2 answers
2 answers
Updated
Karen’s Answer
I think this advice goes for any job... study the work, and gain a strong knowledge base ... be an expert! After that, it's all about the customer, in this case, the patient. Creating a friendly and painless experience , especially for the young. When my son was little, we had an amazing hygienist, who told him everything that was going to happen before she did it... she called the "spit suctioning" (?) device ... "Mr Thirsty", and he laughed. My son was never afraid to go to the dentist, has never had cavities, wore braces for years... because of 1 person who loved what she did and cared about people . Be that person!!
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Judy’s Answer
I hate to admit that I went to school to become a hygienist because I didn't know what I wanted to do. I had never even seen a hygienist since my dentist didn't have one but it sounded interesting and I truly had always noticed people's teeth. Well, I lucked out and it worked well for me both professionally and financially. Most people don't realize that dental hygienist make a very fair salary and have regular weekday hours compared with many in healthcare. I was fortunate to attend a new dental school that had the latest equipment and facilities. First of all, you have to develop some technical skill and school is absolutely full of science and may be on a higher level than you expect including histology, medical emergencies, pharmacology and more. There is a national test to pass as well as your school program and then a state board test by working on actual patients for licensure.
The most important trait to have is a caring and helpful personality with the desire to help the patient achieve dental health. Educating the patient will be a prime responsibility. and often you get to know all the families that come through the office. Many patients become almost part of the office family as time goes on. You will have a patient schedule and will need to work in a timely manner coordinated with your dentists schedule. Usually cleaning and sterilization of your equipment and instruments and room will be your responsibility. Working smoothly with all the office staff makes the patient's experience organized and pleasant for the entire office. By helping your co-workers if they are behind or taking one of their patients if they need you to goes a long way with keeping everyone happy. You will need to pursue continuing education as a regular yearly endeavor and most states require CPR yearly as well. Getting along with patients and staff and alway doing your best to have the patient have the desired outcome is what you go to work for! Good luck, I think you will like it!
The most important trait to have is a caring and helpful personality with the desire to help the patient achieve dental health. Educating the patient will be a prime responsibility. and often you get to know all the families that come through the office. Many patients become almost part of the office family as time goes on. You will have a patient schedule and will need to work in a timely manner coordinated with your dentists schedule. Usually cleaning and sterilization of your equipment and instruments and room will be your responsibility. Working smoothly with all the office staff makes the patient's experience organized and pleasant for the entire office. By helping your co-workers if they are behind or taking one of their patients if they need you to goes a long way with keeping everyone happy. You will need to pursue continuing education as a regular yearly endeavor and most states require CPR yearly as well. Getting along with patients and staff and alway doing your best to have the patient have the desired outcome is what you go to work for! Good luck, I think you will like it!
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