Southern California Unemployed Dental Hygienist

Hi I was just wondering if I am the only one? I used to have a one day a week job for a slow office. I have seven years of clinical hygiene experience, I am physically fit, friendly, outgoing and young. For the past four months I have called approximately sixteen hundred offices and visited four hundred on foot-handing resumes to the office manager. Aside from Pacific Dental (2 hrs away and unethical practices) I have had no luck. I have not heard one "yes. we are hiring". What has been your experience and what do you think I should do?

There's really no one else?

QualifiedRDH in Los Angeles, California said: Hi I was just wondering if I am the only one? I used to have a one day a week job for a slow office. I have seven years of clinical hygiene experience, I am physically fit, friendly, outgoing and young. For the past four months I have called approximately sixteen hundred offices and visited four hundred on foot-handing resumes to the office manager. Aside from Pacific Dental (2 hrs away and unethical practices) I have had no luck. I have not heard one "yes. we are hiring". What has been your experience and what do you think I should do?

Sorry to hear of your situation. I hope that those on here from CALIF., READ WHAT YOU'VE SAID ABOUT 'NO' JOBS...I understand that is NOT for lack of effort on your part...it's due to the oversaturation in many states...that some who have jobs, not all, feel it must be you...the offices are out there you just have to stay positive and keep looking...WE do , do ALL avenues of the "pursuing work"! If those who paint the rosey picture...LEFT, their positions, I don't feel they would find another readily because of the abundance that continues...do you have any DA skills? If so, or you see ads "willing to train, or wait for the right person"...go for it to get in the door past the front desk...but, if you go to offices, try to MEET the Dr. to put a face with your resume if possible. GL Many on here "HEAR" your situation. Are you thinking of retraining or taking any courses to further your resume work stat's? I do this as do many others...the supply and demand now and for many yrs. to come...will be a push, shove, SELL...situation...very sad and no Union or laws, to help us...ADHA, etc...nothing. They KNOW the sit. and turn a blind eye...they have jobs...

QualifiedRDH in Los Angeles, California said: Hi I was just wondering if I am the only one? I used to have a one day a week job for a slow office. I have seven years of clinical hygiene experience, I am physically fit, friendly, outgoing and young. For the past four months I have called approximately sixteen hundred offices and visited four hundred on foot-handing resumes to the office manager. Aside from Pacific Dental (2 hrs away and unethical practices) I have had no luck. I have not heard one "yes. we are hiring". What has been your experience and what do you think I should do?

Wow! 1600 offices? You must have combed through every dental office in LA and then some! I don't even know if Denver has 1600 offices to begin with. Have you tried other states? California was hit pretty hard by the recession. If you don't mind relocating, my DH friends in Texas seem to have to problem finding a job. Due to relatively high medicaid reimbursements, dental offices in Texas are doing really well right now.

Qualified RDH: ditto and AMEN to the comment about PDS too bad too many rdhs sell out to them though ... honestly i think they would prefer not to but there are not enough jobs

Network as much as you can. If you're on Facebook check out this page: Unemployed Dental Hygienists. It's in place to help support and encourage today's unemployed hygienists.

I couldn't find any page named that on facebook

enamel pearl in Newport Beach, California said: Qualified RDH: ditto and AMEN to the comment about PDS too bad too many rdhs sell out to them though ... honestly i think they would prefer not to but there are not enough jobs

Would you guys recommend not going to hygiene school? My pre reqs are done as of next semester. all As. im thinking of just applying to nursing school. I have been a dental assistant for a year and an oral surgery assistant for 4 years. being in surgery is fun. I have been torn over hygiene or nursing but all that I am reading about not having a job makes me lean away from hygiene. any advice? I live in orange county too if there are no jobs here its got to be pretty bad? is it just the economy? will it get better? help!

spdracerchik in Santa Ana, California said: Would you guys recommend not going to hygiene school? My pre reqs are done as of next semester. all As. im thinking of just applying to nursing school. I have been a dental assistant for a year and an oral surgery assistant for 4 years. being in surgery is fun. I have been torn over hygiene or nursing but all that I am reading about not having a job makes me lean away from hygiene. any advice? I live in orange county too if there are no jobs here its got to be pretty bad? is it just the economy? will it get better? help!

