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Education Maven
Modern Hygienist Career: Mentoring
August 2007
by Thais Carter
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"I love meeting and interacting with new people," says Ms. Catusco emphatically."That's what has made me successful in what I do. Whether I'm at a convention or at a local office, I enjoy the relationships that I build."
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For this month's mentor, the secret to success is teaching and being teachable, even outside the classroom.
"Lifelong learning" is a phrase tossed around by various people within the dental hygiene profession, but for many, it merely represents a commitment to continuing education (something most states require anyway). But for others, men and women such as Lee Ann Catusco, RDH, BS, it is more of a lifestyle—living in a constant state of teaching and being teachable. Like many of her peers, Ms. Catusco started off as a dental assistant, spending a lot of time chairside and always eager for opportunities to be in the mouth. More and more she found herself wanting to be the clinician instead of the assistant, so she enrolled in the dental hygiene program at the New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry in New York City. In 1992, she graduated second in her class and eagerly accepted an invitation to come back as a clinical instructor. "I was teaching, but continued to be in private practice a couple of days a week for both a general and a perio practice," she remembers. "Everyday was different, and I really enjoyed that. I was working and training new students and was still really excited about being in learning mode,' so I also took steps to complete my bachelor's degree in dental education."
NEXT!
Having completed her degree and four years into her clinical/teaching cycle, Ms. Catusco was intrigued when one of her colleagues left NYU to take a position with Colgate. "You get your degree and you ask yourself, 'what's next?'" she recalls. "I decided to look into a corporate position for myself and ended up taking a job with Block Drug. Even though I had a great background, I really had to sell myself to them since they wanted a salesperson." She convinced them, and over the course of the next 10 years, Ms. Catusco achieved much success in the salesarena; she went on to win multiple awards, including Top Sales Rep for 2002-2004, following GlaxoSmithKline's acquisition of Block Drug. Mastering the art of sales opened up a variety of new opportunities for Ms. Catusco, including travel to conventions and sales meetings, and most recently, the opportunity to serve as acting associate brand manager. "I don't have a marketing background, so it's been a new challenge for me, but that's what I like," she insists. "Every time a challenge is put in front of me, I try to rise to it."
STILL A STUDENT
While her travels and new responsibilities have taken her out of the classroom, Ms. Catusco remains committed to educating both others and herself. "I now have the ability to educate in a different way," she says. "I have exposure to different people and different aspects of the business, and I've been able to provide new representatives with my background knowledge in clinical dentistry. I've had opportunities to both train and learn, which is what I enjoy most about this job." Looking toward the future, Ms. Catusco would like to expand her educational horizons by providing live CE courses for dentists and dental hygienists, helping them to fulfill the requirements they need and to better understand products that can help improve their patients' lives. She's not quite there yet, but she's eager to get started. "It's funny how it seems like every new challenge has taken me in a new direction I didn't expect," she says with a laugh, "but I can't imagine myself happier doing anything else."
LEE ANN'S FAVORITE THINGS
TAKE NOTE: Currently on a romance novel kick, Lee Ann especially enjoys Nicholas Sparks, author of Message in a Bottle and The Notebook.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: When not hard at work on the road, Lee Ann stays busy at home with her 9-year-old daughter, Angelica.
EYE ON OZ: Lee Ann's favorite musical is Wicked, which shares the "untold story of the witches of Oz." Currently on tour, see if the show is headed to your town at www.wickedthemusical.com.
I LOVE NY: For fun, Lee Ann likes to join her friends on trips into New York City to enjoy dinner, dancing, and a show or two.
COVER GIRL: Lee Ann graces the cover of the August 2007 issue of Modern Hygienist.
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