Our conversation continued about family rules and  the underlying belief systems we develop in connection with them. Just over a  year ago my sister’s 3 cats adopted she and her husband. At first they  struggled with what to do with them when the little kittens arrived on their  doorstep. I knew what they would do with them but it took her a while for her to  discover that she had a belief system that said “you can’t have 3 cats”.  Decades beyond parental rules she discovered the beliefs that she had were no  longer serving her.

They made the choice to keep the kittens – now cats – and everyone  enjoys them immensely. She made the choice and accepted the responsibility of  caring for and loving them. Not nearly as dramatic, my counter to her cat”s  belief was the belief that you couldn’t eat the chocolate chips out of the  Chippits bag. It didn’t take me as many decades to realize that belief wasn’t  serving me as I discovered that I could eat them unrestrained in my 20s…that  said I made my choice but have since decided I don’t want the responsibility of  how those chocolate chips affect my body. My current belief is that the chips in  the quantity I had previously enjoyed don’t serve me well and I have accepted  the responsibility of not over-indulging.

Last night DHPro had an amazing speaker on our members’  webinars. Dr. Ginette Lemire Rodger introduced her approach to political action to achieve social  change. Dr. Rodger has used this strategy and facilitated others using this  strategy in many ways over many years. There is an element in what she does  that is key to successful social change – be clear in your beliefs, make the  choice to do something about what you believe, and accept the responsibility of  the challenge of the work that goes with that choice.

You don’t have to wait for bureaucratic organizations to  make your priorities theirs. And you don’t have to feel beaten if they  castigate you for yours.  Look at the 99% Movement that started on  September 17^th 2011 as Occupy  Wall Street. This movement has grown and is taking place around the world.  The movement highlights how an idea from a small group of people who do not  have what we perceive as the lion’s share of resources can make a difference.  The movement shows just how out of sync the people are with bureaucratic  organizations that have their own interests at the forefront.

Yesterday I learned of a dental assistant who was being  bullied to sign a contract in one of her workplaces. A dental hygienist who is  another of her employers mentored the dental assistant and provided her with a phone  number for employment lawyer Melynda Layton*  and reminded her that she had a choice. The dental assistant could allow  herself to be bullied and live with the responsibility of the accompanying  consequences or she could call the lawyer to find out what rights she had and  to decide what path she wanted to pursue. The dental assistant did not realize  she had a choice to find out her rights or to choose how to respond to the  significant pressure being applied to her. Sometimes we can’t see the choices  and it is wonderful to have others such as this mentoring dental hygienist to  help us see.

You can choose how you respond to people who bully you, hurt  you, rewrite history to exclude you or diminish your accomplishments. There are  many resources that speak to choice and responsibility**. I am highlighting Joe  Vitale’s books The Attractor Factor  Second Edition and Zero Limits because they are current  and provide numerous examples of how even in the darkest of days you can choose  how to look at life’s events. Although many of his examples refer to wealth the  lessons reach far beyond. His conversational style is supported by research and  he shows how you can enhance your life through your choices and acceptance of  responsibility.

Dr. Rodger was a mentor for me. She helped me see my choices  when I had a smoldering desire to do my doctorate many years ago. She helped me  see what I perceived as barriers were those that I chose to see as barriers. I  made my choices, accepted the responsibility of the work that went with my  choice and did achieve my dream.

Let’s look at another dental hygienist example. Currently  there are approximately 300 dental hygienists in Ontario who have their own  clients and many would like to offer x-rays to make a difference for their  clients. There are more than 12,000 dental hygienists in Ontario. Is this  desire to offer x-rays of import to all of these dental hygienists? Likely not  today. Will the issue be a priority for a larger organization? Perhaps  somewhere on the list. Will it be at the top? Likely not today. Perhaps for a  smaller more focused organization like DHPO ***  a specialized group who represent dental hygienist business owners in Ontario  it could be at the top of the list. But what if it isn’t and it is important to  you? It only takes a handful of people around a kitchen table to create a common  goal and establish a strategy if they choose to do it and accept the responsibility.

Are your current beliefs serving you? Are you waiting for  others to have the same priorities you do? Do you have a passion? Do you think  that you do not have a choice? You have a choice. The real question is - Do you  want the responsibility that comes from making that choice?

Wishing you the sight of choices and the ability to accept  responsibility.

Susan

* Melynda Layton was a webinar speaker for DHPro earlier  this year. DHPro members have access to her recorded presentation with CDHO  registrar Fran Richardson in our archives.

** I would be happy to provide many more references if you  would like – reach me though our contact us page.

*** DHPO’s website is being rebuilt as I write this but the  information on the site is still valid.

P.S. This paragraph is an unabashed reminder that DHPro does  offer Canadian Dental Hygienists the choice to purchase membership and/or professional  liability insurance. CDHBC, CDHO, and CDHM have taken the time to review our Trisura Guarantee policy and confirmed that  it meets their requirements for coverage.

