{"id":207210,"date":"2024-12-13T08:53:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T13:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sis.utk.edu\/?p=207210"},"modified":"2024-12-13T08:53:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T13:53:58","slug":"graduating-masters-student-dental-hygiene-educator-teresa-odaniel-says-communication-courses-made-her-a-better-teacher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cci.utk.edu\/sis\/2024\/12\/13\/graduating-masters-student-dental-hygiene-educator-teresa-odaniel-says-communication-courses-made-her-a-better-teacher\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduating Master\u2019s Student, Dental Hygiene Educator Teresa O\u2019Daniel Says Communication Courses Made Her a Better Teacher"},"content":{"rendered":"
When Teresa O\u2019Daniel first became a dental hygienist, she never thought she would be working in public health much less as an educator in the field. But public health eventually became more than just a career option for O\u2019Daniel, who is a dental hygiene instructor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. She\u2019s also graduating this semester with her master\u2019s from the College of Communication and Information with a concentration in strategic and digital communication (SDC).\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was in school, I thought, \u2018I\u2019m never going into public health.\u2019 But working in public health, I saw what an impact you could have. I worked in a school-based program, and when you go into these schools and see the need that these kids have, it changes your life to see what\u2019s going on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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Now, she teaches a course that educates dental hygiene students about public health and the opportunities for serving communities in public health capacities. It\u2019s so important to her that she used a practicum course in her master\u2019s program to create an outreach plan to have her students conduct dental screenings in an underserved county that doesn\u2019t have a dentist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have been able to do any of this had it not been for all the classes that led up to it. If I hadn\u2019t been in the program, I wouldn\u2019t have known everything to put this together the way I was able to,\u201d O\u2019Daniel said about the outreach plan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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She said that once she decided to pursue a master\u2019s degree and started looking at options, she was immediately drawn to the strategic and digital communication concentration. For one thing, its asynchronous course format was a practical choice allowing for flexibility in when she could do class and course work. She also wanted to do something different than colleagues in her department who were getting degrees in education so she could bring a different set of skills to the table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before she went through the master\u2019s program, O\u2019Daniel said she realized communication was an integral part of her job, whether it was communicating with dentists and colleagues, or communicating somewhat technical information to patients in a way they could understand. Now that she\u2019s learned so much more about communication, she said she can be more knowledgeable and intentional about what and how she communicates.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know about all the metrics and how data plays into everything before I took these classes; it\u2019s amazing how much correlates from the classes and research into all the scientific things that we do,\u201d O\u2019Daniel said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In addition to learning about metrics, data, and research in communication, O\u2019Daniel said taking a public speaking course and the course Social Influence, Persuasion, and Compliance Gaining were pivotal for her as an educator. So much so that she began incorporating little bits of communication education into her courses, such as teaching students how to give good presentations and requiring them to do a formal presentation in front of the class. What she has learned has been so applicable to her career that it convinced her dental hygiene programs should include more communication courses for students.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, as a dental hygienist whether you\u2019re in private practice or public health, you\u2019re marketing all the time whether you realize it or not. You\u2019re marketing healthcare, but you\u2019re marketing what people need. Even the \u2018call to action,\u2019 I use that every day now that I know what I\u2019m doing and am conscious of it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Daniel said her courses also helped her connect better digitally with her students, most of whom are much younger than her and are digital natives. She hopes to create a social media page for future students so she can provide resources for them there in a way that resonates with them.<\/p>\n
While the program has benefited her immensely and she wants to continue pursuing professional development in different aspects of communication, O\u2019Daniel said she is ready for a break. She completed the program at breakneck speed in two years while working full time, and even with the flexibility of the asynchronous program, she didn\u2019t have much extra time outside of work and school to relax. Despite the challenge, O\u2019Daniel said she\u2019d recommend this distance education program to anyone who wants to improve their communication skills and take their career to the next level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so glad I took it, it is one of the best things I\u2019ve ever done, and I would take it again,\u201d she said. \u201cI would just say go for it. If you\u2019re interested in communication, this was a great, great master\u2019s program.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Teresa O\u2019Daniel first became a dental hygienist, she never thought she would be working in public health much less as an educator in the field. But public health eventually became more than just a career option for O\u2019Daniel, who is a dental hygiene instructor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":207211,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,210,196,200,198,201,199,168,202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-207210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-story","category-graduate-student-news","category-news","category-school-of-communication-studies","category-school-of-information-sciences","category-school-of-journalism-media","category-student-experience-stories","category-student-news","category-tombras-school-of-advertising-and-public-relations"],"yoast_head":"\n
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