Working

by Valerie Danner

For some, finding the right career path is a daunting task, but for Lisa Goss, RDH, BS, it wasn't a problem. In the seventh grade, she was given the assignment to choose a career and to interview someone who worked in it.

"I chose dental hygiene [for the project] because my aunt's best friend was a dental hygienist in Maryland," Goss says."I had always thought that her job was interesting."

From that point on, Goss knew what she wanted to do. After graduating from dental hygiene school in 1984, she sent a copy of her seventh-grade project, along with her graduation announcement, to her aunt's best friend. "She was my mentor," Goss says.

Today, Goss is still moving happily along the dental hygiene path. For the past 15 years, she has worked at the duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, as a dental coordinator/dental hygienist, a job that combines clinical responsibilities with some administrative duties.

On a typical day, Goss provides oral health services to 10–14 patients, with the help of a chairside dental assistant. Goss also assists dentists and/or dental specialists in the operating room when a child needs work completed under general anesthesia. Most of her patients are from the special needs/medically compromised pediatric population, which can present some unique challenges.

"In a hospital setting where kidneys are being transplanted, tiny hearts are being repaired, and a variety of orthopedic surgeries are performed each day, convincing them of the importance of oral health and its relationship to the whole being [can be a real challenge]," Goss explains.

Increased consumer knowledge also keeps Goss on her toes. She finds that increasingly, parents and guardians are showing up armed with more information and questions. "It is great when they ask more questions, because it challenges me to say abreast by reading my journals, attending continuing education (CE) programs, and remaining active in my local and state associations," Goss says.

In addition to clinical responsibilities, Goss also has administrative duties, such as overseeing the daily operations of the department staff, which includes five dental assistants, two dental hygienists, two pediatric dentists, two general dentists, and a variety of dental specialists. Goss also schedules and processes preoperative necessities for operating room cases; coordinates collections; prepares daily stat reports; and maintains budget, statistical, and informational data.

It's no small task, but it's one that Goss enjoys. "All my life I've enjoyed helping people and [dental hygiene] seemed to be a way I could do it." Goss adds that she finds it extremely rewarding "when a special-needs child who just experienced a 'difficult' dental hygiene visit hugs me and says, 'Thank you for taking care of my teeth.'"

While she is content with her job, Goss says she never rules out going back to a so-called traditional practice setting."I have always believed that you make the job/career what you want it to be."

Lisa Goss, RDH, BS, may be reached at Lgoss@nemours.org.