| Dear Fellow Denturist,
First off, this letter is to inform you that dental coverage
by DSHS will be discontinued approximately June of 2001. All
funding and payments will at that time be discontinued. I
am sure this will greatly impact many of your practices. The
Washington Denturist Association has reemployed Mr. Steve
Wherly, our lobbyist, to investigate this further and establish
a plan of action to turn this decision around. We will have
to appear before committees, write letters and phone any one
who can help us. This fight will be costly. Very costly. We
need your support if you are a nonmember.
We need your membership NOW.
As an organization our funds are limited. Our funds will
go to assist our membership first. We cannot afford to extend
our funds to support non members. This statement is not a
threat - It just happens to be a fact. We strongly urge you
to sign up with us and support us at this time. It is going
to take a lot of money to try and turn this decision around.
In light of these changes in Olympia, I would like to point
out other reasons for becoming a member of the Washington
Denturist Association. We live in a state that has passed
a denturist law with the largest scope of practice anywhere.
The economics in our country have never been better. Almost
all of us have come from denture laboratory backgrounds, some
were very successful laboratory people, and some were not.
Every one of us thought that after becoming licensed we would
all become even more successful. Now I must remind you of
a famous saying. "Everything changes ? But nothing really
does."
We have gotten through our first five years of licensing and
it's time to look at ourselves and evaluate these years. I
feel, and I speak from 43 years of denture technology experience,
that most successful denture technicians that took the licensing
test have become successful denturists. Some profitless denture
technicians who ran second class, lower fee denture laboratories
and worked 14 hours a day? You got it... they are having trouble
running successful denture clinics. For these people, their
thinking hasn't changed. When we ask people to become members
of our organization several negative statements always come
back. I will give my thoughts on the questions to the following:
"It costs $100.00 dues
per month and the educational meeting is too expensive."
My answer: After I became a denturist my income tripled and
is steadily increasing. If yours is not, I guess you better
look hard at your more successful counterparts and see what
they are doing to make this happen. Itís almost impossible
to evaluate ourselves without help from someone else.
"I don't have time to go
to meetings and close my practice on a Friday."
My answer: You became a denturist to have more control over
your practice. Reschedule your patients to get some days off
to attend meetings. Be in control.
"I don't need continuing
education, I know all I need to know to do my job.
Nothing ever changes when it
comes to dentures."
My answer: Dentistry has made leaps and bounds in product
changes and quality of treatment. Protocol? Nobody knows everything
and we all can learn something new.
"Most of the meetings waste
time and become a party atmosphere. The meetings should be
more educational."
My answer: Just attend the part that appeals to you. Education
or for the fun. If the social part of the organization is
not your cup of tea, let me say, this is the place where the
networking takes place. Social interaction is most important
to us for our well-being if for nothing else to keep us together
as a cohesive unit. If we all have the same interests it helps
to talk and makes us realize we are in the same boat. We work
hard from day to day and we have earned the right to relax
and have a good time. All successful professionals on all
levels do this. This is how we recharge our batteries.
As president of the Washington Denturist Association, along
with many other hard working members of our organization,
I am attempting to address some very important problems that
have arisen in our profession. Our most important problem
is to improve the educational standards of our profession.
At this time the only people who receive continuing education
on a regular basis are members of our organization We all
have a responsibility to do this. We have promised this in
the bill that was passed by the public 5 years ago. Part of
that law was that an adequate school for future denturists
be provided. If we look at the past two denturist examinations
that have taken place, the results have been dismal at best.
The WDA has formed a committee to look into this. Thus far,
the committee has visited Bates Technical College to meet
with a class and their instructor. We reviewed their course
of study and attempted to review their text books. We have
visited other schools as well, including George Brown College
in Toronto and Eaton Technical Institute.
The WDA has written to the Washington State Board of Denture
Technology voicing our concerns about the education of future
denturists in our state. We are continuing to try and solve
the education problems that have arisen this past year. We
are not sitting on our hands and will not stop until these
problems are solved.
At this point, we need your help. We need everyone's support.
We need your questions and your help for solutions to our
problems. It is time for you to tell us what you want in the
way of education, meetings, and improvements in the laws governing
you in denturism. We are young and strong, but we need to
be stronger and to accomplish this, we need you.
One last important note to point out is that in joining the
WDA now the original $1000.00 initiation fee is being waived.
The board of directors has put a temporary hold on this initiation
fee, however, in the near future they will be discussing reinstating
the fee. So as you can see,
NOW is the best time if ever to join
our association.
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