Dental Hygiene student Rebeca Engel is the 2017 recipient of the Ozar-Hasegawa Dental Ethics Award which is sponsored by the American Society for Dental Ethics and the American College of Dentists.
This annual award is presented to a dentistry or dental hygiene student for an essay, case study of an ethical dilemma, or visual product identifying a professional situation in which there is a significant ethical issue.
Thanks to a class assignment Engel had done for associate clinical professor Alexandra Sheppard, she reworked her essay and submitted the award application. Her award submission - open internationally for application - placed her at the top of the competition.
"I was really happy to receive the award," says Engel. "This award speaks volumes because it's recognizing a dental hygiene program that is coupled with dentistry."
Engel's submission provided solutions to an ethical dilemma in the workforce. It centred on a dental assistant who was providing dental work outside her scope, and the registered dental hygienist in the office becomes aware of it.
"I am so proud of Rebeca for applying for the Ozar-Hasagawa Ethics Award. The objective of the assignment was to apply the CRDHA Code of Ethics and framework for ethical decision making to an ethical challenge. Realizing this award was open to all American, Canadian and International dental, dental hygiene and post doc students, I am quite honoured that my student was acknowledged. Her hard work has paid off as she will receive $500 US plus we both will receive a subscription to the American Journal of Dental Ethics," says Sheppard.
An expert from her submission:
"I propose that the dentist, dental hygienist and dental assistants work intra-professionally to motivate each other in the professional development of their scope of practices. Ultimately, this collaboration will define their roles as a health care providers, build respectable boundaries and uphold their responsibility to the public."
For Engel who is a registered dental assistant, but is set to walk across the convocation stage in June as a dental hygiene graduate, her solution shows the best of health care - everyone works together.
"I love what I do but I wanted to further my education. I enjoy forging relationships with patients and working with them to get to the same goal. My profession allows be to bring new perspectives to patients and explain why we do what we do," she says.