Our Story
Studying for the dental hygiene board exam was a high stress experience for Jina Barker, founder of Board Notes. She experienced firsthand how few options were available to support students in their preparation as she was going through school herself. Growing up surrounded by other dental and medical professionals, she heard the same struggles from her family members and friends. With a background in business and a career in dental hygiene, Jina saw an opportunity to help future students and provide them with the resource and guide she wished she had when she was a student.
A year following graduation she approached dental hygiene colleagues Michelle and Veronica with her vision for an online study resource. The three came together with their experience as students and combined 20+ years as practicing hygienists to build what is now the Board Notes online learning platform.
Board Notes is an online study platform that was created to empower students with the exact guidance, materials and support needed to confidently prepare for the board exam in dental hygiene and start their career. Our Board Notes team is made up of experts in their industry who are excited to share their experience, wisdom and trusted tools with you.
Your Instructors
Jina Barker
Senior Instructor
Jina is a Registered Dental Hygienist born and raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Her father, Dr. Mike Barker, D.M.D, and two brothers, Dr. Dylan Barker, D.M.D and Major Jesse Barker, D.M.D all played a large part in influencing her career in the field of Dentistry. Jina started her post-secondary education as a student-athlete at the University of Saskatchewan. She completed a Bachelor of Economics while competing with the Huskie Women’s Volleyball team before heading off to Toronto to pursue her hygiene schooling.
After passing the Canadian (NDHCB) board exam, Jina moved back to Saskatoon to start her full-time career at Blairmore Dental Centre but her experience from writing the board exam had left her shocked and concerned at the lack of online resources available to Dental students around the world. With her background in business and her knowledge of hygiene, Jina was eager to create an online learning platform geared at helping medical students prepare and confidently study for their board exams. She quickly added her trusted friend and Hygienist Michelle Hinz to her growing team - together they’ve poured their heart and brains into the Board Notes curriculum.
After passing the Canadian (NDHCB) board exam, Jina moved back to Saskatoon to start her full-time career at Blairmore Dental Centre but her experience from writing the board exam had left her shocked and concerned at the lack of online resources available to Dental students around the world. With her background in business and her knowledge of hygiene, Jina was eager to create an online learning platform geared at helping medical students prepare and confidently study for their board exams. She quickly added her trusted friend and Hygienist Michelle Hinz to her growing team - together they’ve poured their heart and brains into the Board Notes curriculum.
Michelle Hinz
Instructor
Born and raised in Bonnyville, Alberta. She was inspired to pursue a career in dental hygiene by the many hours she spent in her father’s dental practice growing up.
She attended Argosy University in Minnesota for Dental Hygiene. Following graduation in 2007 she passed both the America (NBDHE) and Canadian (NDHCB) board exams. She has worked in private practice in Alberta and Saskatchewan. She resides in Saskatoon with her husband and 2 children.
Michelle was excited about the opportunity to join Jina in working towards her vision to create BoardNotes. She knows the value of having access to a thorough board exam study resource. She was happy to contribute her many years of experience she has gained since taking the board exams herself. Michelle’s hope is to help current dental hygiene students feel confident in their ability to pass the board exam and begin their careers in what for her has been a very rewarding profession.
Veronica Uy
Instructor
Veronica graduated from Oxford College of Business, Arts and Technology, Toronto in 2016. Since then, she has worked at several private practices and is currently continuing her experience at a family dental clinic. During her dental hygiene program, Veronica found fulfillment by helping others learn. By tutoring her classmates for quizzes and tests, she has discovered new techniques to help others simplify and understand concepts. Other than her work, Veronica also enjoys baking and creating cakes, which she has turned into a side business. With creating a business, she has studied the logistics behind social media and marketing. Her passion for dental hygiene, learning, teaching and marketing makes her an important asset to Board Notes Online Learning Platform.
“Boardnotes was the best study tool I could have imagined. When I was looking at options it was by far the best and exactly what I had hoped to find. It was so organized and easy to use and had all the information for the exam. I definitely recommend it to all hygiene students!”
- Kendra