Question for the dental hygienists out there. Was your education worth it?

The reason that I am asking is that most of the posts I read are very negative toward this career. Most people are pro nurses and show little to no respect to a hygienist. I was looking to see if this would be a career choice that would be worth looking into, but I cannot tell from what I am reading here.

I have spoke to some hygienists in my area and they seem to like what they are doing.

Would you choose this career again?

Do you think that there will be a lack of jobs in this area since the economy is taking a big nose dive?

Are some hygienists look at as just being an assistant?

Please let me know.

I am currently in the application process to get into the dental hygiene program in my area. In doing this I have had to take many science classes- of which about 96% of my fellow students were attempting to enter nursing. I only ran across 5 individuals besides myself that were looking into this area. I took 5 classes to get where I am at. If you do the math, I had less than 1% of my fellow classmates that were looking to follow the same path. Given this scenario, I was told on several occasions that my choice was the WRONG one and that I should reconsider what I was looking into.

I had one person tell me that dental hygienists were being phased out and that the dentists would only hire assistants- so I was wasting my time. I had another tell me that dental hygienists were taking the easy way into a career in the medical field because they could not handle being an RN- nor could they handle the tougher education.

My A&P II instructor overheard this last comment- while he himself was educated and licensed in nursing, he told me to stick with the dental thing. It's a good career choice and the people making the comments have no idea what they are talking about.

I know several recent grads that really enjoy what they are doing. All would make the same choice again. None of these people are just considered to be an assistant.

For myself, I need the flexibility and day-time shifts which most dentists/orthodontists offer. Whether I work for one dentist, or two+ I know that I will probablly never have to work a midnight shift and can be home with my kids.

Good Luck with your decision.

hey i was wanting to know the answer to your question too.. sorry i dont have any answers for u though :(

My best friend is currently in a 2-yr. associate's degree program for dental hygiene & she loves it. It is defiantely hard work, she is at school from about 8 am - 5 pm most weekdays. And despite the tough workload, she says she cannot wait to graduate & be able to work. Not sure why people have a negative attitude towards DH, they usually work relatively flexible hours, make great pay, & are in high-demand. The people I have talked to in this profession love their job & find it very rewarding. No, hygiensists are not typically considered assistants, they are trained specifically for DH. They may assist the dentist in some procedures, however, most of this is done by dental assistants who have gone through a dental assisting program. Here is some more info on DH that you may find helpful: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos097.htm
http://www.adha.org/

You should talk to your own dental hygienist & get their input on your questions, I'm sure they wouldn't mind.

I am a dental hygiene student right now and I love it. A lot of people are saying that nursing is the way to go because they are mad because they have crappy hours compared to the DH that has flexible hours and a flexible schedule. The pay is pretty much the same if not better in some areas of the country than for nurses if that is your main concern. I prefer this profession because MY PATIENTS WILL NOT DIE ON ME. I'm not trying to sway you one way or the other because nurses are just as important as any other profession. The bottom line is people have needs that have to be fulfilled and somebody has got to do it! The only other difference is nurses usually get an extensive benefit package. Not all dentists offer extensive benefit packages. That depends on the area in which you are seeking employment and the dentist.

I love the patient contact that I have and the feeling of knowing at the end of the day that I have helped someone by treating them and educating them about the facts that something that is going on in their mouth may be affecting other parts of their body. The fact is this: DH and dentists can see clinical evidence in patients that may have other issues in their bodies (pregnancy, High BP, Cancers (skin and oral) and this usually leads to a referral to a health care professional such as a doctor AFTER we have discovered it!

For your own peace of mind about this issue, just google dental hygienist jobs and see how many hits you come back with. That tells you that the jobs are in great demand. Another way to tell that the job is in great demand is due to the lack of Dental Hygiene schools in comparision to the number of nursing schools. They are about 4 or 5 nursing schools within any given community compared to 5 or 6 Dental Hygiene schools in most states. The wait list to get in most Dental Hygiene schools is sometimes between 2-6 years compared to the rate of nursing courses starting each semester.

Hope this gives you more info about becoming a Dental Hygienist. Bottom line: do what makes you happy. I've only stated facts that can be researched online.