{ outreach in action } by Paul Roberts • Foundation & Outreach Director
Membership Lessons from the Operatory
T
hirty years ago, Robert Fulghum wrote a profound little book entitled, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. He said
life’s wisdom wasn’t found at the top of the graduate school mountain but in the Sunday School sand pile. Right out of the gate we learn the Golden Rule, and we learn how to share, be fair, clean up our mess, say we’re sorry, wash our hands and look both ways be- fore crossing the street. Perhaps my favorite line is “Think what a better world it would be if all the whole world had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap.” That’s a movement I could get behind and one I try to practice whenever possible.
I think Mr. Fulghum was on to something. Basic principles never go out of style. Howev- er, humans like to make things complicated, and we often drift from the clarity provided by the basics. This can occur with member- ship because there always are evolving issues at play. You get asked to take action steps to register for this, donate to that or call your elected officials. You consider programming from all angles. There’s a lot of good content, but how do you find the nugget you want? For new members, there may be confusion over terms and processes. Membership is still quite valuable, but it’s easy to drift from some basic principles. So, with Robert Ful- ghum as my inspiration and with a patient’s view of a dental visit, I submit All I Really Need to Know About Membership I Learned in the Dental Chair.
OPEN WIDE // There’s no escaping the necessity of opening your mouth wide if you want anything productive to occur during a dental visit. In the same way, members need to embrace an open-wide
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mentality toward the profession if they want a productive association. Gone are the days when dentistry was largely solo practitioners, in comfy local settings, happily serving the dental needs of their usually insured patients. Today there are myriad practice models, many insurance issues and a much more diverse population to care for. Additionally, the face of providers is changing dramatically. We have more women dentists than ever, ethnic diversity is rapidly increasing, and a much younger wave is coming along as the populous Baby Boomers retire in record numbers. Throw in a pandemic, tech changes and economic factors, and you better have a good dose of courage to be a dentist today.
But open wide must still be our mantra. You won’t prosper in silos. Inclusion, understanding, and focusing on the far more abundant commonalities between providers are essential to the profession’s unity and to
the membership’s vitality. You won’t always agree, but it’s actually healthy when you embrace and seek to understand your fellow colleague’s experience and commitment to the core ideals of the profession. Membership needs to open wide and be welcoming for all.
BITE // After opening wide, a patient is often asked to close and bite down. This gives the provider a sense of a patient’s alignment and strength. If these are out of whack, the patient often experiences pain or, at the very least, inefficiency compared to intended design. A good dentist will make the adjustments to provide the best possible outcome. This is important considering how biting is essential to eating which is essential to life. In the same way, your association needs to have some bite to it. Alignment on key issues and strength in numbers have been the bread and butter of the MDA’s success at the Capitol. When you take a pass from active engagement and assume advocacy is a
