Students & New Grads

According to Beltone, one in six people in this country has some form of hearing loss.9 Much research is available about how to treat or accommodate deaf or hard-of-hearing patients. However, there is a lack of resources pertaining to how the deaf or hard of hearing can enter the dental profession. Prior to writing this article, I was hoping to...

You can see it. You can almost feel it. Your dream job in your dream location just posted online, just waiting for you to grab it. Unfortunately, landing your ideal hygiene position can be a competitive endeavor. If a job is worthy of your daydreams, chances are other talented hygienists think it is worthy of theirs too. As with just...

Editor’s Note: Information about COVID-19 is changing on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. We have made every attempt to ensure this article is up to date at the time of publication, but with the rapid changes occurring, some information may have changed since publication. Please visit https://www.coronavirus.gov/ for the latest news and information on COVID-19. There is a light at the end of...

It was May 2019. I had passed the NBDHE, both anesthesia exams, and had graduated from an accredited dental hygiene program. The only thing standing between me and my professional license was the WREB Clinical Exam. I walked into the school clinic just before 8:00 a.m. the morning of the exam with monster nervousness threatening to tear their way up...

When you're fresh out of hygiene school, it's easy to ride out the high of passing all the dental boards and rigorous classes. You feel like you're on top of the world, and nothing can bring you down. Unfortunately, some parts of the real dental world can come at you fast. While confidence is the key to being successful...

So you just landed your first dental hygiene temp job – that’s great! Whether you’re a new graduate, a mom who is returning to work after maternity leave, a seasoned hygienist looking to make extra money on the side, or a freelancer not wanting to commit to a permanent position, here are some important questions you should think about...

Diving into my first job as a newly registered dental hygienist, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The dentist suggested it would be best for me to learn some dental assisting before jumping into treating hygiene patients on my own. I didn’t have any problem with starting my new job this way, and I thought it would be neat...

Upon graduation, I moved to a new area and had only been in the area for a short time, so I felt the best way to get to know the area and the offices available was to temp as a hygienist. In the year and a half that I worked as a temporary hygienist, I was able to see...

I remember the feeling of relief like it was just yesterday. I had jumped for joy after passing to officially become a registered dental hygienist! I was unstoppable, and I felt that I was finally about to have my life together. That summer, I had multiple interviews lined up since most employers were asking for one to two days of...

Sweaty palms, right armpit smelling as per its now-normal state thanks to menopause, light-headedness from lack of sleep thanks to anxiety over the exam, and again, hormonal insomnia. Nausea so bad I thought I might vomit right on my partner… who lay there trusting me with her life. She gagged so hard, sitting up, coughing from all the extra anesthetic...