Adrienne Isham, RDH

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

I am currently transitioning careers from a dental hygienist to a dental content writer. Both careers were kind of "dropped in my lap" I always knew I would be in the medical field - but oral care had never crossed my mind. My father is a laboratory technologist and I looked forward to the "bring your kid to work" day. I loved looking through the microscope at the cells - biology has just been my "thing." One day my mother-in-law at the time told me the dental office she was working for was looking to hire a dental assistant and that I should apply. I applied but without any expectation of getting the job - I knew nothing about dentistry; however, I did get the job. I was trained on-site and the company paid for my radiology certification. Five years later I wanted to advance in the field and decided to dental hygiene school. I practiced dental hygiene until the COVID-19 hit. The government placed a three-month mandatory shutdown of dental offices. Unfortunately, during that time the office I worked for went out of business. When that mandate was lifted I elected to continue to get my son through his virtual learning. I had a hard time finding an office I was comfortable working in when I began looking for work again, it was during this time I received an email that made me consider the transition into content writing. The next five months went into taking courses and studying for my new career. I was approached by my first client just as I was feeling comfortable enough to take on a clientele. My first project as a content writer consisted of writing 40 product description articles for a dental lab's website. The universe gave me my signs and opened doors of opportunities I never would have considered. Each opportunity fell into place at the right time with very little resistance or opposition - and for that, I am eternally grateful.