How to Get Started in Academia

The ivory tower calls to many a dental hygienist but how to get started? Here is some advice from dental hygienists who are devoting their careers to educating the next generation of dental hygienists.

“Learning how to teach is transferrable to many areas of education, classroom teaching, and clinical teaching. You may want to focus on doing an internship in your specific areas of interest. You may also want to start to network within the dental hygiene education community to explore career paths of others and find connections to teaching positions.”

—Rachel C. Kearney, RDH, MS

Associate professor and chair of the Division of Dental Hygiene at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry in Columbus

“I would recommend that you find a mentor—a dental hygienist who has been in the field of education for 5-10+ years that she can consult with on a regular basis as she makes career choices. I regularly have coffee/lunch meetings with dental and dental hygiene students who just need to talk through their options. Every dental and dental hygiene school needs teachers who can teach the next generation of dental hygienists/dentist radiology so you should definitely consider this as a great career option!”

—Kathryn Dolan, RDH, MEd

Assistant professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Service at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and the director of the Tufts Statewide Community Dental Program in Boston

“My advice is ALWAYS to advance your degree because it opens doors. Our accreditation process requires that faculty teaching in a program must have one degree higher than students in the program. So technically with a bachelor’s degree, you could work in a program that awards an associate degree in dental hygiene. One of the reasons we encourage students to do a degree-completion program for their bachelor’s or get the graduate dental hygiene degree is because all of the questions about what an educator would do in clinic is covered in the dental hygiene baccalaureate and graduate programs.”

—Cindy C. Gadbury-Amyot, MSDH, EdD

Associate dean of instructional technology and faculty development and a professor in the Division of Dental Hygiene at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry

“I think one of the most important qualities in a potential clinical instructor is enthusiasm and love for dental hygiene. We want someone who will convey that to our students, so it is important in our faculty. Also, I looked for potential faculty to have involvement in organized dental hygiene. Be a member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association!”

“I have never regretted becoming a dental hygiene educator. Dental hygiene education is a wonderful career path. I would suggest you check for dental hygiene programs near you and offer to teach part-time. Programs are often looking for part-time instructors. Also, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has a listing of Master of Science programs on its Website. Go to https://www.adha.org/dental-hygiene-programs to find out about the programs. Many, if not all, are available online. There is a track for educators at the ADHA Annual Session. If you are going to attend, check that out. And, finally, if you have any friends who are educators, ask if they will serve as your mentor as you begin this journey.”

—Pamela Overman, EdD, RDH

Associate dean for academic affairs at University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry

“You may be able to begin your teaching career by working part-time as an instructor in the clinic at a local community college program. Most university-based programs require a minimum of a baccalaureate degree for teaching, so you might be eligible for these programs; however, others require a graduate degree. You would need to reach out to the program directors to see if there are openings as well as to learn the academic requirements for hiring. All of the online graduate programs in dental hygiene education that are offered in the United States are reputable. I would suggest the program at Idaho State University or the program at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.”

—Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, RDH, PhD

Associate professor and course director of clinical medicine and pharmacology at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health in Mesa, Arizona