Trends in dental hygiene academic leadership development: Influencers, barriers, and enabling mechanisms.

Abstract

This quantitative exploratory study was designed to learn about trends and forces impacting leadership development (LD) opportunities for dental hygiene (DH) program directors. A 10-item electronic survey was created and disseminated using Qualtrics system to directors of all accredited DH programs in the United States (N = 325). Surveys included closed and open-ended response items to capture quantitative and qualitative data. The analysis included descriptive statistics and thematic categorization of free responses. Eight-two surveys were returned (25% response rate). Leadership development training experiences varied among participants; 79% (n = 65) reported completing some form of LD training. Institutional support was variable among the DH program directors, yet most (76%, N = 62) indicated some level of school support for LD training opportunities for DH program directors. Feedback indicated that most options included campus-sponsored courses or events (28%, N = 47), professional association courses or events (24%, N = 40), and programs within the school, department, or division (24%, N = 40). Study findings support positive perceptions of the need, demand, and value of LD. Respondents shared beliefs in the benefits of LD and the value of placing resources to support these opportunities, yet also acknowledged substantial challenges including time, funding, and workforce needs. By addressing barriers and capitalizing on driving forces, programs can create systemic approaches to fostering LD for current and future DH program directors.