A transition into autumn ... possibly a career change?

By Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, MS

Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter. Autumn is associated with a chill in the air, leaves turning colors, the harvest, football, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Every season has its special beauty and autumn is no exception. Watching the trees turn from a uniform green to all varieties of gold, yellow, and red is a spectacular experience. One can almost be blinded by the fiery brilliance.

As fall is the process of changing from summer and transitioning to winter, we may want to reflect on our own transitions. Are you ready for a change within your career? Perhaps a transition from clinical practice to public health, the corporate arena, or perhaps another degree is in order for you.

I am preparing to fly to Chicago for the Santa Fe Group and the American Dental Hygienists’ Association meeting, the 2013 National Symposium, Transforming Dental Hygiene Education: Proud Past, Unlimited Future. This symposium will examine the opportunities and challenges for dental hygiene education as it relates to the role and practices of dental hygienists, both past and present. They will also discuss what "should be" in order to improve the nation's oral health, especially in view of the expected changes resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.¹

Topics to be discussed include:

From Whence We Came, To Where We are Headed
Innovative Collaboration Models for Dental Hygiene Practice
Parallel Livelihoods: Lessons From Other Health Professions
Interprofessional Education: Implications for Dental Hygiene Practitioners and Dental Educators

You may want to become familiar with the Competencies for the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP), as well as ADEA’s Bracing for The Future: Opening Up Pathways to the Bachelor’s Degree for Dental Hygienists.^2,3 Also a topic to be discussed is: Interprofessional Education for Collaboration: Learning How to Improve Health from Interprofessional Models Across the Continuum of Education to Practice: Workshop Summary.⁴ Key opinion leaders have been invited start to develop a strategic plan for the future of the dental hygiene profession, particularly in relation to the role the profession can play in improving the public’s oral health. Are you ready for a change? Read more on this topic in upcoming issues of this newsletter.