22 JUNE 2017 | RDHMAG.COM
ROLE MODELS, MENTORING,
AND A BASKET OF VEGETABLES
benefits of being active with my
local dental hygiene component. I
serve as a board member and have
the opportunity to plan the direction
of our association. Hygienists are
often isolated in their little part of
the office, having minimal communication with the rest of the team,
let alone another hygienist. As a new
hygienist, it is essential to discuss
cases with other hygienists. It
doesn’t take long to realize that what
you learned in school was just an
introduction to the practice of dental hygiene.
Hopefully you are continuing to
learn as I have. In my sixties, I still
have so much more to learn! I enjoy
going to RDH Under One Roof and
the ADHA Annual Session annually,
in addition to other conferences. I
would become very bored with den-
tal hygiene, if I wasn’t learning about
new products, technology, and
meeting professional colleagues to
talk “shop.”
Many authors and even my
mother warned me that you
She encouraged me to
work harder when I was unhappy
with a low grade I got on a quiz the
first semester. Later she would
mentor me as I became a mother
myself. As an educator, I was intro-
duced to many mothers of my stu-
dents. I received numerous thank
you notes from mothers for caring
for their daughters while away from
home for the first time and being a
good role model. It is another heart-
warming moment of teaching. I
encourage you to read “ 10 Things
You Learn From Being Raised By A
Strong Mother” on Thought
Catalog.
Whether you were a male hygiene student or female, I hope you
had a strong mother that pushed,
guided, and loved you through your
stressful times and served as your
first role model. Pick up the phone
to thank her.
FINDING A MENTOR
Nearly every business book I have
read recommends two things for
success: mentoring and networking.
This is precisely why I enjoy the
a different direction. I admired my
aunts and grandmothers who
taught me about gardening, food
preservation, sewing, laundry, kind-
ness, manners, work ethic, and so
many more skills that would
carry me through my life. They
were my first role models and
mentors.
My parents and mentors
were admired by everyone in
the neighborhood, as they
were the youth directors in our
church. In addition, my dad
coached baseball teams for
my younger brothers and
taught all the neighborhood
children and his grandchildren
various sports.
My mother was the mom
of the neighborhood, as she
fed hungry friends of my brothers
and always had a good listening ear.
She didn’t hesitate to chastise them
if they needed it for bad behavior.
She always had something good to
eat in her kitchen. As an adult, even
if I wasn’t hungry, I always found
that I couldn’t pass up my mom’s
kitchen. The kitchen is where we
entered my parent’s home and it
always had aromas of fresh brewed
coffee, roast beef, baked goods, or
homemade soup. I remember her
befriending a young neighbor who
moved in next door with two small
children. Once again, I was destined
to model my parents as my first role
models.
WHEREABOUTS
OF MENTORS
Role models and mentors are es-
sential as we progress in our chosen
career path. Remember when you
first graduated from your dental
hygiene program? You were excited
and yet nervous at the same time.
You experienced self-doubt as you
explored working in your profession
wondering if you could manage it
all in a much shorter time than you
had in school. How did you cope
with these emotions? Several of you
found mentors in
your office or with-
in your local den-
tal hygiene com-
ponent and
eventually assumed leadership
positions. You were mentored and
became the mentee to new
graduates.
Others relied on their dental
hygiene classmates, alumni, or even
faculty advisors. I was fortunate to
have worked for a dentist and his
wife in my senior year in high
school. Without their great guidance and mentoring, I would not
have chosen dental hygiene as a
career. They planted the seed and
I am forever grateful.
As I write this article, it is the
International Women’s Day celebration. I listened to an interview
with Tory Burch, Founder of the
Tory Burch Foundation and a very
successful entrepreneur. She stated,
“I realized early on that if I wasn’t
out of my comfort zone, I wasn’t
thinking big enough.” She went on
to say how important mentors were
to her in pushing her beyond her
comfort zone. I assume that many
of you were out of your comfort
zone on that first day of employment as a dental hygienist.
For me, I was raised by a strong
woman and I looked to her for guidance throughout my lifetime, especially as a dental hygiene student.
Many authors and
even my mother
warned me that
you become like the
people you spend
the most time with.
Therefore, find people
you admire and
would like to emulate.
REACHING OUT TO A MENTOR
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continued on pg. 74