17 Year Old Planning to be a Dental Hygienist

I am planning to be a Dental Hygienist when I graduate high school and I am going out of my mind with questions! Answers please!

1. What is a prerequisite? Does it have to do with college or high school?

2. I want to move to Pennsylvania (my home state) for college but would it be better to stay in Oklahoma and get my degree?

3. If I get my degree in Oklahoma and move to Pennsylvania anyway do I have to take the test again?

4. How hard is the test? How do I prepare to study?

5. How is the business in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania?

6. I probably will have my Dental Assisting Degree out of high school (Tulsa Tech) and would like to know if I have to reregister in Pennsylvania for this degree?

7. Do Dental Hygienists deal with blood and needles often. I have a fear of needles but am planning on getting over it by practicing at Tulsa Tech.

I thank anyone who can help answer my questions and appreciate all of you!

8. Also, can I work while getting my degree or will it be too difficult?

9. Would it be to my benefit to be a full time student or part time student?

10. Is it difficult to find a job in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma?

11. How do you go about finding a job after graduating?

12. Is it easier/better to work at one office or two?

IwillBEme4U in Tulsa, Oklahoma said: 10. Is it difficult to find a job in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma?

11. How do you go about finding a job after graduating?

12. Is it easier/better to work at one office or two?

Hello, You do have many questions. Probably the best thing to do would be to contact the college(s), in the state(s) that you would like to attend. Pose your questions to the Director of Admissions at the schools; also, you might ask if there are any recent graduates from their programs that have found employment in those states and ask them what to expect, and insight of the office(s) they work in. Good luck .
Are you interested in any other fields besides Dental Hygiene?
If you have read postings on this sight, you can see that this field has many in search of work. Those who say the realities of being an R.D.H. are all across the board from no experience to those finding that they may have to work well past 65yrs. (due to the economy and MANY new graduates).

Thank you for your comment. I really have no back up plan as this is the only thing I really want to do. I don't want to be a nurse or anything else. I only want to be a dental hygienist and I;m very worried I won't realize my dream.

IwillBEme4U in Tulsa, Oklahoma said: Thank you for your comment. I really have no back up plan as this is the only thing I really want to do. I don't want to be a nurse or anything else. I only want to be a dental hygienist and I;m very worried I won't realize my dream.

Hi again, Have you contacted schools yet? and/or R.D.H.'s that are in the field? Look into all aspects of this major before applying to make sure you have all info, courses, etc... that you'll need. Check out those states you are interested in (ie- job availability at present , future ) so that when you finish your degree, boards, etc. you'll have employment opportunities.
I hope all goes well, keep smiling (R.D.H. humor).

Many schools have different prereq's so find out for sure beforehand. Prereq's are required college level courses taken & passed before acceptance. Hygiene is a very intense program. I knew people who worked while in school, but few had time. Also keep in mind, you can't choose part-time. While taking the pre-req's yes, but once accepted to a program you go when the classes are offered and they are full-time. A class graduates every 2 years. If you get a degree in OK and want to practice in PA, you will have to take the NERB for Pa and get a PA state license. The test is 8 hours long for national's and each state is different. IN was 2 days, about 4 hours each. You take both. You will study with your school before boards. You will have sample questions from previous tests and it is not easy, but you can do it if you keep good notes and study. Hygienist's deal with blood daily. Patient's spit blood, gums bleed and have pus and odor. Patients also walk in off the street and some are absolutely gross. They are dirty and have lice and some don't brush at all. They see you, that's what you're for! This is not the norm, but it's part of it. Needles are used to give anesthesia. You will be the one holding the needle, it's a lot easier on the other end than the one getting the shot. Try to job shadow a hygienist, maybe at your own dental office. She will give you good advice and a good idea of what's expected from the profession. Many schools offer placement assistance. If not, start sending resume's and knocking on doors. If you're an assistant, you may hear of a job easier. Good Luck!

Hi there!
I was also interested in dental hygiene. I'm currently finishing a RDA(dental assistant) program and I believe it really helped me to understand what the dental field was really about.

I don't know what kind of pre-reqs your schools require, but the ones in california usually have a pretty standard outline of college courses needed to apply - nutrition, anatomy& physiology, chemistry, english, speech, psychology.

I hear it's a pretty intense program, so I personally wouldn't have a part time job while studying - not to say that it can't be done! You have to buy your own instruments and equipment, so save up money while you work on your pre-reqs.

Hygienists deal with lots of blood and clean teeth all day. They administer anesthetic(needles) or Nitrous oxide (aka laughing gas) for more difficult patients.

