With the current economic climate in dire straits, more and more people are prioritizing their career choices around job security and opportunity for the future. One sector of the economy that is largely unaffected by economic downturns is the healthcare industry. Healthcare serves everyone and offers thousands of different kinds of jobs to the workforce, employing millions of people.
If you’re considering a career that offers tremendous job security, working in healthcare should be on the top of your list. One of the most desirable healthcare jobs is that of the dental hygienist. Hygienists are very important members of any dental office, as they work for dentists, similarly to dental assistants, to care for and provide dental care to patients. In addition to providing basic dental hygiene care for people doing such things as teeth cleanings, they also council patients on proper hygiene and care for their own teeth on a daily basis. This dental hygiene care is critical as it helps patients avoid problems with their teeth, gums, smile, overall appearance, and health. Additionally, hygienists advise clients on proper nutrition and how this impacts their oral health. As compensation for all of their service, they make a tremendous dental hygienist salary averaging around $28.05 per hour.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hygienists will be in tremendous demand and enjoy one of the fastest growing job sectors. In fact, the BLS expects job growth to be a whopping 36% through 2018. Part of this demand is fueled by the aging baby boomer population, and overall population becoming more and more reliant on healthcare.
According to the Commission on Dental Accreditation (ADA), there are more than 266 accredited programs offering training in dental hygiene. In order to qualify for these programs, one simply needs a high school diploma and satisfactory college entrance test scores. After high school, hygienists require a two year program at a community college, usually consisting of classroom and clinical coursework. These community colleges typically offer certification and associates degrees, while 4 year colleges offer BS and Master’s degrees. Depending on the direction someone needs to take, they need to pick the program that is required. For instance, to work in a dental office, a certificate or associates program is generally the only requirement. But for research, teaching, or clinical practice, one requires a Bachelor’s or Masters. Students will generally take courses on general dentistry, general hygiene, histology (tissue structure), pathology, dental instruments and materials, periodontology (gum diseases), and oral anatomy.
Despite the attractiveness of hygienist jobs, there is much room for career advancement for hygienists. The most obvious advancement opportunity being that of an actual Dentist. A dentist salary is quite a bit higher that a hygienist’s, plus they are able to step into the role of a self employed practice owner, whereby hygienists will typically never reach this level. Nonetheless, the position of dental hygienist is very attractive to the individual who prefers to limit their education and training to only a few years.