The second program learning outcome adopted from the national competencies for an entry-to-practice dental hygienist is the communicator and collaborator, highlighted below.
According to the a�?Entry-To-Practice Competencies and Standards for Canadian Dental Hygienists January 2010a��, the dental hygienist as a communicator and collaborator includes the following: a�?Communication involves an interchange of ideas, opinions and information. This category addresses numerous dimensions of communication including: internal and external exchanges, written, verbal, non-verbal and listening skills, computer literacy, providing appropriate information to different audiences, working with the media and social marketing techniques. Collaboration captures the abilities required to influence and work with others to improve the health and well-being of the public through the pursuit of a common goal. Partnership and collaboration optimizes performance through shared resources and responsibilities.a�?
As a result, some examples of abilities that dental hygiene students are expected to demonstrate are as follows: 1. Use effective verbal, non-verbal, visual, written and electronic communication, as in developing a presentation for residential care attendants about oral health care 2. Use computer technology to access electronic resources and enhance communication by searching Pubmed to find recent studies about the effectiveness of ultrasonic instrumentation to present to colleagues.
Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada: Release 1.0. Ottawa: PHAC, 2007. Available on line at www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/core_competencies and www.aspc-phac.gc.ca/competences_essentielles.