Corina Hartley, RDH
Corina Hartley, RDH, is a Canadian Durham College graduate from the province of Ontario. Practicing dental hygiene since 2006, she has experienced the challenges of commuting to big cities, working in remote areas, and temping at various offices with differing ethnic backgrounds. While her family will always be her first love, the dental world is certainly the field she is passionate about, and writing about it brings her immense joy. Corina has a unique ability to relax the most phobic patient and calm an irate one with a smile, an understanding attitude, and a special sense of humor. She enjoys really getting to the heart of the matter with everything she does in life, and this is demonstrated by her witty writing abilities. Corina’s biggest desire is to share life with as many people as possible through close-up experiences, storytelling, and simply just being present.
Tips for Hosting a Dental Hygiene Temp to Keep them Returning
Sandy arrives at the dental office 15 minutes early, as requested, to prepare for a temp assignment. She smiles as she walks in the door, carrying her lunch bag and change of clothes.
“Hi, and you are?” comes from the only person at the front desk as she scrolls through her phone without fully looking up.
“Hi, I am Sandy. I...
Appreciation in the Dental Workplace Part 3: Discovering Your Appreciation Languages
Appreciation is contagious, spreading like wildfire to those who catch a glimpse of its awesome beauty, inhaling the fragrant bouquet of proliferating positivity, and witnessing the residual effects in action. The importance of freely giving appreciation cannot be stressed enough, and the final part of this series focuses on this phenomenon as it appears in the dental workplace.
To read...
Appreciation in the Dental Workplace Part Two: The 5 Languages of Appreciation
My fellow dental hygienists, do you feel truly appreciated in your work environment? Do your team members? How do you know, and how do you contribute by showing appreciation in a meaningful way? Not sure how, but want to start?
Perhaps you are a dental hygienist who wants to pursue a more managerial role, leadership title, or become more of...
Appreciation in the Dental Workplace Part One: Retaining Staff
"Let's talk about the elephant in the room, shall we," Dr. Clark announced at the monthly staff meeting on that gloomy Monday morning. "I've been talking with my peers, and it seems it's not just our office that is having this major staffing issue as of late. Things have just gotten worse since that blasted shutdown a couple of...
Workplace Conflict: Impact of Friction within Dental Teams
Pulse quickening, vision blurring, heart racing, head pounding, labored breathing… What is happening to me, and why can’t I stop it? I’m sweating now, and it feels like the world is caving in on me. Why are my hands shaking? I can’t work like this. I want to curl up into a ball and hide in the stock room...
Workplace Conflict: 5 Steps Facilitate Difficult Conversations between Dental Professionals
"I can't keep it to myself any longer! I have stress ulcers. I am losing sleep! My partner and I are endlessly fighting! Today is the day I'm going to confront her. I can do this. After all, I am right, and she is wrong! I think?"
Sound familiar? Is this internal voice becoming a constant nightmare while you commute...
Workplace Conflict: Acknowledging Conflict Styles within the Dental Office Workplace
Ugh, it’s Monday. While you are usually a very happy and upbeat morning person who can be a tad bit annoying to the masses of dental patients who still need toothpicks to keep their eyes open over their 7 a.m. coffee, you are feeling unusually discontented. It started a few months ago when you found yourself the focus of...
Tempted to Temp? 10 Ways to Prepare Yourself for the Best Day Possible
Like life, temping is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get. Well said, Forrest! At one point or another, you may consider taking on the challenge of temping for an office you’ve never been to or maybe returning to one you’ve already graced with your awesome presence.
So, just how prepared are you? Do...
Emotional Intelligence in the Dental Workplace Part Three: Building EQ
Taliah the sheep bleated, “Baa! Baa!” She was frightened, cold, and alone. Separated from her herd when she fell behind to graze, she was startled when she looked up. Attempting to catch up, she tripped on the rough terrain and landed on her back, now cast and unable to manage on her own. The weight of her wool, coupled...
Emotional Intelligence in the Dental Workplace Part Two: Validating Emotions in Others
Are you an overall asset or liability to the dental practice where you work? Do colleagues want to work with you? Do you collaborate well with others, even when you don't necessarily agree with them? Do you sense emotions as they rise and use that information to choose appropriate behaviors? Do you sense anger in yourself or sadness in...
Emotional Intelligence In the Dental Workplace Part One: Self-Reflection
Patients need to be treated as human beings with real concerns and valid questions and addressed with compassion, support, and empathy. Dental hygienists also need to share the same thought process with co-workers and leaders so that the whole team feels cared for, understood, and genuinely wants to be part of the dental practice.
This human trait can be learned,...
Wanted: Unicorn Dental Office. Dental Hygienists’ Dream or Reality?
Tingles race up and down my spine as my feather-light body levitates seemingly by its own volition, high into the cottony clouds. I feel so free, so giddy with joy, and I giggle into the sky as I ride the azure expanse. The heavens above me breathe a gentle breeze as they invite me higher to the majestic space...
Temping: 10 Things Dental Hygienists Should Not Do During Temporary Jobs
Dental hygienists who work as temps are becoming more common. Many hygienists turn to temping as a way to feel empowered with the how, when, and where they work. Temps can choose the days and times to work due to the high demand for hygienists, which gives us more freedom of choice in many ways.
However, this does not excuse...
“Wanted: Rock Star Dental Hygienist!” Red Flag or Unicorn Office?
The crowd goes wild, and the chanting begins; the stadium hums with electric anticipation of the show of their lives about to take them to another world for a few hours of their hum-drum day-to-day. Smoke billows from the stage and vintage guitars can be heard tuning one last time before the lead singer heroically appears and belts out...
Dental Workplace Stress: How to Support Each Other During Tough Times
Stress brings out the best and worst in people, and it needs to be addressed in a careful but meaningful way. We need to be there for one another and come together like we never have.
Times are definitely tough, and everyone seems to be handling it at their own pace and in their own way. Let's discuss the nuances...
Top 30 Things Dental Hygienists Can Do During Self-Isolation
Twiddling your thumbs, strangling your significant other if they even look at you the wrong way, and changing from day pajamas into nighttime ones by 7 p.m.? Stuck in a rut and not sure what to do next with yourself or your beloved children who are so bored you’d do anything at this point to keep them busy even...
Dental Nerves of Steel: Passing My Anesthetic Certification Exam
Sweaty palms, right armpit smelling as per its now-normal state thanks to menopause, light-headedness from lack of sleep thanks to anxiety over the exam, and again, hormonal insomnia. Nausea so bad I thought I might vomit right on my partner… who lay there trusting me with her life.
She gagged so hard, sitting up, coughing from all the extra anesthetic...