By Dr. Susan Ziebarth

We have all heard the Location, Location, Location saying when we talk about what is important in real estate. In managing your professional risk, the phrase is Documentation, Documentation, Documentation. Aside from recording findings in the dental hygiene process of care, why are your records so important? Because in a worst case scenario of a law suit against you, all of your files may be admissible as evidence or subject to discovery (where the opposing lawyer is allowed to see your files) prior to going to trial.

“Going to trial,” you ask. Okay let us back up a bit. Over the past few decades the role and numbers of professionals has expanded. Traditionally Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, Architects, and Engineers were held to meet a certain standard of care in the competent performance of their work. Now many other workers, including dental hygienists, have identified that they possess special skills and expertise and are publicly held accountable for meeting standards defined by their regulatory bodies.

Lawsuits against dental hygienists can arise from liability in Contract (if a contract defines the scope of services), in Tort (negligence), and in Statute (standards of care defined by law). Often, the majority of claims settle, rarely going to court – documentation, documentation, documentation!

What are the red flags you should watch for? First, pay attention to both the words and body language of the client. Are they unhappy? If they seem to be then document all work done for the client including all the details regarding the issues they identified and wanted addressed. These notes will assist you in mounting a defence if the client alleges that you did something wrong.

Note the word alleged. A wrongful act is not necessarily something that you did or did not do. A wrongful act is an alleged act, error or omission, misstatement, or misleading statement committed solely by the Insured in the performance of Professional Services for others. In many countries, professional liability insurance or as it is also known as malpractice insurance or errors and omissions insurance is available.

In Canada, DHPro offers an affordable professional liability insurance policy for dental hygienists offered through a Canadian owned specialty insurer – Trisura. Trisura is backed by a select group of international reinsurers with A+ or A ratings. The intent of the policy is to protect dental hygienists in their professional capacity in the event they are sued for something they did or did not do (performed wrong or failure to perform a service).

So what should you do if you receive a notice from a client of their intent to sue? Regardless of the allegations, advise the Insurer and/or your Insurance Broker A.S.A.P. Why? You do not want to get into a situation where you may prejudice yourself by not acting on Notice that is received. By having the Insurer get involved right away, it may dispense some of the hostility directed at you by having a third party involved. The insurer (Trisura) may then:

• “Deny the allegations of the claimant based on the facts once investigated (if it is deemed that they are to be without merit)
• Defend the Dental Hygienist if the claim continues
• Propose a settlement
• Seek Arbitration or Mediation
• Take up the charge to let you focus on business” (Roger Hacala, Vice President, Corporate Risk Trisura DHPro webinar 2011)

We are pleased to tell you that the Colleges of Dental Hygienists in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario have all reviewed our policy and have confirmed that the policy meets their regulatory requirements. DHPro’s membership and information page provides more details on the policy and we also have some Frequently Asked Questions on insurance starting at question 18.

DHPro is pleased to offer Canadian Dental Hygienists a quality, affordable option to manage your professional risk.

by Dr. Susan Ziebarth

In pondering leadership and the current conditions of our world, I am brought face- to-face with the political realities existing within our neighbours the Unites States. The U.S. economy hangs in the balance of un-comprisable ideologies of elected legislatures and U.S. executive branch. John Dickerson in this article http://www.slate.com/id/2299128/?from=rss suggests “In the spirit of reducing waste, fraud and abuse in Washington, I suggest a drastic cut in the number of words used by any leader in Washington calling on any other leader in Washington to show leadership. Instead of endless vague generalities, they should just say: Give me what I want.”

At stake is the financial health of the U.S. economy and as most economists state, the entire global economy. It has become a matter of us versus them and not how can we work together and solve this crisis. The Republican side is afraid of the Tea Party or other ultra conservative groups that would campaign against them in upcoming elections. The democrats equally are concerned with their base that is reliant on Medicare and Social Security.  Yet in the end, if the U.S. defaults on their debt and the U.S. and the world go into an economic meltdown, where will these supposed leaders be (or should be)?

Is this leadership rhetoric not what we also see within the oral health community as scopes of practice form territorial boundaries all in the name of the safety of the public without any evidence-based reason to believe the public is at risk? What about the territoriality of professional organizations who seek to retain practices when their resources could be collectively used to better advantage for their members? As someone who has a doctorate in management with a focus on leadership it deeply saddens me when the organizations’ or parties’ survival becomes more important than those of their members and constituents.

To be honest it makes me yearn for leaders like Pierre Elliot Trudeau who say fuddle duddle to all of this territorial pandering (for those unfamiliar with the euphemism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuddle_duddle ) or Harry S. Truman who is perhaps best known for his quote “The buck stops here” but also said “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit”.

Simple wisdom which has been with us from almost the beginning of time tells us rarely is anyone 100% right and equally so is any one 100% wrong. It is time for our leaders to step back from the edge and lead with their constituents interests at heart not organizational survival.