Each week the RDH PIRA (Patient Impact & Rise Above) recognition program, sponsored by Water Pik, Inc., features a dental hygiene clinician who excels in his or her role and goes the extra mile. The past two and a half years have been a challenge for many clinicians and as we return to the operatory, we want to acknowledge those who provide patient care—clinicians who are changing their patients’ lives, influencing their patients’ health, and making a difference every day. This week we honor Joanne Rozner, RDH.
Here's what Joanne said in her submission.
I began my dental career as an assistant in 1983. I was planning on a career in health care, and my employer suggested I continue my education to become a registered dental hygienist. I’m grateful for his mentoring and relaxed work schedule so I could attend dental hygiene school while working at the practice. I’ve been able to continuously care for three generations of families within our practice.
Previous honorees
"Gentle, thorough, and always with a smile"
This survivor is paying it forward
I strive to remain current with treatment, infection control, and new product information. I want to be able to treat patients at a high standard of continual care. I enjoy developing relationships with every patient, and I care for the whole person in my chair. I want to make each person feel important while they’re in our office.
I’m looking forward to working in this profession until I retire. I’ve mentored a couple of hygiene students, and I can hopefully inspire a few more quality individuals to enter this profession. I continue to collaborate with a second-generation doctor, which has been a testament to the practice’s name, Hom Family Dentistry.
I work about 38 hours per week, which provides a nice work-life balance. I enjoy gardening, cooking, traveling, and volunteering in my community. I love to bike, and I recently became a volunteer rider for Portage County Cycling Without Age, a community group that provides rides for senior citizens. I also volunteer for Create Portage County, the arts council, which provides opportunities for residents to enjoy multiple forms of cultural experiences.
The learning experiences I’ve collected from other cultures through my travels are priceless. I strive for life-long learning in order to improve myself. The excitement of learning a new bit of information will hopefully stay with me forever. I'm thankful for all I've been able to experience so far. It's been a busy, rewarding, challenging career to date, but I could not see myself being anything but a dental care provider!
Visit the PIRA website to nominate someone today! Good luck, and we look forward to hearing from many outstanding and qualified colleagues!
