In my area I'm not seeing a lot of hospital jobs and I refuse to go into retail. I saw on Indeed Dental Hygeneists make $50/hr. Worth going back to school for two years? lol. Seriously, alternative careers?
I'm assuming tech involves going back to school for a computer science degree for four years, is that correct? I don't have any experience in tech but would love to start.
Absolutely not.I'm assuming tech involves going back to school for a computer science degree for four years, is that correct? I don't have any experience in tech but would love to start.
In my area I'm not seeing a lot of hospital jobs and I refuse to go into retail. I saw on Indeed Dental Hygeneists make $50/hr. Worth going back to school for two years? lol. Seriously, alternative careers?
Yes, I am, for the last 37 yrs. The reason I didn't comment on this thread was, when I have commented, I have been hammered by blow hards on this forum about BLS, govt stats and figures! AND how I had no clue what I was talking about.@RXDOC1986 I think you’re married to a dental hygienist?
Thank you for your insight. I really appreciate the information.Yes, I am, for the last 37 yrs. The reason I didn't comment on this thread was, when I have commented, I have been hammered by blow hards on this forum about BLS, govt stats and figures! AND how I had no clue what I was talking about.
Anywhoo, Dental Hygiene is one of the best ROI out there. The demand has been, and continues to be, extremely high. It is 2 1/2 years, 5 semesters of intense training. You do have to pass a national board and state board exam. This includes dragging a live patient to the test location, often in a far away city, and do a complete cleaning on them, in front of the examiners. Then you have your license, and you keep it active with CEs, live CEs and so on.
Again, my personal opinion: as my best friend of 40 years is a dentist, in private practice. In this market, no experienced dental hygienist, would work for $50 or $60/hr (que the Govt. Stats). And trust me, you want an experienced DH, when you are in the chair. My wife makes about $75-80hr, based on the fact that she works at a smallish chain, w/12-13 locations. She has several colleagues, that make over $140K a year. She only works 10-12hrs a week. She sets her own schedule, only sees patients she likes to see. Schedules her own hours. Works on salary + commissions on the total billing. In Georgia, they passed a law where now, the DH can work independently from dentists. Her office can now stay open and see patients without a dentist being present.
It is not an easy job, it takes a certain amount of skill and dexterity. A family friend, who was accepted to DH school, was dismissed after 1 year because she couldn't master the lab/technical aspects of the job.
A funny anecdote, when she was in school, they would assign them to go to the VA, or to prisons, to practice on those people. At the VA, a preceptor told my wife to avoid deep cleaning and plaque removal as the plaque, in some cases, was the only thing keeping the teeth in place!
I am so sorry for the predicament most new grads are facing. I cannot imagine the hardship and disappointment with completing your degree and then trying to figure out an alternative career. My 4th year in pharmacy school, I worked at the VA for federal minimum wage which was $3.75/hr. I was so looking forward to graduating, passing the boards, and the many job opportunities for a Pharm.D. It was truly an exciting time for all of us. Fast forward a few months, and I was making $37.50/hr in Home Infusion. That was a 10X increase in pay. Not likely to happen again.Thank you for your insight. I really appreciate the information.