Dear RDH:
This is in reference to the Florida dental hygiene boards. I took the Florida board in June. I just found out I passed! With [the exam having] a 40 to 50 percent failure rate, I feel I have accomplished something.
I want to say the article about Jane Weiner, RDH, (May 1998 RDH) was right on! I needed her help. I took her Florida State Board Law Review Course. She mailed it to me. I live in New Jersey and could not afford to fly down to Florida for her course and then fly down again to take the examination. We worked via instant messaging online and e-mail, as well as phone calls. She was there to answer any questions I had. She gave me plenty of individual attention. It was like having a private tutor. She is a very sincere lady. Jane Weiner is the reason I passed the law part of the examination (I received a 92.5 on the law exam).
Her notebook that she has put together for the course is essentially the law book in "layman`s terms." No lawyer "mumbo-jumbo" like the law book that the Florida board sends to candidates. I don`t have a law degree; I have a dental hygiene degree.
I would just like to say thank-you for the article. I hope it reaches more people who need help taking the boards. I know she can get them through! I had not taken a board in 10 years. I had forgotten how stressful it is. As for the clinical portion of the Florida board, there were candidates having their patients rejected left and right. You only get three chances to have a patient accepted. After that, it goes down as a "fail."
Which brings up a major sore spot. I feel that laws need to be changed. I have been in practice for 10 years and know what I am doing. I shouldn`t have to continue to prove myself just because I want to live in another state. We shouldn`t have to take up working at a fast-food joint. We can get through the board process and continue working in the dental hygiene profession.
Linda Tradler, RDH
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
