Think Beyond the Prophy: Shavonne Healy, RDH, BSDH

Think Beyond the Prophy is kick starting 2017 with Shavonne Healy, RDH, BSDH!

I first met her at the ADHA CLL 2015 in Nashville where we both attended a focus group. We shared our opinions on latest research and how we could personally uplift our profession.

Fast forward to the Fall of 2015, I invited her to speak as a panelist for a panel discussion I organized for first and second year students. I was instantly blown away by the fire that resides in her. At that time, I was unsure on where I was going to take my career and what contribution I could make in our field. Shavonne's empowering motivational presentation awoke me! She has a gift of speech and is a talented writer. 

Get to know this mover and shaker! You will be inspired as much as I am. Would you like to meet her in person? She will be a panelist at the Think Beyond the Prophy: Redefining Your Career educational event. Click HERE to find out more information and register! Seats are limited!

Shavonne is a Massachussetts native and Fones School of dental hygiene graduate. She resides in Washington, DC where she is an Implant Care Specialist and President of the DC Dental Hygienists' Association. She began her career in dentistry at the age of 14 as a dental assistant and continues to evolve her expertise. Currently, she is pursing her Master's degree in dental hygiene Education and is a part-time adjunct instructor at Howard University.

Key Highlights of her career:

In October 2015, Shavonne was named Young Dental’s dental hygienist of the month in honor of National Dental Hygiene Month.
 She was also the winner of the 2015 Oral Cancer Foundation’s “Be Part of the Change” contest which supported dental hygienists who advocate for oral cancer awareness.

1. What drives your passion in dental hygiene?

My first clinical position was almost 11 years ago in periodontics.  Before returning back to my roots, I spent time as an implant care specialist in oral surgery caring for a  very unique population. Patients under my care were mainly those who had undergone full mouth implant rehabilitation. I discovered that this patient population requires a standard of care separate from that of natural teeth and one outside of the scope of what can be accomplished in a general setting.  I have since been an advocate for dental hygiene in oral surgery and will be diving deep into making this role a reality for dental hygienists everywhere. I have a mission to serve my profession and make something great happen. As leaders it is our duty to make more leaders.

2. Why did you become a dental hygienist?

My initial intent was to “make good money” but it did not take long for that to change. Being a dental hygienist is being a part of something big: a healthier society. We are educators, first and foremost, with the knowledge and skills to make a real difference in the lives of our patients. We are here to serve each other. Being able to help another human being is the greatest feeling in the world and no amount of money can buy that!

3. How have you kept your momentum to reach your goals?

I stay connected with friends who are on the same path as me: the path to greatness. Through mediation and positive affirmations I have learned to trust my intuition and take action. I think the key to momentum is believing in yourself and to keep positive vibes coming from every angle.  For example, I love my hygiene meetings and I attend about 5-6 conferences and workshops a year. Hygiene meetings  bring me great energy that always empowers new heights in my career!

4. What mentoring moment helped shape you to think beyond the prophy?

When Jasmin and I attended a speaker development workshop together she spent the majority of her time trying to convince me that I had something special and a skill that would be detrimental to the development of our profession if not shared. That peer mentoring moment helped to keep me focused on obtaining my goals. Melissa Obrotka and I are now the co founders of RDH Innovations. Stay tuned my friends for more information ; ).

5. What tips do you have for other dental professionals who want to be entrepreneurs?

If you are feeling discouraged or trapped in any area of your life I encourage you to seek mentorship. Find that person/mentor that is 10-20 years ahead of you and has accomplished goals similar to your own. Find that person/mentor that is on your level and experiencing the same trials and tribulations, someone who you can relate to. It is also important to have mentees, because having someone look up to you helps build self-esteem. Mentorship is learning through osmosis. To reach your full potential you must be a continual learning machine surrounding yourself with those successful people who rub off on you. This is a chance for professional development that can skyrocket your journey into entrepreneurship!  

6. How do you maintain the joy in your life?

I believe that greatness comes from service.  During my weekends I am in the community and spend much of my time volunteering and raising awareness through fundraising and charity walks. This is how I find joy, love, satisfaction and excitement in my career. I also love writing and dedicate much of my time to my yoga and meditation practice.Yoga and meditation have been integral in my quest to becoming my greatest version. Furthermore,  a documentary about one of my favorite all time artists, Janis Joplin, helped me connect with the true meaning of ambition. Ambition is for love which makes perfect sense: I am a dental hygienist and I absolutely love what I do.

7. Anything else you would like to add?

It has been over 100 years since the birth of the dental hygiene profession happened in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Over the years leaders in dental hygiene have fought through legislative boundaries transforming the profession to create opportunities for us to develop as clinicians, educators, researchers, etc. Yet, as dedicated and respected healthcare professionals we still endure the dreaded title of the “tooth scraper”.  In 2012, the ADHA responded to a segment on ABC’s talk show program “The View” in which a financial expert misrepresented the educational requirements for a dental hygiene degree.  The guest speaker even gave a job description of “knowing which instrument goes to what tooth”. This is the only case where I care what other people think. Dental hygienists are more than “teeth scrapers”.

We save lives. I feel strongly about the misconceptions of the profession. I have dedicated my career as a clinician to change the perceptions of my patients to respect me as their dental health professional, preventative specialist or educator. My desire to change the way society perceives us as hygienists is valuable to the enhancement of our profession  Knowledge is power. As people become educated about the role dental hygienists play in the interdisciplinary care of our patients the more support we will receive from the public. Diminishing the misconceptions of dental hygienists should be the goal of every RDH who truly values and believes in what they do!  

Shavonne can be reached at [email protected].