Dental Hygiene Students Want to Know: How Do You Inspire Students?

Lisa Bilich, RDH, BSDH, MSEd, professor and chair of the Department of Dental Hygiene at Eastern Washington University in Spokane shares how she helps motivate dental hygiene students.

When asked, “How do you inspire students?” my first thought is “I inspire students?” As I think back over my 17 years in education and all of the students I have been privileged to work with, I realize I have inspired students. In fact, several students have come back after graduation to tell me how much they love their profession, and how being a dental hygienist is the best thing they have done. The mere sharing of their journey helps remind me I have touched some part of their lives. The term inspire comes from the word meaning guidance, and guiding our future professionals is an important part of education.

PRACTICE HUMILITY

I think it is important to be humble. We tend to put forth our best selves. No one makes it through this journey without encountering difficult situations, or as we fondly call them in education, “learning experiences.” So I share my learning experiences with students, those things that I failed at; those times when I was less of who I should be. I tell my students not to look at my wall of awards, but instead, ask me about the things I experienced to get there. We have a program at Eastern Washington University called Failing Successfully. This program is held in conjunction with our counselors to help students realize they do not have to be perfect, but they do have to try really hard.

KEEP LEARNING

I use the quote by author Ben Sweetland “Success is a journey, not a destination.” One has to keep reaching for the stars to keep growing and learning. Our profession continues to expand into new territory, so we need to continually expand our knowledge to best help our patients. When I am teaching, I bring recent studies into the lecture. I do not rely on textbooks alone, I want to show students how important it is to use the latest research to guide our treatment and philosophy of practice. We discuss the latest findings and how this can be impactful tomorrow in the clinic.

SHOW PASSION

I tell students to show passion. I come to class excited to talk about the subject, excited about our role in the dental team. By showing passion, you inspire passion. I may have had a hard day or I may be tired, but I come to class and show enthusiasm for the topic. I may not feel inspired by the epidemiology of periodontal diseases, but when I’m among students I show them it sure can be exciting. And if we start to drift off, we have Dance Party Tuesday! I put on music and we all get up and dance. Or we do an interpretive dance of the ultrasonic. Learning is fun!

MENTORSHIP

I encourage students to find a mentor. For some reason, we think we must know it all when we graduate. Mentorship is important in our profession to help guide us. If you have a mentor you can trust, you can bring issues to him or her to help you grow into your profession. Mentors are there to be nonjudgmental and help guide us. We need that safe harbor to be able to tell our mentor when we may not have done what is right and ask for guidance.

To all students, remember to be the person you aspire to be, be genuine and compassionate and it will serve you well.