- Joined
- Apr 23, 2019
- Messages
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Good Evening everyone!
I am a recent dental hygiene graduate and have been practicing for almost 4 months now and I have to say, I was foolish for choosing this career. First off, the dental field overall is a really rewarding one, however, the cons of being in the dental field are just too much. For starters, I am 6'2 and even with dental loupes, I find myself always bending and hunching my back incorrectly and its killing me. Moreover, the wrist and neck pain is unbelievable. I find that this field is very repetitive with no progress to pursue anything further. Ive taken my DAT last year and am fortunate to say I scored above average on the DAT and thankfully optometry schools (some) do take the DAT over the OAT. I received my first interview almost one week ago and I'm really happy that I have the chance to interview for a graduate program for optometry. Ive shadowed and done multiple phone interviews with optometrists because of covid and found that the job in my opinion is very interesting and something I can actually see myself doing.
I just regret the fact that I didn't take time to do research two years ago and decide where I wanted to be in the future. I never even considered optometry and just started to gain interest for the field. I was too naive and just focused all my energy on trying to pursue a career in dentistry. I just wanted to let other prospective students that are reading this and want to go into the dental field that you have to look at the whole picture. For example, I can say personally I have had 3 needle-sticks and it isn't the best feeling in the world. Thankfully, everything came back negative and I have been more cautious. Accidents happen and sometimes you can't avoid them. It can happen in an instant without you even knowing. "Please, for everyone who is going into the dental field, do not chase the money because you can have all the money in the world being a dentist however, you cannot buy back a perfect back or rid the effects of arthritis. Your health is everything in this world and please take it from me, optometry is a field you want to consider." Im not trying to scare anyone at all, but take it from me, I've seen my fair share of situations and outrageous scenarios in the dental office that would make you pull your hair out. Offices only care about $$$$$ and production. They could care less about your well-being and health. Now for private offices, its a different story but you won't see that many patients but as a result, your income bi-weekly won't be the same. You have to decide what you think is more important.
With that being said, my interview for optometry school is Dec 7 and I wanted to know how everyone has prepared for an interview. Im doing my research about the school and it being close to my home is my first choice of course. Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think about everything.
Thank you so much
I am a recent dental hygiene graduate and have been practicing for almost 4 months now and I have to say, I was foolish for choosing this career. First off, the dental field overall is a really rewarding one, however, the cons of being in the dental field are just too much. For starters, I am 6'2 and even with dental loupes, I find myself always bending and hunching my back incorrectly and its killing me. Moreover, the wrist and neck pain is unbelievable. I find that this field is very repetitive with no progress to pursue anything further. Ive taken my DAT last year and am fortunate to say I scored above average on the DAT and thankfully optometry schools (some) do take the DAT over the OAT. I received my first interview almost one week ago and I'm really happy that I have the chance to interview for a graduate program for optometry. Ive shadowed and done multiple phone interviews with optometrists because of covid and found that the job in my opinion is very interesting and something I can actually see myself doing.
I just regret the fact that I didn't take time to do research two years ago and decide where I wanted to be in the future. I never even considered optometry and just started to gain interest for the field. I was too naive and just focused all my energy on trying to pursue a career in dentistry. I just wanted to let other prospective students that are reading this and want to go into the dental field that you have to look at the whole picture. For example, I can say personally I have had 3 needle-sticks and it isn't the best feeling in the world. Thankfully, everything came back negative and I have been more cautious. Accidents happen and sometimes you can't avoid them. It can happen in an instant without you even knowing. "Please, for everyone who is going into the dental field, do not chase the money because you can have all the money in the world being a dentist however, you cannot buy back a perfect back or rid the effects of arthritis. Your health is everything in this world and please take it from me, optometry is a field you want to consider." Im not trying to scare anyone at all, but take it from me, I've seen my fair share of situations and outrageous scenarios in the dental office that would make you pull your hair out. Offices only care about $$$$$ and production. They could care less about your well-being and health. Now for private offices, its a different story but you won't see that many patients but as a result, your income bi-weekly won't be the same. You have to decide what you think is more important.
With that being said, my interview for optometry school is Dec 7 and I wanted to know how everyone has prepared for an interview. Im doing my research about the school and it being close to my home is my first choice of course. Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think about everything.
Thank you so much
