Summer 2008
As the newly elected President of PCDHA I thought that I would quickly introduce
myself as many of you have no idea who I am. My name is Karen Hodge and I have been a
practicing hygienist since 1988. I am currently enrolled in the BASDH program at St.
Petersburg College and hope to graduate in spring 2009. I am married, and have a teenage
daughter Emily. My reason for the introduction is because I’m sure that many of you
are wondering who I am since I have not been an active member of our association since
graduating 20 years ago. Recently, I came to a crossroads in my professional life. After
many years of clinical private practice, I was facing professional burnout. My enthusiasm
for hygiene was waning quickly and I had to decide to either choose another profession or
embrace the one that I am already in and start to enjoy it again. I started taking
classes and eventually enrolled in the BASDH program. A couple of hygienists that I work
with and who have both been active members for many years persuaded me to start going to
PCDHA meetings. I finally decided that it was time to start participating and am so happy
that I made the commitment to get involved with our organization again.
I thought I would mention this to everyone because as you know the President’s message
is about getting people active in the profession and increasing membership. I know that most
of the hygienists reading this have been active members for many years and don’t appreciate
someone who has been in hygiene hibernation for the last 20 years lecturing them on becoming
active members. So I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to all of the active members
for carrying all of us non-members over the years. Many of you have worked so hard to make our
profession what it is today. Your diligence with legislative issues and what seems like constant
battles with the FDA have kept all of us in jobs and we all owe you a debt of gratitude.
I was recently told that membership in the ADHA was around 10% of total licensed hygienists.
This is very low when you consider that the ADA demands all dentists to be active members in their
association. In order for us to have a voice in Tallahassee we need to show the legislators that
we care about what is happening in our profession and the only way to do that is with membership
numbers. We are facing some crucial challenges up ahead. It is so important for us to not only
protect our jobs but to get legislation passed that will enable us to increase care to the underserved
citizens in Florida.
To the newly graduated hygienists’ please come to the meetings and stay active in our association.
Recent graduates can become active members for the first 6 months for free just log on to
ADHA.
It is so easy to forget about staying active when you are busy raising families and trying to get ahead.
The annual investment of $250 seems like a lot but if dental assistants are ever allowed to scale teeth,
or we end up with preceptorship like Alabama, our profession won’t be worth anything. To the hygienists
that have been practicing for a while, bring a friend to a meeting, mentor a student, sign up for some
of the volunteer opportunities, and support the Association and HYPAC. Please become an active member
again, what you get back will be priceless.
I am looking forward to an exciting year ahead and hope to meet many of you at the upcoming meetings.
Please don’t hesitate to call me or e-mail me with any concerns or ideas for the next year.
Sincerely,
Karen Hodge, R.D.H.
