Dear RDH:
I am very tired of reading articles by Heidi Emmerling Jones that belittle, insult, and alienate us and other professionals. She uses this magazine as a chance to justify her behavior and does not realize that true leaders are ones we can respect and look up to, and obviously she has failed in this area.
Ms. Jones should take a real good look at herself and realize that she is the one who needs some serious self-reflection and probably exit dental hygiene as her career.
The final straw that motivated me to speak up is the article by Ms. Jones on "A Job To Die For" in the May 1996 issue. If she would step down off her pedestal and become a well-rounded, helpful team member whose profession is not above her co-workers or colleagues, she might find satisfaction.
Even if an office might not be up to her standards, it is not difficult to communicate your needs and be surprised at what an employer will do to help.
She also brings up the fact that, if you fill in at an office, "you are doing the office a huge favor" and should ask for more money. It`s obvious what motivates her is not patient needs or care. It is a self-serving attitude that she definitely portrays. The real enemy is not the dentists. It`s women like her that give our profession a black eye. The same goes for some dentists that give their own profession embarrassment.
I agree that not all offices are our dream offices, but let`s get our priorities straight. I have been a hygienist for 12 years now and in dentistry for 26 years. So, for those of us who are satisfied with their home and professional lives, I speak in favor of the dental hygienists that don`t have to complain and constantly find the negative. And, like Ann Miers` letter in the same issue, I, too, am very proud of my license plate (GR8 RDH) and try very hard to live up to all aspects of my profession. Ms. Jones clearly does not.
Patricia Lee Anderson, RDH
Aptos, California
