With many of the dentists today experiencing high growth with their patient lists, additional help in their offices is needed. Now this job field is predicted to steadily grow and provide a number of good career opportunities over at least the next two decades.
While there are office managers, receptionists, and dental assistants who may be employed by a dentist, one of his most qualified workers is the dental hygienist. Today, as many as 65% of today's dental hygienists are now working on a part time basis only. For some, this is a perk of the job, but for others this creates complications if they really had hoped to find full time work.
Dental hygienists differ from dental assistants on many levels, including the pay scale. A hygienist will usually be paid substantially more than an assistant. This means that more dental practices prefer to offer their hygienists part time work while filling their patient needs with dental assistants. More and more of the routine work of a dentist is being able to be handled by the dental hygienist who will allow him more time to see more patients and handle very demanding or technically challenging cases.
The hygienist often assists the dentist, very much in the same way a dental assistant would do and they will essentially functioning as his right hand. There are a number of procedures, however, that these workers can handle themselves. Effective and correct patient charting, equipment managing, and maintaining high levels of patient comfort are the key points for the dental hygienist.
Unlike a dental assistant, the hygienist is also qualified to perform routine cleanings, dental examinations, and provides non-invasive treatments, like sealant application. These workers are also able to perform procedures for whitening the teeth. Some dental clinics will train particularly skilled hygienists to learn other procedures, such as getting molds of a patient's tooth impressions.
Private practice dental offices remain one of the best places to look, when seeking full time work for new graduates jobs. Smaller practices that are operated by only one or two dentists are often more willing to hire on a full time basis if they are presented with the right applicant. Larger practices with a full slate of dentists usually have longer office hours and these places are primed for the hiring of only part time hygienists, as it keeps their overhead down Through cost efficient management of their staff these offices can still maintain the appropriate number of hygienists on staff.
If you're just starting out and have yet to develop some work experience as a hygienist or assistant, you might want to check into possible openings at public funded institutions like nursing homes, state facilities, or even schools.
This avenue for job-hunting will most likely only lead to part time work, but it's a great place to refine and perfect your present skills, and gain some of that valuable on the job experience. Dental conferences are another great place to mingle and make some contacts as you're building your career. Just be sure that any conference or seminar about dentistry that you choose is advertised as being open to hygienists as well as professional dentists.
Landing that perfect position may take some effort and determination, and you may have to fill out a lot of applications and send out innumerable resumes before it happens. Job seekers who are searching for work in dentistry related field should always take advantage of every opportunity that appears.
A job agency may be able to help you find a position, but it may have longer or shorter hours than you had hoped for. Do not discount an opening only because the hours are not what you want. This may be a job that is a real diamond in the rough for you. At the very least, you will make contacts, meet clients, and gain more experience while adding to your resume.
Many new graduates from hygienist programs and even experienced workers are finding that using the resources of centralized job boards like Industry Crossing provides some excellent advantages when it comes to finding open positions in this career.
This online listing board is scoured daily by employers and employees and the jobs are checked before being posted to make sure that only the best opportunities are being advertised. Using job board sites is also a good way to expand your search outside of your current local vicinity.
Full time hygienist work can sometimes be more difficult to find in some parts of the country, and a job hunter should make sure that they have a way to be aware of any positions that might be opening up.
Even if these areas require a longer commute they may well prove worth the effort. Don't be afraid of moving from full time work at a smaller job to part time work in a busy and growing private practice. It's not uncommon for a part time hygienist to prove their skill and expertise and earn a promotion when a full time position does become available.