Once you have these pre-reqs the rest of the admission and acceptance process depends on the number of "points" you have - you can acquire more points by taking extra science courses, enrolling in an RDA program, working in dental offices, and having a high GPA. Dental hygiene is a competitive program; most schools will accept only 24 students a year. (= So I would recommend applying to a couple around your area.

Good Luck!
-Jenny

IwillBEme4U in Tulsa, Oklahoma said: I am planning to be a Dental Hygienist when I graduate high school and I am going out of my mind with questions! Answers please!

1. What is a prerequisite? Does it have to do with college or high school?

2. I want to move to Pennsylvania (my home state) for college but would it be better to stay in Oklahoma and get my degree?

3. If I get my degree in Oklahoma and move to Pennsylvania anyway do I have to take the test again?

4. How hard is the test? How do I prepare to study?

5. How is the business in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania?

6. I probably will have my Dental Assisting Degree out of high school (Tulsa Tech) and would like to know if I have to reregister in Pennsylvania for this degree?

7. Do Dental Hygienists deal with blood and needles often. I have a fear of needles but am planning on getting over it by practicing at Tulsa Tech.

I thank anyone who can help answer my questions and appreciate all of you!

____________________________
1.A prerequesite has to do with college. It is the courses that you must take in order to even be considered into the dental hygiene program unless you go to a private institution like NYU, then you wont need any.

2. That's a decision you must make for youself, look up the colleges that offer dental hygiene as a major in both places and see which benefits you. You can always move once youre done with the program at home.

3.Check google for state to state rules. I do believe so though...so check.

7. In some states dental hygienists are permitted to administer anesthesia. If you move to a state that allows that, then you will deal with needles frequenlt, otherwise no needles. You should also google the regulations for the state/s you're interested in.

Gl. I wish I could help more, but I just made it into the program in NY, i'm not a RDH yet.

gl

Jenny in Glendale, California said: Hi there!
I was also interested in dental hygiene. I'm currently finishing a RDA(dental assistant) program and I believe it really helped me to understand what the dental field was really about.

I don't know what kind of pre-reqs your schools require, but the ones in california usually have a pretty standard outline of college courses needed to apply - nutrition, anatomy& physiology, chemistry, english, speech, psychology.

I hear it's a pretty intense program, so I personally wouldn't have a part time job while studying - not to say that it can't be done! You have to buy your own instruments and equipment, so save up money while you work on your pre-reqs.

Hygienists deal with lots of blood and clean teeth all day. They administer anesthetic(needles) or Nitrous oxide (aka laughing gas) for more difficult patients.

Once you have these pre-reqs the rest of the admission and acceptance process depends on the number of "points" you have - you can acquire more points by taking extra science courses, enrolling in an RDA program, working in dental offices, and having a high GPA. Dental hygiene is a competitive program; most schools will accept only 24 students a year. (= So I would recommend applying to a couple around your area.

Good Luck!
-Jenny

I REALLY would love to start working maybe handling paper work at the front desk, im 17 and A senior in high school. becoming a dentist is my dream job! could I work in a dental office while being in high school and 17?!?!?

ANSWERS:

1. Prereqs are classes you must take BEFORE applying to a hygiene program (such as science and math courses)

2. NO do not become a hygienist in Oklahoma if you plan to move to PA because dental hygienists can't work in every state because they take a REGIONAL board exam which means only a few states accept the exam you took. Take NERB which is a regional exam that covers from Maine down to PA. So go to college for dental hygiene in any state that accepts NERB exam which is Maine, NH, MASS, VT, CT, PA, and so on (look it up)

3. YES. If you get your license in OK you have to retest if you want to move to a state that has a different regional exam (OK and PA do not take the same exams).

4. You prepare to take the licensing exams in your last year of hygiene school. YES the tests are very difficult. Not everyone passes!

5. Bad job market all over the USA right now for dental hygienists. I would not recommend this profession right now.

6. In most states you can work as a dental assistant with little or no training at all. So you can probably get a DA job right away in PA.

7. YES. Dental hygienists see blood frequently in the mouth (most patients don't floss so their gums bleed when you clean their teeth) AND in many states hygiene students are required to take local anesthesia training (no choice in the matter in school now if the state allows hygienists to give LA). LA means you work with needles and inject people to numb their teeth. In school you have to frequently allow another student to INJECT YOU and then you inject other students again and again for practice.

I am a dental hygienist and I took NERB (exams that PA accepts). I live in Mass and Mass and PA have the same regional exams. It isn't easy to become a hygienist. Move to PA and then become a dental hygienist.