Goals, Spirit. Drive. By Trisha O’Hehir, RDH, BS
Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine

One of the habits of highly successful people is setting goals and committing them to paper. “Hope” is not a strategy for achieving success, and wishing for it, unlike the once popular song, will not make it so. It takes commitment and effort to achieve the goals you set for yourself, whether they’re personal or professional. You need to look at your goals in black and white and then figure out the resources necessary to achieve them. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing current American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) President, Katie Dawson, RDH, BS, one of the best goal-setters and achievers you’re likely to meet. Let’s find out how she does it.

HT: Congratulations, Katie, on reaching yet another goal in your well thought-out career path. I admire your goal-setting abilities, for, I must admit, my own career path has been more happenstance than thoughtful planning. I’m learning to set goals, write them down and work toward achieving them, but often wonder what my career path would have included had I actually spent time planning and setting goals from the start, as you have. Where did you learn to set goals, Katie?

KD: I definitely learned goal-setting from my dad. He set goals and worked hard to achieve them. My parents were born in the South, met in southern California and moved to a farming community in Merced, Calif. where I was born. Dad was an entrepreneur who always wanted to own his own business. In Merced he leased trucks for hauling produce to transport markets. When he heard about the opportunities for work and about the great public schools in Alaska, he saw an opportunity and set his goals. He moved the family to Fairbanks when I was six years old and we stayed until I was 10. Dad bought a van and started a transportation company. Over the years it grew from a single van to three buses.

My mother tried her best to endure the dramatic lifestyle changes through four long Alaskan Winters, but she was a southern gal at heart and couldn’t take the cold weather and the isolation from extended family, so we moved back to California.

My dad had the ability to look ahead and plan for the future. He saw opportunity and set his goals accordingly. I’ve learned a great deal from his entrepreneurial spirit and drive. Dad passed away in 1979, and the common thread through all the family stories is his curiosity, determination, goal-setting, and ability to plan for the future. It’s easy to see where I learned to set and achieve goals.

HT: Tell me how you decided to pursue a career in dental hygiene.

KD: Often the universe taps us on the shoulder or gives us signs to help us along the way. I had three things happen very close together that nudged me into dental hygiene.

In 1970, I was newly divorced with a small child, and employed by the County of Alameda in California. I was doing quite well, having risen to a supervisory position, but without a degree, I had reached my career limit. It was my belief at the time that going back to school was out of the question, with the responsibilities of supporting and caring for my three-year old son, Tony. Friends, co-workers and my brother Bob kept telling me I should go back to school, but I really didn’t think I could do it with the responsibilities of being a single parent.

My thinking changed when a work-study student from University of California––Berkley was assigned to our office. This woman managed her studies and parenting responsibilities with not just one child, but six children! Her husband had left her before the last child was born, but she didn’t let that stop her. Not only was she going to graduate with honors, she was accepted to three prestigious law schools and was going to continue her education. It was abundantly clear to me that the responsibilities of work and motherhood were no longer good reasons to avoid education. This was sign number one.

Sign number two came from big brother Dr. Robert Flennaugh, the oldest of my five brothers and sisters. Bob is a dentist in Seattle and he repeatedly encouraged me to consider dental hygiene. He said my personality, people skills and abilities with my hands were perfect for dental hygiene. Big brothers can be very persuasive, especially Bob, the role model for all my brothers and sisters. Bob was the first member of my family to graduate from college

The third sign that probably tipped the scale involved a handsome gentleman. I began dating a man who was a college graduate, and realized there was an intellectual challenge to the relationship that I enjoyed. He was the type of person I wanted to develop a meaningful relationship with. Our dating didn’t result in marriage, but more importantly, it changed my life. This man influenced my decision to go back to school and pursue the career in dental hygiene my brother was encouraging. Still a good friend today, his influence gave me even more reason to go back to school and improve myself.

I was able to take a position in the Office of the Dean at the College of Alameda, and while working there completed the prerequisites for dental hygiene. Towards the end of a year and a half of course work, I applied to the dental hygiene program at the University of California––San Francisco, graduating from that program in 1976.

HT: I know you’re both a clinician and an educator, having developed a dental assisting program for Oakland Public Schools adult education. I’m curious as to why you selected clinical practice over teaching.

KD: That decision is based on my own dental experiences. I grew up in a large family with limited financial resources. Unfortunately, before the age of 18, I had to have eight permanent teeth removed. Trisha, it was a painful experience that I don’t want others to have to go through. People should not be afraid to visit the dental office. I find satisfaction and joy in making a difference, in making dental experiences pleasant and taking away peoples’ fears. That’s why I enjoy practice so much.

HT: I attended the 43rd Annual National Dental Hygienists’ Association (NDHA) meeting this year and thoroughly enjoyed the warm and welcoming hospitality of the hygienists. It was a celebration of dental hygiene and dental hygienists as individuals, incorporating spirituality as well. It was truly a pleasure to be a part of that meeting.

