The members shall be classified as either charter, general, life, retired life, disabled, honorary, or graduating student membership.

Charter

A charter member of the Tennessee Academy of Dental Hygiene shall have been a member in good standing of the Tennessee Dental Hygienists Association at the establishment of these Bylaws.

General Member

A dental hygienist approved by the Board of Directors as having met the following criteria:
1. Licensed to practice dental hygiene.
2. Initally completed a minimum forty (40) hours of continuing education during one calendar year which has met the Academy guidelines.
3. Submits a completed application to the Academy Board of Directors accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a member in good standing of this Academy or of the dental community where she practices.
4. Annually completes a minimum of twenty (20)hours of continuing education.
5. Submits certification of attendance which includes the participant's name, address, social security number, course title, course sponsor, and length of course to the Academy Board of Directors when applying for membership or renewing membership in the Academy.
6. Renews application to the Academy after not meeting the requirements in any given year following initial membership by submitting a letter of application to the Academy Board of Directors including verification of twenty (20) continuing education units (CEU's) for the previous calendar year and a reinstatement fee not to exceed one dollar per continuing education unit required.

Life Member

A dental hygienist approved by the Board of Directors as having met the following criteria:
1. Nomination based on ten or more consecutive years of general membership and outstanding contributions to the organization and/or the community where the member resides and/or practices.
2. Shall be elected unanimously by the membership.
3. Retired Life After retirement this member can no longer be receiving remuneration from dental hygiene services and be a minimum of 59 1/2 years of age. Retired life member will have the following waived: Dues, continuing education hours and registration fees for the annual Academy seminar (luncheon not included)

DISABLED

A member of the Academy who becomes disabled and no longer receives remuneration for dental hygiene services, regardless of their age, shall receive the same privileges as the retired life member.


Honorary

A non dental hygienist approved by the Board of Directors as having met the following criteria:
1. Nomination based on five or more years of consecutive financial or participatory support to the purposes of the Academy.
2. Shall be elected unanimously by the membership.

Graduating Student

Membership in the Academy is open to graduates of an accredited dental hygiene school in the January membership renewal directly following their graduation. The forty hour continuing education requirement will be waived. All other criteria will be the same as the general membership category.