Have you ever thought about providing a hand in developing the next generation of compassionate hygienists who provide quality, comprehensive care to patients?
If you are looking to do something different with your dental hygiene career, providing your skills and expertise by teaching dental hygiene students may be just what you are looking for. The role of the dental hygiene educator is multi-dimensional these days and a solid foundation in educational methods will propel you forward in this career. The following are excellent descriptors of a dental hygiene educator:
- Mentor
- Guide
- Coach
- Role model
- Leader
- Lifelong learner
Some of these qualities you have already begun developing as you adapt to teach patients with different learning styles and personalities. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your students’ proverbial “light bulb” go off when they catch on to concepts or skills you are guiding them through or when they pass national and written boards. You can be a part of that exciting experience and the profession needs quality hygienists who are passionate about dental hygiene.
There are dental hygiene instructor shortages and currently the Commission on Dental Accreditation requires a baccalaureate degree to teach in the classroom. In California, all dental hygiene faculty shall hold a baccalaureate degree or higher to teach in a dental hygiene program. In addition, the Commission on Dental Accreditation is proposing the requirement of a baccalaureate degree for both classroom and clinical teaching for full and part-time instructors. Wichita State University’s online RDH to BSDH program meets these requirements and is designed to prepare licensed dental hygienists to become dental hygiene educators. Check out our website to learn more. There is no better time than now!