I was unaware of this organization for many years and ashamed to learn of past ADHA and American Dental Association policies that prohibited minority hygienists and dentists from joining. Thus, the formation of both the NDHA and National Dental Association (NDA). Can you give me a little background on the NDHA?

KD: The NDHA was founded in 1932 by Ernestine P. Gates of St. Louis to unite minority dental hygienists and focus on problems of minorities in the profession. It was active for only three years and then was revived again in 1962 by dental hygiene faculty at Meharry Medical College in Georgia. NDHA holds concurrent annual meetings with NDA, the NDA Auxiliary, the National Dental Assistants and National Dental Students Associations, while remaining an autonomous association.

Following graduation from dental hygiene school, I joined both ADHA and NDHA and was quickly persuaded to get more involved holding several offices over the years, including the presidency of NDHA from 1981-83. It was during this time that friends and colleagues repeatedly told me, “You can do that and you can be president.” I met Maxine Tishk in 1979 at the ADHA Annual Session in New Orleans. She took me under her wing, mentoring and encouraging me, telling me I would be ADHA president one day. During the annual meeting of NDHA the year of my presidency, the ADHA president attended our meeting, bringing greetings from ADHA members. Right then I knew, I could do that. I could be president of the ADHA. I set that as a goal for myself.

The focus of NDHA is education, friendship, scholarships for minority hygienists, and dedication to underserved populations. The NDHA is small compared to ADHA and therefore the goals are different. ADHA can focus on legislative issues facing the profession of dental hygiene, while NDHA is committed to the support of minority students, professionals and populations. Because NDHA membership is small, the group is closely knit, and annual meetings have a reunion feel to them, as friends/colleagues get together once again to celebrate dental hygiene.

HT: You have a busy year ahead of you, Katie, visiting state and component meetings as well as many national and international dental and dental hygiene meetings. In addition there are the duties of the president as chair of the ADHA board of trustees and working with the staff at ADHA headquarters in Chicago. What are your goals for your term as president?

KD: The theme for my year as president is: “Advancing Access for the New Age.” We as hygienists have a tremendous opportunity to reach out to underserved and unserved populations, providing prevention as well as much-needed basic restorative care. These are the people who have no access to a dentist, the people who send their children to bed with painful toothaches for lack of access to care. In 2004, the ADHA house of delegates adopted the following resolution: “ADHA advocates the creation of an advanced dental hygiene practitioner (ADHP) who provides diagnostic, preventive, restorative and therapeutic services directly to the public.” ADHA defined the ADHP as a “dental hygienist, who has graduated from an accredited dental hygiene program and has completed an advanced educational curriculum approved by the ADHA which prepares the dental hygienist to provide diagnostic, preventive, restorative and therapeutic services directly to the public.” ADHA is now developing the curriculum framework for this position and seeking input of all dental hygienists and stakeholders in the oral health community. The ADHP advisory committee includes representatives from several federal agencies and dental organizations. There is precedent for the creation of this position given the present use of the dental therapist in New Zealand and Australia. This might be a good topic for discussion on www.hygienetown.com.

Another personal goal is to raise awareness of the need to have state dental practice acts based on evidence. This will take some time, so our first efforts in this direction will be a pebble in the water producing ripples. Many old myths related to dental supervision of the delivery of dental hygiene services must be overcome. Most of these myths are perpetuated by boards of dentistry through regulations that provide unnecessary dental supervision. These regulations have no evidence supporting patient safety. In September, ADHA released the Dental Hygiene Diagnosis Position Paper. This document outlines every dental hygienist’s responsibility to render the service he/she is educated to provide. This evidence-based document gives our profession the right to use the “D” word, and stresses our responsibility to provide a comprehensive dental hygiene diagnosis which is a vital component of the dental hygiene process of care.

ADHA’s national Lobby Day is March 2006 in Washington, DC. It is an opportunity to reach out to legislators, constituent groups and consumers. We will be planting seeds for future growth. Self-regulation is the future for dental hygiene and these are the first steps we must take to achieve that.

HT: Katie, you have an exciting year ahead, culminating with a celebration of your presidency in Orlando next June. On your behalf, I would like to extend an invitation to Hygienetownies to attend next year’s ADHA Annual Session. Now let me ask you, what are your goals for the year after your presidency?

KD: I will complete my term as immediate past president, which involves a number of responsibilities, including serving as chair of the ADHA Institute for Oral Health. I will balance my goals between family, community and profession. This year my focus is definitely on the professional level, while after next year, I will focus on family and community. Being a full-time grandma will definitely be the number one focus after my presidency, along with singing in choral groups––especially those specializing in Negro spirituals––and returning to regular piano lessons. My musical and singing interests come from my mother. She is the daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher, grew up singing in his church choirs and at 91 years old still has a beautiful voice.

HT: Katie, it’s clear that your parents instilled in you a pride in your heritage, honesty, loyalty, integrity and strong family values. You have a balance between work, family and community and are a great role model for others. The dental hygiene profession is indeed privileged to have you as our leader. Thank you for your hard work, dedication and your example to all of us of what the power of setting goals can accomplish.