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Thread: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

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    Member rhaenys's Avatar
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    Default Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Hello everyone,

    just curious to know if anyone has gone to school for dental hygiene and is currently practicing? What is your job experience like and do you find it fulfilling? How difficult was it to land your first job in an office? Do you feel you can find enough work to have a stable income?

    I've been a dancer for just under 10 years, and already have a professional license in healthcare (nursing)--which I'm not really sure I'll ever fit into, despite 5 years of experience/trying different fields therein. Being a dancer is my passion and I've gotten very good at it (hope I can do it until my 40s), but I know it's not forever, so I'm thinking about going back to school for something a little different, but still related to healthcare for its job stability/decent pay, etc. But I've heard rumors it's not the most reliable profession to enter.

    Thanks in advance!

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    What's attracting you to the dental side of healthcare? Seems a bit odd considering your nursing background. Like, it's a bit below your schooling at this point, isn't it? If I were you, I'd be looking into other ways to use your nursing degree, or into certifications that you can add onto your degree to let you expand into other areas.

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Why not go all in and try to become a dentist?

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Actually Charlie a Dental Hygienist's schooling is similar to that of a nurse's (RN). Her position in a dental office is also similar to that of a nurse, but specified to oral health (I think you may be thinking of a dental assistant). As far as why I don't want to go ask the way through dental school, it's probably because I don't want to go through med school either, nor do I want that much responsibility, or to have to run a business.

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Also, hygienists (from what I've heard) make WAY more hourly, with much less stress!

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    It seems you already have your birds nesting on the ground, except that nursing, dancing, and dental hygienist all have to spend a lot of time standing.

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Quote Originally Posted by rhaenys View Post
    Hello everyone,

    just curious to know if anyone has gone to school for dental hygiene and is currently practicing? What is your job experience like and do you find it fulfilling? How difficult was it to land your first job in an office? Do you feel you can find enough work to have a stable income?

    I've been a dancer for just under 10 years, and already have a professional license in healthcare (nursing)--which I'm not really sure I'll ever fit into, despite 5 years of experience/trying different fields therein. Being a dancer is my passion and I've gotten very good at it (hope I can do it until my 40s), but I know it's not forever, so I'm thinking about going back to school for something a little different, but still related to healthcare for its job stability/decent pay, etc. But I've heard rumors it's not the most reliable profession to enter.

    Thanks in advance!
    I think if this is something you enjoy, it is a very good career to get into. You can make a great living AND the hours are great (M-F 8-5). However, if it isn't something you are passionate about, why don't you just try to make as much money as possible dancing...and invest so you can retire early?

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Quote Originally Posted by slowpoke View Post
    It seems you already have your birds nesting on the ground, except that nursing, dancing, and dental hygienist all have to spend a lot of time standing.
    True; hopefully it will help to keep me from getting fat. I love ice cream though, so IDK, haha. I think I'm just looking for other people's opinions about it before I take the plunge--especially financially. School is not cheap anymore, especially for health sciences.

    Quote Originally Posted by LAChloe View Post
    I think if this is something you enjoy, it is a very good career to get into. You can make a great living AND the hours are great (M-F 8-5). However, if it isn't something you are passionate about, why don't you just try to make as much money as possible dancing...and invest so you can retire early?
    I'd love to dance for as long as I could, but the reality is that I'm in my 30s, and I might have 10 years left if I can lay off said ice cream and take care of myself (I do, really, I do--it's important in this business). I'm not sure if that's enough time to invest enough to retire, even if I live frugally. I did recently pay off a lot in student loans and debt I acquired in my twenties, when I wasn't as savvy about finances. Now I'm a Dave Ramsey fan and am doing much better, but still have some way to go. Again though, I feel like the clock is ticking. I am interested in traveling to dance to maximize my earning potential, but I have yet to come up with a game plan for that.

    Didn't expect so many replies. Thank you.
    Last edited by rhaenys; 01-07-2016 at 09:26 AM.

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Quote Originally Posted by rhaenys View Post
    Now I'm a Dave Ramsey fan and am doing much better, but still have some way to go. Again though, I feel like the clock is ticking. I am interested in traveling to dance to maximize my earning potential, but I have yet to come up with a game plan for that.
    +1 on Dave Ramsey. He changed my life!

    I still think that if you worked your butt off and invested in Real Estate and put some away in a mutual funds that you could really do well in 10 years. Maybe not enough to retire but you could really set yourself up well. School is just so expensive.

