My Favorite Site 3

1. What's in it for me?

You will receive a subscription to the Journal of Dental Hygiene, ADHA's official publication that brings you scientific and technical articles on clinical practice, research, and education, and the Access, newsmagazine, the best place to go for the issues that are important to dental hygiene.

Your membership will provide you with the opportunity to apply for several types of insurance at competitive premiums, such as major medical, disability, term life, and professional liability, as well as homeowners and car insurance.

Along with 120,000 of your colleagues, you will become a part of a national network of dental hygienists who have become active in legislation affecting your profession.

As part of your dues, you automatically become a member of your constituent and component organizations.

Membership gives you the opportunity to apply for scholarships to further your education. Members are able to apply for research grants to study and investigate topics that are relevant to dental hygiene.

Other membership benefits include substantial discounts on insurance, credit opportunities through the Visa/MasterCard program, self-study CE courses, discounts on professional products, foreign employment information practice information, and more!

2. How much does it cost?

Considering the benefits just mentioned, how many of those things would one person be able to obtain on an individual basis for less than the cost of membership?

After all the time and hard work you've put into your career, doesn't $3.65 a week seem like a small investment to protect your future and improve the quality of oral health care for the public which is part of the dental hygienist's professional commitment?

ADHA offers a quarterly payment plan that allows you to receive exclusive membership benefits immediately and extend annual dues payment over a 12 month period. With the EASY 4 Payment Plan, you have two options for paying your quarterly payment: (1) The Easy 4 Payment Plan with your Master Card or Visa, or (2) The Easy 4 Payment Plan with electronic withdrawal from your checking account. Both of these plans give you the choice of making your dues payment easily affordable by making smaller payments throughout the year.

By supporting ADHA, you will help to secure a future for dental hygiene. In these times with issues such as preceptorship (on the job training) threatening your career, membership is ESSENTIAL! Currently, Missouri (MDHA) is re-introducing a bill to the legislature that will set up an Advisory Commission comprised of dental hygienists to the Missouri Dental Board. This will allow us more of a voice in all matters pertaining to the practice of dental hygiene in the State of Missouri. Only through uniting in one voice can ADHA continue to represent the hygienist effectively.

ADHA is working to protect the value of your educational credentials, to preserve the integrity of your license, and to ensure that the services you provide are accessible to the public.

3. What is expected of me if I join?

Find out what the nonmember doesn't have time for --attending meetings, continuing education, and meeting other dental hygienists? The value placed on their career goes hand in hand with the value placed on membership in their professional association.

A member is expected to adhere to the Principles of Ethics and Bylaws of the Association, and support the mission and goals set forth by the Association.

You are not required to actively participate in ADHA. In today's fast paced world, not all members are able to do so. They support the Association and the dental hygiene profession by contributing money, not time. However, the benefits of an ADHA membership are limited only by you and your involvement.

Becoming active in the Association can give you the opportunity to acquire and develop new skills and interests such as leadership, public speaking, etc.

No state makes it mandatory to belong to ADHA in order to hold a dental hygiene license, however, it is beneficial to become a member of ADHA so that you will be informed on the issues that affect you and your profession.

4. Can I just get the publications?

Yes. A subscription to both the Journal of Dental Hygiene and Access is available. A subscription to Access is $45.00 a year (10 issues) and a subscription to the Journal of Dental Hygiene $45.00 a year (6 issues) for nonmembers.

Considering what the subscriptions cost versus the cost of membership dues, it is more advantageous for you to join ADHA as an Active Member because you will receive a subscription to both magazines as well as have access to all other benefits offered by the Association.

5. Can I join only the state and local organizations?

NO! According to the bylaws of the Association (voted upon by the delegate representatives) tripartite membership is required by all members. That means each member must belong to her/his national, constituent and component (where applicable) associations. Annual dues pay for membership in all three organizations.

6. What does ADHA do for me?

As part of ADHA's ongoing service to all aspects of the profession--research, education, legislative, access to care, public relations--the number of our activities continue to grow year by year. For example:

In 38 states such as Virginia, Connecticut, Louisiana, and Wisconsin, dental hygienists may receive licensure based on their credentials. That means licensed dental hygienists from other states can be licensed without retaking clinical exams. Portability of licensure for dental hygienists has been and continues to be a top priority for ADHA and their constituents.

We've also stood between hygienists and preceptorship in Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas by defeating pending rules or legislation that would have allowed untrained personnel to perform dental hygiene services.

With the support of ADHA and the Washington Dental Hygienists' Association, an initiative to allow independent practice for dental hygienists has been placed on the Fall ballot.

ADHA has been instrumental in expanding our role as oral health care providers. Currently, dental hygienists may provide services without the presence of a dentist in 42 states and can provide local anesthesia in 22 states.

During the month of October, ADHA will operate the staffed oral health hotline again to celebrate National Dental Hygiene Month. Dental hygiene experts will answer question, dispense personalized oral healthcare information and offer special patient-education materials to consumers across the country, thus establishing ADHA and the dental hygienist as authorities on preventive oral healthcare.

Although ADHA offers a variety of individual member benefits, the most important ones--those that advance the profession--are intangible.

The benefits gained through an ADHA membership are an asset not only to you, but to the public you serve and to the profession you have chosen.

FAQ about ADHA Membership