Knee Center Blog

Imagine you're driving across state lines, and you are running low on fuel. You pull off the road, coast into a gas station, and you start opening the door only to have it swung close in a moment. Before you can react, a stranger leans in with a smile and tells you to sit tight; he’ll handle it. Welcome to New Jersey, the only state in the country where pumping your own gas is illegal. Instead, every gas station employs dedicated attendants, known as "pump jockeys," whose sole job is to fill your car for you. 

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has recently announced plans to support changes to educational requirements for dental hygienists. Currently, dental hygienists in all fifty states and D.C are required to complete an associate degree program before being licensed. However, the ADHA is advocating for increased educational requirements and has proposed making a doctorate degree the entry level credential for dental hygienists by 2032. The ADHA believes these changes will advance dental hygienists’ scope of practice and strengthen the role dental hygienists play in healthcare. According to the organization, the new requirements are supposed to better prepare hygienists for greater responsibilities, including more involvement in patient assessment.   

There is a baby boom happening at the Knee Center.

To preface the importance of sunset provisions, requiring regular review of state and federal regulations, let’s consider a historical example of how meaning of a policy can be lost over time.