i heard that dental hygiene is a hot career right now so im thinking of going for it. Is it hard to get a job in this field? what is the salary range for this field? any inputs are welcome. Thanks!
2006-08-26 16:40:02 · 7 answers · asked by gachaybo 1 in Health ➔ Dental
Just to let you know, Nebula is ALWAYS against hygienists! He must have some deep seated contentment towards us or something, my guess is he has met some hygienists that are much more intelligent than him and he feels threatened!
Hygiene is a great profession, not a lot of college (usually 3-4 years) and you can work part time if you want. It is harder to find a full time job (which is about 32 hours a week) and benefits are hard to come by too.
Income varies greatly depending on where you are, but you make a good amount, higher than average, and usually much more than other degrees requiring the same amount of college (unfortuntetly even though you will be in college for almost a BA you will only have an AS degree)
It does get boring at times, frustrating at other times and very rewarding at times also! Like most other careers! It is all WHERE and WHO you work for and with that makes ALL the difference! (i.e. dont work for a jerk like Nebula!-he probably doesnt employee a hygienist anyways, and if he does I feel very sorry for him or her!!!!)
Actually, the ADA is trying to make it sound like there is a shortage of hygienists, but there isnt. In many areas it is hard to find a good job, or any job at that. The dentists that complain there arent enough RDH's (Nebula) because no one will work for them! IF you are truely interested, I would contact a local college that offers the program and ask what the job market truely is like in your area.
Good Luck and study hard, even though you "just clean teeth" (Nebula's words) school is tough!
2006-08-27 04:19:23 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look up on Yahoo the Occupational Outlook Handbook...this handbook tells you about EVERY occupation that the federal government knows about. It gives you a complete description, financial info, and growth/projected growth for all fields of employment. Dental Hygienests are # 7 on this list of fastest growing occupations, with above 40% increase. And all you need is an associates degree! Good Luck!! I love going to school at University of Michigan, Hygiene is a very fufilling career, you will love it!!
2006-08-28 16:16:53 · answer #2 · answered by UofM RDH 2008 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to monster.com and many other internet sources for salary information. The money is exceptional, but this is not the main reason to become a hygienist. You will burn out quickly if you do not like your job, no matter what it is or how much it pays.
Having said that, it's hard to imagine any other career that can return so much for the relatively low investment in time and money to obtain the degree.
There is one clinic the next town over from me that actually pays hygienists more than dentists, because it's easier for them to find dentists looking for work in their first year or two. Of course, I wouldn't want to work in that office as a hygienist, but that's the reality of it.
2006-08-27 23:15:19 · answer #3 · answered by Picture Taker 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nebula D, you better get your ice skates out, because there is many, many hygienists in the western states such as Nevada and California who do make over one hundred K a year. Many dentists as associates are making about the same or a little less which has fueled a debate for quite sometime on dental town. I think you are really trying to piss us RDH's off by your constant bombardment of negativity toward us. Please, what may seem/be a piece of cake for one, is not the case for others. Just because we chose hygiene, does not mean we deserve your contempt. You are certainly full of yourself, aren't you? I would think twice about being your patient.
2006-08-27 08:56:09 · answer #4 · answered by perioligament 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I graduated this year from school. There are no jobs in Michigan, but there are in other states. Starting pay is about $25-30/hr, and full time is considered 32 hrs a week. It's a very interesting field and I LOVE it, i just wish I could find a job, even one day a week would be nice. (that's how bad it is here) I am certified in nitrous and local anesthetic. Not every state allows hygienists to administer local anesthetic.
2006-08-27 02:34:17 · answer #5 · answered by Jennifer L 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm a dentist.
I think it's safe to say that it will be when hell freezes over that you make $100k a year as a hygienist. Not even working in Manhattan would you make that. $60 or $70k is within reach, however, which is a heck of a deal considering the fact that your education is brief (two years, like nurses), yet your work is exceedingly simple (when compared to nurses) and that you have very little responsibility (when compared to nurses).
You clean teeth, tell every patient to brush and floss, sometimes place Arestin in deep periodontal pockets, and wait for the doctor to come and check the patients. Easy as pie.
Yeah, I'd recommend it if you're interested.
2006-08-27 03:53:23 · answer #6 · answered by Nebula D 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
great profession
not a whole lot of school involved and easy to make atleast 100k a year if you work hard
and if your male it's practically free to get into hygiene school nowadays
2006-08-26 23:54:47 · answer #7 · answered by Steve B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