Looking for that rare career opportunity? One with a sense of purpose? And an adventurous, mobile lifestyle? If you imagine a career with all of this, plus excellent pay, a school loan repayment plan, job stability in modern facilities, the chance for advancement, and a challenging, appreciative patient population, the Indian Health Service (IHS) Division of Oral Health has a career for you. IHS employs dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants in over 230 hospitals and clinics in 35 states. Today, IHS and Tribal programs serve more than 1 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Joining IHS can enrich your career and your life. Here’s what Dr. Polly T. Michaels, DMD, ANMC Dental, in Anchorage, Alaska has to say.
Q: Why did you become a dentist?
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: I’ve wanted to become a dentist since I was in the eighth grade and I had braces. I was very curious about braces and how they worked and I started doing things at home to them that I probably shouldn’t have been doing. When my orthodontist found out about this, he asked if I was interested in working for him, so I did. At that point, I decided I wanted to go to dental school.
Q: How did you first find out about IHS?
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: I had heard that some of my classmates were doing their externship - between junior and senior year - in Montana and Arizona with the Indian Health Service. I have always wanted to travel so, I decided to do my externship with the IHS at their Winslow clinic in Arizona. That sealed the deal for me. That is when I said, “Yeah, this is what I want to be doing!”
Q: How long have you been with IHS?
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: Almost 5 years now.
Q: Why did you choose to become a Commission Corps Officer with IHS rather than enter private practice, a specialty school or a military, county or state public health clinic?
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: This is the ideal opportunity for anyone coming out of Dental school. I had the opportunity to perform dentistry without having to worrying about paying my bills and whether or not I was going to have that next pay check. I do not have to worry about the business end of running a private practice or how my patients were covered when I was out of the office. Also, it gives me the opportunity for exposure in different areas of dentistry, at an accelerated pace.
Additionally, I have learned a lot working with the American Indian/Alaska Native population, including treating patients with multiple systemic diseases. This provides challenges that I would not encounter as often outside of a hospital setting.
Q: Does the Indian Health Service offer advanced training opportunities?
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: Yes, in fact I took part in the Advanced General Practice Residency (AGPR) through the W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. There are residency opportunities in general dentistry available in Anchorage, AK and Gallup, NM as well. I was eligible to apply after my first two years with IHS. The AGPR was an exceptional benefit because I was able to work with specialists one-on-one, and learn how to diagnose and treat more complicated cases. For example, some of the patients take 11 or 12 medications a day and what you do can really have an effect on their overall well being without you even knowing it. You need to know how to treat them based on what medications they are taking for their systemic health. I worked with anesthesiology in the OR, and with Internal Medicine. I performed intubations and started IVs - things that will help me, and my patients, for the rest of the time I am a dentist.
As a Commission Corps Officer and an AGPR trained dentist, I was eligible to sign on for a four year Multi-Year Retention Bonus (MRB) contract that provides me with an additional $14,000 per year lump sum bonus on the contract anniversary date.
Q: How did you get your appointment in Alaska?
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: I visited the site after applying, and I interviewed for the position.
Q: What’s unique about the equipment and/or facility in Anchorage?
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: It is a beautiful hospital! Every chair has a window that looks out to beautiful mountains and it is absolutely gorgeous. The hospital itself, in addition to being a dental facility, is like a Native Alaskan museum and is on Alaska’s list of tours simply because there is so much native art here.
In the hospital, we have an operating room specifically for dental. This is used for specific oral surgery cases, pediatric cases and special needs cases. Only dental procedures are performed in this OR. I don’t know of anyone else who has this - private, public, or government. And, Gordon Christensen, DDS, MSD, PhD, who is well respected within the dental community, has one of his evaluators in our facility.
We are opening a brand new clinic in June with 27 chairs. All of the operatory equipment is A-Dec and the facility will be paperless. In Alaska, we also get the chance to travel to small, bush villages on small, bush planes and see some of our country that very few others ever see. What an opportunity!
Q: What’s your favorite part about your job?
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: I wanted the opportunity to travel and IHS allows me that opportunity. The flexibility for me to take time off and travel is great.
Another big plus is the camaraderie. I know a lot of folks in private practice who are in offices by themselves. But here I can consult with colleagues if I have a question about something. I can run it by somebody - “What do you think of this?” - instead of having to wait to call someone and try to explain it on the phone. We also have specialists onsite, so that makes it a lot easier.
Q: How do you spend your free time?
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: Everything that you can possibly do, I have the time to do it, while working for the IHS. I get 30 days of annual leave! My husband and I try to do and see as much as possible in each location where we have lived. For instance, I went "root digging" with one of my assistants when I was in Yakima, Washington, and on our first anniversary we went whale watching in Vancouver,BC. While we were in Oklahoma, I learned to fly fish, and tying flies too. We also went to the Great Salt Plains State Park in Oklahoma. It’s 840 acres in the park and 8840 acres around the park of flat salt lands where you can dig for crystals that lie beneath the layer of salty sand. It’s the only place where "hourglass selenite" crystals are formed.
Q: Tell us about what you’re learning with IHS compared to what you would expect in private practice.
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: I’ve come further, faster, gained more experience and knowledge, and had more fun than I can ever imagine being able to do compared to the restraints imposed by the business of private practice.
Q: How has your housing situation worked?
Dr. Polly T. Michaels: Housing has worked out well for me. I received a basic allowance for housing included within my pay and when I transferred IHS paid for the entire move! I also received a daily per diem for food and lodging expenses during the move. To help with my food and hotel while I was finding a home, some temporary loding expenses were reimbursable. IHS will also store goods and personal items, for up to 3 months.
Want to hear other IHS employees’ experiences working for the IHS? Read Tina Dahlke’s article “Indian Health Service a Rewarding Career Choice” in the February 2003 issue of the American Student Dental Association News. Please note that the information is incorrect in the IHS Fast Facts section, and will be updated and corrected in the April 2003 issue. You may also find detailed information online at www.dentist.ihs.gov
The IHS Division of Oral Health has a new Web site launching in May 2003. It includes job listings, updated information about different career paths with IHS, and details on the Loan Repayment Program. Visit www.dentist.ihs.gov and take a look for yourself!
The Indian Health Service can assist you with arrangements to volunteer and gain experience onsite at an IHS Dental Practice as a student intern. We prefer students between their third and fourth year of dental school. If you are interested, please email a cover letter and a resume (CV) to tlozon@hqe.ihs.gov
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