I just cannot believe that dental hygienists make the same amount as nurses . Cannot believe it. We have SO much immense responsibility. Nurses monitor and often save peoples lives.... We get sued and physically / verbally abused on countless occasions... We deal with peoples emotional issues, death and dying....Physical stress, emotional stress. SERIOUSLY!
Why did I get my BSN? Should have just cleaned some teeth!
Katy
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October 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 am
I don’t know, every time I go to the dentist and the hygienist finds out that I’m in nursing school, they always tell me that they want/should have/are going back to school for nursing. Mostly because it pays more, they say. Maybe it’s different in different states?
October 2nd, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Yes well, in austin tx, per salary reports its the same! When i look on the salary reports, my salary is accurate… so I am assuming the salary report is accurate for them too.
Im just a little peeved about it lol
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I’m pre nursing and a lot of the other people in my classes are pre dental hygienists. I really want to be a nurse but sometimes I’m thinking that if I just went that route I would be able to graduate and start working sooner. It’s depressing, I’d love to be a nurse but the lack of space available in the programs, it’s easy to get discouraged.
October 8th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I had no idea that dental hygienist makes as much as a nurse! At first I thought, that seems so unfair! We’re doing so much more work – who would choose nursing if they knew that?
Then I thought about the great perks of nursing. Flexibility, availability to be promoted and advance your career and practice… you can work, days, nights, weekends, holidays – whatever fits for your life and your family’s life. I think dental hygienists are pretty much stuck with a M-F 9-5 job.
When it all comes down to it though, both careers are doing a service to people. It’s all about what you want out of it!
October 8th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
I agree with Lindsey, it depends on what you want out of a career. There are so many opportunities worldwide for nursing. I’d be interested to see what the salary comparison is for a nurse with 10 years experience versus a dental hygienist with 10 years experience. Initially they may start the same but I imagine the real difference comes down the line. This is pure speculation though. Plus, you can advance your career while staying within the field. In my opinion a dental hygienist’s options are much more limited than a nurse’s.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
It depends on what you want, but does a dental hygienist get to run down the hall with a crash cart? Sometimes, the rush of nursing totally rocks!
December 28th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I think it’s only fair to all of you that I take the time to answer some of your questions. A Dental Hygienist is an active participant in the diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease first and foremost. The daily task of “cleaning teeth” is defined as a preventitive procedure recommended by the ADA to prevent the onset of gingivitis and/or periodontal disease.Over the last 10yrs, extensive research has been done on the link between periodontal disease and several common diseases and conditions acquired by a large percentage of the American population.It’s a privelage as a hygienist to be an active participant in the education, diagnosis, and treatment of a condition that can have such an adverse affect on the general health of a patient.
January 18th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
See original post- I am not trying to degrade your job. I just think that as a nurse, I should be paid more- just a personal opinion . I am sure you disagree, and thats fine. You cannot argue that we have more responsibility on our shoulers, and have a very stressful job in comparison. That is all I am saying. As a nurse, I am well aware of the correlation between oral health and the risk for cardiovascular disease, decreased life span etc. You provide a very valuable service to people and I am aware of the health benefits of it.
October 3rd, 2012 at 10:20 am
Hi Flo,I think if you really do enjoy being a dneatl nurse you need to do whatever you can to overcome your fear of vomit!!In all my years as a dneatl nurse I think I’ve only ever seen two patients be sick and that was young children having their first ever alginate impressions, and nothing whatsoever to do with aspirating!!When you aspirate you need to be confident, it’s a massive part of the job. Try not to put the suction tube too far back in any patients mouth! Usually if the tooth being treated is on the side closest to you, positioning the aspirator tip buccally is sufficient. If the tooth being treated is on the side of the mouth furthest from you, place the aspirator tube either lingually for lowers and palatally for uppers. A good tip if you have a patient who gags easily is to place the aspirator either buccally (if possible) or resting on an existing tooth ensuring you dont touch their tongue .basically avoid their soft tissues if possible.Practice makes perfect! You will eventually learn to become quite skilled at aspirating but while you are learning try not to worry about patients being sick, some may gag but it is highly unlikely they will actually vomit.Perhaps you could look into some sort of treatment to help combat your fear hypnosis or anything else which may help you, obviously this phobia could hold you back if not dealt with, so its definitely worth finding some treatment which could work for you!I hope this helps answer your question,Katy.