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    I love Dave! He really changed mine, too. I was barely making ends meet while I was going through nursing school/dancing, to paying off almost 25k in debt (student loans and credit) in under a year. I've also already started to invest in a Roth IRA and mutual funds, albeit slowly while still paying off debt. But getting started in real estate? I think I should wait until I'm completely debt free for that. I think maybe I should even wait to start going back to school again until I'm completely debt free.

    I've read a few forums online about what it's like to be a RDH and a lot of people seem to be pessimistic about it. But you know how Google searches go; you can't always rely on what you read. I don't really know that I was expecting to find a much different opinion here, but I do feel that dancers (on this forum, anyway) can be a reliable source of information and experience. I guess I was hoping there was another person who is a dancer and also works as a RDH who could give me some honest answers/opinions. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Hey Rhaenys, are you an RN? What about the nursing side of healthcare do you not like/fit in with? Asking because I am thinking of a nursing (RN) associates program or a dental hygienist program, both programs are about 15k so I want to do lots of research and choose wisely. I'm looking at non dancing/sex work also as I know it won't last forever. Trying to find something that fits and a program that doesn't cost the same price as a house.

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Just popping in to remind everyone that it isn't all about the money. Yes, school can be expensive. But if you pay for a useful degree or certification, it can be a safety net for life, even if you're loving dancing for the moment.


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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Quote Originally Posted by GoldenChild View Post
    Hey Rhaenys, are you an RN? What about the nursing side of healthcare do you not like/fit in with? Asking because I am thinking of a nursing (RN) associates program or a dental hygienist program, both programs are about 15k so I want to do lots of research and choose wisely. I'm looking at non dancing/sex work also as I know it won't last forever. Trying to find something that fits and a program that doesn't cost the same price as a house.
    Hi! Yes, I am a licensed RN, and have been for five years. I live in the tristate area, so competition is tough not only for dancing, but nursing as well. Every nurse needs to find her niche, I feel. I think I've found mine (working with addictions) but it's not the best paying or most prestigious for the amount of school I went through. However, I feel like I'm living in a catch 22 situation where I can't really be sure that I have found said niche; nursing managers want specific nursing experience to hire you for specific positions, but you have to have experience to even get the interview. Also, almost everyone wants you to have a BSN now, which is even MORE money I'd have to shell out for a career in which I don't really feel comfortable sometimes. Things like emergency codes, having to make quick decisions that could be life/death... That's a little stressful! Thankfully the field in which I work is more psychologically oriented than physiological, but I still have to be very watchful and present with every patient I see or I could make a bad call that would hurt someone. But from what I've gathered (and this is not reliable information, but from internet forums, mind you), is that nursing is more dependable when it comes to finding gainful employment, full time work if you so choose, and benefits like insurance and paid vacation. RDHs command a lot more hourly, have better hours, and are generally less stressed out, but may have to pay for their own benefits, and often live at the mercy of the dentist's vacation schedule. I just want to make sure I can find a job in the field if I decide to sink money into it.

    Quote Originally Posted by charlie61 View Post
    Just popping in to remind everyone that it isn't all about the money. Yes, school can be expensive. But if you pay for a useful degree or certification, it can be a safety net for life, even if you're loving dancing for the moment.

    Absolutely true!
    "There shall be one mistress here, and no master."

    [Elizabeth I]

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    Yes I have heard the tri-state area is tough, but its like that everywhere I think now. I really think dental hygiene would be a better fit for me- smaller office/working environment, typically calmer atmosphere, better hours. I don't think I'd find a niche in nursing I'd like more than dental hygiene. Maybe something with old people, but I'm not very strong and can't imagine lifting people up and doing hard-ish labor like that. Nursing sounds pretty depressing to be honest and every nurse I have known personally has discouraged me from it. A lot of people in specialized professions have been forced into getting their own insurance, which is ok for me, planning to get married within the next two years and my guy has great insurance. An uncle of mine is a dental hygienist but unfortunately the dentists he work for (asian husband-wife team) have been assholes to him and there aren't many other options in his family's area (backwoods of GA). I think it really depends on the dentist(s) in the office, since a distant friend of an ex of mine, recently graduated and loves her job and being a dental hygienist. I want to visit the dental hygine programs around me and see what they have to say about helping new grads with job hunting/networking.

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    Default Re: Anyone here a Dental Hygienist/student?

    GoldenChild, with what you said about your uncle and your distant friend, I think I'm just going to take the plunge with it once I get out of debt (should be less than a year, I'm hoping). Maybe if you live in a place that has lots of dentists, you're less likely to be maltreated--or can at least find a better job if you are. There's literally thousands of dentists around here; they can't all be jerks. Thank you!
    "There shall be one mistress here, and no master."

    [Elizabeth I]

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