Dental Assistant Program Helps Military Spouses Find Purpose

Written by Susan Malandrino, Armed Forces Communications Lead and military spouse.

As a military spouse I’ve seen and experienced first-hand how challenging it can be to find a place in a new community, let alone a new country. From establishing friendships to seeking employment, the stress and pressure can be debilitating. Fortunately, the Red Cross provides support and training programs, to make transitions a bit easier.

Recently, I sat down with Kaitlynne Miller who found her own community, friends and now a new job, all thanks to an opportunity through the Red Cross.  As a new Army spouse with a husband who is currently deployed, Kaitlynne, moved to Ft. Riley, Kansas in May. Like many military spouses, she found relocating alone to a new place without a job, family support or a social network very daunting.

“I wasn’t sure what path I was on or what I wanted to do professionally. I was alone in a new place and it was overwhelming,” Kaitlynne said.

She met another military spouse who recommended that she connect with the Red Cross and become a volunteer. Soon, Kaitlynne applied and was selected for the Red Cross Dental Assistant Program, a seven-month competitive training course offered at military installations around the globe.

“I think my involvement with the Red Cross Dental Assistant Program was meant to be,” she said.  

Students enrolled in the program must be Red Cross volunteers. Next, they must complete a three-week intensive study and pass an exam. From there, they move on to the clinical portion of the program, where they complete 700 hours of dental training alongside dentists and medical staff and assist with chairside procedures before graduating.

Marci Gibson serves as a program lead who mentors and trains students. Gibson says her involvement with the program is a labor of love. She was in the first dental assistant graduating class at Ft. Riley in 2004 and has been involved with the program ever since.

“These people and this program are rewarding to my heart,” she said.

Both Marci and Kaitlynne stress that camaraderie among students is key to the experience. Kaitlynne says that she and the other nine students in her class, all of whom are military spouses or military children, connected throughout the program and that everyone understood the unique challenges of military life.

“We were all nervous but we are all in the same position so it was easy to form close bonds. I even met another spouse from my home state of Indiana, which was comforting,” Kaitlynne said.

Kaitlynne says that joining this Red Cross program helped her find purpose during a challenging transition.

“At first, I was excited that the program helped me make friends and get me out of the house but soon it became more. You learn new skills every single day. And then, you become so fluent in it, you’re like ‘I can do this for the rest of my life!’

For Marci, Kaitlynne’s story is emblematic of the goals of the program.

“I have seen nothing but success from my students,” she said.

Marci says that over the years, she’s remained in close contact with her students and has watched their careers flourish.

“This is happiness for me — to watch them grow in the dental field,” she said.

Service members typically move to a new unit every two to three years. This often means moving states, sometimes countries, finding a new home, new schools for their children and typically their spouse will need to find a new job.

With these compounding challenges, military spouses have historically faced high rates of unemployment, and for the past decade, unemployment rates for spouses have been around 24%, a number far greater than their civilian counterparts.

Red Cross Program Manager, Katrina Velarde, says that this program gives military families the opportunities to learn new skills that have particular resonance within military life. Katrina says that this is one of the many positive aspects of the program since military spouse employment remains a challenge for so many.

“Our team at Fort Riley invests in these students. We understand how hard military life is and we want to give these students something tangible to take with them,” she said.

Katrina says that one of the goals of the program is to provide spouses with transferable skills applicable to any military base or civilian community.

“We want them to be successful and know that the Red Cross is there to support them and open doors they never knew existed,” she said.

Having completed the program, Kaitlynne highly recommends the program to other military spouses and Red Cross volunteers.

“It might seem scary at first, but it is worth it. Not only did I walk away from this experience with a job and a career that I wanted to pursue, but I can go further and continue my training as my career develops. I’m really excited.”

As Kaitlynne begins her new job this week, I’m so excited for her. I love that she’s found a new career and a new passion. More importantly, I love that she’s found community through this program — one of the most rewarding aspects of military life. 

*Visit here to find out more about this program. To learn more about other Red Cross SAF programs to support members of the military and our veterans, contact your local Red Cross chapter.

**To read more articles from the Red Cross supported by AWN, click here

Susan Malandrino is a communications lead for the Red Cross International & Service to the Armed Forces programs. Based in Washington, D.C., Susan’s married to an active-duty Naval aviator, is a twin mom who has completed 7 PCS moves across three continents. In her spare time, you can find her marathon training, listening to audio books, or dragging her family to museums.