Pearl and Mary Tess here!
Kathleen and Beth are travelling this week and on their way to British Columbia for the Pacific Dental Conference where they will be hosting 2 SOLD OUT hands-on instrumentation workshops and lecturing together sharing their favourite things (These are a Few of our Favourite Things) as well as Beth presenting on the 10 Reasons Why: Implementing Lasers into your Dental Hygiene Practice! If you are going to PDC be sure to attend their lectures and say hi to them! They are both super excited to be back in person at PDC.
We thought we would take over this week's blog and let them focus on the conference!
On Saturday, in this week's Morning Floss edition, they highlighted Kathleen so we wanted to share a little bit about Kathleen and her entreprenurial spirit! It isn't every day where one is recognized for their efforts and we are happy to be part of this community and help make rdhu what it is today!
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Assistant. Hygienist. Educator. Entrepreneur. Innovator. Kathleen Bokrossy, RDH has done it all, and in some cases, more times than you can count. But if there’s one number you should remember, it is this: 19,000. That’s the massive number of members belonging to rdhu, a community of dental hygienists that Bokrossy has built over the past 15 years around continuing education.
This week, we continue our series on trailblazers in the Morning Floss community by looking at the start-up dean of dental hygiene, Kathleen Bokrossy.
From the ground up: Long before becoming a serial entrepreneur, Bokrossy cut her teeth in dentistry as a dental assistant, becoming a hygienist four years later. Despite loving the operatory and practicing across the country, Bokrossy had a career gap that needed filling: the opportunity to start her own business.
In the many offices she worked in, Bokrossy recognized the need for better quality instruments. She decided to take the matter into her own hands, first starting her own instrument maintenance program, then launching her own dental instrument company in 1998. Despite the constant challenges, Bokrossy got the company off the ground, successfully selling it 14 years later.
Venture seeker: But of course, once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. Over the years, Bokrossy has launched many businesses: a uniform company that brought style to scrubs, an online Quality Assurance platform for hygienists, and finally, rdhu.
rdhu was born out of Bokrossy’s concern that for hygienists, continuing education, while sometimes interesting, could often become a repetitive, and boring, box-checking exercise. She, like many hygienists, felt as if she was living the CE version of Groundhog Day.
A community is born: Bokrossy had an alternative vision for programs that would inspire change, deepen learning, and benefit both practices and patients. rdhu launched its first course in 2009. Whether online or at their in-person facility, rdhu courses sought to create both a transformational experience and a community for hygienists, ensuring that the learning was impactful for the provider and their patients alike.
Explosive growth: Like any business, it took time for rdhu to grow, but Bokrossy formed solid relationships with the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association, the Ontario Dental Hygienists Association, and Crest Oral-B. Through these networks, quality courses, and constant outreach, the community began to grow.Today, rdhu counts 19,000 members in its community, has purchased its own facility, and, starting long before the pandemic, provides cutting-edge online courses in addition to their in-person classes. To ensure quality, they work with presenters to share learning goals, offer layered learning, outline next steps, and guide implementation. Bridging the gap, Bokrossy is keen to involve dentists and their entire teams in the learning journey.
Big picture: Bokrossy’s ultimate goal is for her community of hygienists to love their profession, inspire change, and take on leadership roles in their offices. Along the way, she’s built a legion of learners who are committed to staying current. Kudos to the start-up dean of dental hygiene!
Thank you for reading! Please see below for what is coming up and have a great week ahead!
Kindest regards,
Pearl Cluff ~ Director of Operations & Mary Tess Aubrecht ~ Client Concierge
