No Longer Being Controlled, Now I am in Control
by Lori Lawrence RDH
Does everyone remember our college/university days? Our teachers pushed us to the limits to study hard and put our noses to the grind stone to practice our skill in order to be the best we could be. We graduated with knowledge, expertise, skill and CONFIDENCE. Remember graduation day when we were are presented our hard earned diploma’s or degrees and how we so proudly displayed them on our wall’s in our operatory’s to show the world our accomplishment? We were now ready to embark in career as a self-regulated health care Professional Registered Dental Hygienist.
Here I am many years later, as a veteran RDH, I am noticing a new trend. I get plenty of opportunities to talk with my fellow RDH’s in my travels. A lot of them have questions about my transition to being an independent RDH. Time and time again I hear the same comments…. “I am too scared to do what you do…what would my boss think?” I am taken aback to hear this “fear” over and over again from my colleagues. I have been pondering this new phenomenon trying to figure out how we ever got to this place.
What happened?
How did we become a generation of RDH’s that have lost our voice? We all attended secondary school to gain our expertise and confidence but could it be that when we stepped out of our school environment into a dental office environment we were stripped of our individuality? By the comments I am hearing it looks like most of us have lost our ability to practice the way we were taught to the point where we are no longer in control of our area of expertise? Our voice has been taken away day by day to the point where we have lost our confidence as self-regulated practitioners. We have all experienced it and some of us are now asking how do we get out of this rut?
What are our choices?
In Ontario, dental hygiene jobs are scarce so it is understandable that dental hygienists are afraid to upset the apple cart for fear of losing their jobs. It is true that there is a shortage of jobs for dental hygienists, if you want to work for a DDS. But if you want to work on your own as a self-initiated RDH, there is NO shortage of clients. The Gift From The Heart event has proven over the past three years that there is an over abundance of clients that are underserviced or are not happy with their current dental provider. There is a new generation of clients emerging that are smarter, and demand quality of care. They are no longer accepting the status quo when it comes to their dental needs. It is up to us as a profession to seize the opportunity to be their providers by offering exceptional service. It is time to “step back into our own shoes”. BUT before we can move forward or before we can be unified, we need to build CONFIDENCE within the profession.
How do we do that?
It is critical that we support each other unconditionally by networking and sharing information with each other. I appreciate how the DHPro is committed to bringing us together through their development of the Unity Day Facebook page to unify us as one and celebrate our successes with each other. The perpetual information they provide us on their website, allows us to grow as professionals and learn from each other. This will open many doors for us.
The IDHA is also here to bring back your confidence and encourage your success! For those that have the ability to practice independently in their jurisdictions and those that have acquired their self-initiated status in Ontario, you can already look into alternative employment options other than working for a DDS. There are so many opportunities that are just waiting for entrepreneurs to grab onto. You can work in Nursing Care Facilities, Wellness Centers, Education, Storefront, or partner with a denturist, chiropractor and many other health care professionals.
The IDHA hosts Business Boot Camps for that very reason. Just this weekend, we completed a very exciting full day session in Trenton Ontario. We want to tell you the truth about what to expect by being an entrepreneur and how to be successful in your endeavors. Being an entrepreneur is not for everyone. We all know how to be a great dental hygienist. What we need to know is how to be an amazing business person and be able to survive in the marketplace with tremendous success. We offer coaching on how to prepare a business plan, we have put together a How to Manual…the one we Needed but Never Had with all the information you need to begin the planning stages of opening your own mobile or storefront business, we have advice on Financing-Accounting- Legal, plus we have expertise to share on marketing strategies and tips on the ones that work and the ones that do not work and why!
The IDHA is committed to helping you achieve your dream.
I challenge you to look into the mirror and ask yourself, am I happy with where I am in my career? Do I want to grow within my profession? Would I want to be my own boss? Right now you may not know what you do not know. Explore the options. In Ontario, for those of you that have been too fearful to get your self-initiation do not be! All you have to do is apply for it on the CDHO website. We all need to acquire our self-initiation status (even if we don’t utilize it) because it shows solidarity within our profession.
The business model of dental hygiene is changing quickly. We have to recognize it and embrace this transformation and take back control of our own destiny so that RDH’s for generations to come will have opportunities we never dreamed of.
Now more than ever, is a terrific time to be a part of this wonderful profession!
Smiles Always,
Lori Lawrence RDH Smile Sensations IDHA www.idha.ca