As I reflect on my career, I think about what has sustained me in dentistry all of these years. I’m a 1984 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, Dental Hygiene Program. I love my profession as much today as I did 40 years ago. As I look back and ask why that is, I can answer that I’ve always challenged myself. I feel it’s so important to be a lifelong learner. We are so fortunate today that we have so much information at our fingertips. I love that we can participate in live and recorded webinars basically whenever we want and on a variety of topics. I will often listen to a webinar on my way to work or on a walk. Some are career changing, some aren’t. But all offer something…some little nugget or gem of information. Have you ever noticed that after you attend a continuing ed class, that the next day or so, you’ll have a patient that is relevant to the subject that you just learned about? One of my favorite sayings in dentistry is, the eye cannot see what the brain doesn’t know. Once you learn a little gem, you will now recognize it in your patients. The more that you know, the more that you’ll see, therefore the more challenged and gratified you’ll be in your career.
This is what led me to form the Hygiene Study Club of Syracuse. I wanted to connect with other hygienists from various offices, various ages and various backgrounds. After working in the same office for several years, I started to temp occasionally. I learned that each office did things a little differently or had a product that I had never used before. I was often asked how I did things or what instruments I preferred. That’s when it hit me that we needed to connect with each other and share our experiences. I feel that we can all learn from one another.
Ours is an informal group, meaning that we do not earn CE credits for a majority of our meetings. I contacted a local Orthodontist who agreed to sponsor our group. He provides the meeting room and snacks. I used his referral list to reach out to offices to invite their hygienist to join us. I also encouraged hygienists to invite other hygienists. I have to add that my office was also extremely encouraging and supportive in my endeavor. We are currently around 60 members strong.
One of our most popular and favorite meetings is when we don’t have a speaker and everyone shares something that they can’t live without or a favorite product, tip or advice. We gain so much from each other. We also have had various speakers including a chair yoga instructor who taught us core strengthening exercises, a dentist from the hospital that reviewed head and neck exams, various sales reps as well as local specialists. By networking in our study club, we’ve gained friendships, volunteer opportunities, temping opportunities and referral recommendations to just name a few. I encourage all Hygienists to lean in, learn more, be open to listening and learning and to embrace your colleagues as a source of opportunity for growth in your career.