Join Dawn Buju, MS EHRD WALE, BSDH, RDH, and Jackie Sanders, MBA, RDH, as they talk about the autonomy of dental education and how it strengthens the profession and provides greater access to care.
Dawn Buju joins Jackie Sanders in this RDH podcast. Dawn was inspired by the work of Derek Sven regarding the autonomy of dental hygiene education. She became interested in comparing the dental hygiene curricula to the dental curricula and has looked into the educational differences, licensing, and educational standards.
With autonomy comes the ability of choice. This is not about being anti-dentistry; it’s giving you the ability to work under a hygienist, a mobile unit, a hospital, with children, with the elderly, and more. Autonomy doesn’t say you can’t continue in the role you’re in; it just gives other hygienists the opportunity to make a bigger difference in access to care with their advanced education.
The more knowledge and education we acquire on this topic, the stronger our voice becomes.
Jackie Sanders, MBA, RDH, has over four decades of continual career development and experience in dentistry. As the chief editor of RDHmagazine, she strives to remain a proactive personality in the continual advancement of the profession. She has been defined as a motivated trendsetter and dependable colleague and is inspired by her true passion of helping others to achieve their personal goals.
Dawn Buju, MS EHRD WALE, BSDH, RDH, a clinical dental hygienist with over 20 years’ experience, is an emerging educator focused on advancing dental hygiene autonomy and professional self-regulation. She integrates evidence-based practice with adult learning principles to strengthen workforce development and expand equitable access to oral health care. Dawn’s work centers on policy advocacy and learner-centered educational design. She is currently in the MS program.
