February 2010- Oregon
Taking License | by Kraig Bohot
Cutting someone’s hair usually doesn’t make you a hero. But if you save someone’s life at the same time, that’s pretty heroic.
That’s what Newport hair designer RoxAnn Huseman did recently when she told a client that he should have a mole on the top of his head looked at by his physician.
It turned out the mole was “…the fastest growing, most invasive, most lethal type of melanoma that there is,” according to the beneficiary of Huseman’s keen powers of observation, Mike Korgan.
Korgan wrote about Huseman’s heroics in the “Heroes of Lincoln County” feature of the Newport News-Times.
“Had she not told me about it and had I not had it checked, my doctor tells me it most likely would have taken my life in six months or so,” Korgan wrote. “It would have spread to my lymph nodes, through my skull and into my brain, leading to a horrible, painful death.”
Early Detection Saves Life
Korgan’s physician told him that the only cure for the type of melanoma he had was early detection.
Korgan’s physician first removed the mole. He then performed surgery to remove tissue below the mole to make sure any cancerous tissue was removed as well.
But Korgan wasn’t out of danger yet. He had to wait for a call from his physician to know whether or not the cancer had spread.
“My doctor called me on the weekend,” continued Korgan. “When we saw his name on our caller ID our hearts sunk. When a doctor calls you at home on a weekend, the news has to be bad.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t. Korgan’s physician told him, “I know you were on edge worrying so I thought you might have a better weekend knowing it was benign.”
Korgan’s physician recognized the important role that Huseman played in spotting his suspicious-looking mole, telling him that “You owe your hair dresser a great deal of gratitude because she undoubtedly saved your life.”
Foundation Is Founded
Korgan is so appreciative of Huseman’s efforts that he and his wife are establishing a foundation in Huseman’s name to educate hair designers about the importance of early detection to prevent cancer.
Korgan knows first-hand that the person cutting your hair can not only make you look good but stay healthy, too.
“Hair dressers can save many lives because they are probably the only persons on earth that are privileged to look that closely at this part of the body,” wrote Korgan.
By giving Korgan the “heads up” on his mole, Huseman gave him so much more.
Schools Train Heroes
Anyone in the cosmetology field can be a hero like Huseman because students in cosmetology schools are taught to look for suspicious moles and other conditions that might need medical attention.
Thanks to Karen Dieckman, co-owner of six Phagans’ Cosmetology Colleges in Oregon, for forwarding the “Heroes of Lincoln County” article.
And thanks to all of those other heroes out there who have provided their clients with not only a hair cut (or skincare or nail services), but with a new lease on life by providing what can be life-saving information.
Debora Masten, an esthetician who served as the Board of Cosmetology’s vice-chair in 2009, was voted by her fellow board members to serve as chair in 2010 at the board’s January 25 meeting. Masten has served on the board since 2006.
She replaces Mike Snook, owner of Academy of Hair Design in Salem, who has served as board chair since 2006 and as a board member since 2003.
Sharon Wiser, an instructor at Phagan’s School of Hair Design in Portland, was voted the board’s vice-chair for 2010. She has served on the board since 2008.
Masten Points to Priorities
Masten says her first priority as chair is filling vacant seats on the board with qualified and interested persons.
Snook’s third term of service expires June 30 and another member, Patricia Hall from Pendleton, will complete her second term of service on September 30. Appointees are eligible to serve a maximum of two consecutive three-year terms, unless they were appointed to a partial term to replace a member who does not complete a full term.
Another key priority for Masten is ensuring the quality of the state-prepared examination, which recently replaced the National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology (NIC) examination as the main written examination on which applicants are tested.
The Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) continues to offer the NIC examination once a month in Vietnamese and Spanish and to applicants who may be moving out of state to facilitate licensure reciprocity.
“I want to make sure our state written examination is of high quality and well protected from a security standpoint,” says Masten. “We will be partnering with the Department of Education, Private Career Schools, so that we can be confident in the content and how well the written examination gauges an applicant’s knowledge of the material.”
The Board of Cosmetology budget and fees will also be on Masten’s radar. “With the new fee changes we are going to be watching to make sure that we are developing enough revenue,” she says.
Masten will also be involved in establishing requirements for advanced training in esthetics (see related article).
“There are so many issues that we will have to address,” she says. “I want everyone who would like to have any input to attend a meeting to help us tackle this much-needed area of training. If attending meetings are not possible, a letter to the board is always welcome.”
It seems as if outgoing Board of Cosmetology Chair Mike Snook has served as chair forever, maybe because the board has addressed so many issues during his tenure.
Snook guided the board through issues ranging from airbrush tanning to advances in esthetics technology and to changes in the state cosmetology written examination and certification standards establishing individual fields of practice.
Many thanks to Snook for his years of service as a board member and as chair.
If you’re interested in the development of an advanced esthetics specialty field of practice, you’re invited to participate in the process starting March 9.
The Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) and Board of Cosmetology will be reviewing how best to establish advanced practice requirements and encourage participation from practitioners, school representatives and other interested parties.
OHLA and the Board of Cosmetology are creating an advanced esthetics field of practice to ensure practitioners providing advanced procedures have appropriate training and education to perform these services safely and effectively on the public.
For more information, please contact OHLA Policy Analyst Samie Patnode at 503-373-1917 or samie.patnode@state.or.us.
Administrative Rulemaking Schedule
Specialty Fields of Practice - Esthetics
January 25, 2010 Board Meeting – 9 am, to approve schedule
March 9, 2010 Rules Advisory Committee – 9 am
April 12, 2010 Rules Advisory Committee – 9 am
May 10, 2010 Board Meeting – 9 am, to approve proposed administrative rules
June 7, 2010 Rules Advisory Committee – 9 am
July 1, 2010 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in Oregon Bulletin
July 30, 2010 Last Day for Public Comment
July 30, 2010 Tentative Public Rule Hearing
November 8, 2010 Board Meeting – 9 am, to adopt permanent administrative rules
January 1, 2011 Permanent Administrative Rules effective
How many practitioners and facilities are active in Oregon? (Numbers in parentheses +/- change from previous month.) According to Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) records as of January 29, 2010:
Practitioners......30,988 (+84)
Facilities...... 4,610 (+49)
Independent contractors...... 7,298 (+128)
Certificate of ID ......272 (+19)
Barbering ......5,126 (-18)
Esthetics ......13,325 (+45)
Hair Design ......21,129 (+142)
Nail Technology ......14,329 (+12)
Looking for past Board News? Visit the archives page.
Oregon Health Licensing Agency
700 Summer Street NE, Suite 320 • Salem, OR 97301-1287
Licensing Office (503) 378-8667 • Enforcement Unit (503) 378-4294
www.oregon.gov/OHLA
OHLA Agency Staff:
Randy Everitt, Director
Tim Molloy, Regulatory Operations
Board of Cosmetology:
Debora Masten, Salem - Chair
Sharon Wiser, Lake Oswego - Vice Chair
Michael D. Snook, Salem
Linda Bergmann, Florence
Patricia A. Hall, Pendleton
Herb Hirst, North Plains
Shelly Couch, Gladstone