Hi There! I have nothing but nurses in my family but I couldn't tell you about that because I only wanted to clean teeth ;) but I admire them. Anyway, I'm just starting out but I can say the OC will be flooded!(If not the rest of California, and very soon) I graduated from West Coast University and I was in the 1st class. It's accelerated and will be sending out 75 new hygienists a year (I think :/) starting this year. We were the first batch and I'm already frustrated with the almost nonexistent job hunt - I feel like I'm sending resumes into outerspace and they end up where all of our missing socks go - no response! So there is that. As for nursing, I did speak to a nursing student after she graduated and said she's been out a year with no job - but again that's all I can say about that. With nursing it may just be location. I thought that with Hygiene but after applying all over Cali with no word...I would research more! G'luck.

hay_mon in Los Angeles, California said: Hi There! I have nothing but nurses in my family but I couldn't tell you about that because I only wanted to clean teeth ;) but I admire them. Anyway, I'm just starting out but I can say the OC will be flooded!(If not the rest of California, and very soon) I graduated from West Coast University and I was in the 1st class. It's accelerated and will be sending out 75 new hygienists a year (I think :/) starting this year. We were the first batch and I'm already frustrated with the almost nonexistent job hunt - I feel like I'm sending resumes into outerspace and they end up where all of our missing socks go - no response! So there is that. As for nursing, I did speak to a nursing student after she graduated and said she's been out a year with no job - but again that's all I can say about that. With nursing it may just be location. I thought that with Hygiene but after applying all over Cali with no word...I would research more! G'luck.

The difficulty you are having is going on in the whole state unfortunately. I think it may be magnified for you due to the college from which you graduated. I am sure is West Coast has a wonderful clinic.....BUT it has no reputation within the dental community. Many DDS do look at your school of education. West Coast just doesn't have a reputation. Schools such as West Coast, SJVC, Concorde , etc., have contributed in large part to the flooding. I wish you luck in your job hunt.

RDH in Los Angeles, California said: The difficulty you are having is going on in the whole state unfortunately. I think it may be magnified for you due to the college from which you graduated. I am sure is West Coast has a wonderful clinic.....BUT it has no reputation within the dental community. Many DDS do look at your school of education. West Coast just doesn't have a reputation. Schools such as West Coast, SJVC, Concorde , etc., have contributed in large part to the flooding. I wish you luck in your job hunt.

Thanks! Yeah I thought the non-rep would be a downfall as well but so far the two interviews I've had, no one cares about the school that I have been to or the fact that I have a BSDH, they don't even ask and barely glance at my resume (that they never carry copies of, so thus far I've given one to them at the interview). I've also been working in dentistry prior to school and all the dentists I've worked for over the 5 years and their colleagues never asked their hygienists about schooling. For now, all they seem to want is someone experienced who's willing to take low pay. We shall see, I wish you luck as well!

RDH in Los Angeles, California said: The difficulty you are having is going on in the whole state unfortunately. I think it may be magnified for you due to the college from which you graduated. I am sure is West Coast has a wonderful clinic.....BUT it has no reputation within the dental community. Many DDS do look at your school of education. West Coast just doesn't have a reputation. Schools such as West Coast, SJVC, Concorde , etc., have contributed in large part to the flooding. I wish you luck in your job hunt.

I should also say that one of my fellow graduates from West Coast just got hired for $50 an hour permanently at an office, so there's hope for everyone I guess! She works in Pasadena!

I have been a practicing RDH for 20 years. Graduated from a community college program. I work for a community health clinic who depends on state and county funding. Due to changes in health coverage for low-income patients, we are not seeing as many patients. In short, I had my days cut and now am only working 3 days a week. Have I been able to find anything? Negative! I have networked, sent resumes and pounded pavement. What is happening, is that dentists are starting to do hygiene themselves. Also because of the economy, dentist's are not seeing the patient load they used to and have cut down days. It sure doesn't help that these so-called "hygiene schools" are churning out tons of hygienists out there! The dental schools are not increasing the amounts of dentists out there, so the hygiene field is oversaturated. What a mistake! I don't see it gettting any better, only worse. If someone is thinking about getting into hygiene, I would recommend another career choice. It's not the way it used to be.

Although I am on the other side of the nation, the office that I work in has cut me back from 32 hours a week to 18 hours. I start another office for one day a week for 6 hours, on Monday. I have been a full time hygienist at one office for 9 years. This is very discouraging...I recently had a senior in high school ask me about dental hygiene as a profession, sadly to say, I tried to discourage her. I have talked to dentists, and they have told me that they continuely recieve random resumes from newly graduated students that have not been able to find any employment and are working in resturaunts to get by.. They are desperatly just sending out resumes trying to find something!!! I truly love what I do, but right now it is not a profession that I would recommend to anyone.

hay_mon in Los Angeles, California said: It's accelerated and will be sending out 75 new hygienists a year (I think :/) starting this year.

75 grads a year? Where do they all go?

Cerritos College grad in Placentia, California said: 75 grads a year? Where do they all go?

into a already flooded job market that doesn't improve thanks to these mills that keep opening up. But don't say that to certain people on this board....they are sure these schools are a benefit and helping out our profession.

I'm from California and was debating on going back to undergrad to dental hygiene school or stay in the master's program I am currently doing. I ultimately want to become a dentist but struggling so far. If I ever practice as a general dentist, I would hire a dental hygienist. I was just accepted in the accelerated UOP dental hygiene program in Stockton, CA (supposedly one of the best?), and have to make my decision in two weeks. I was thinking of going into dental hygiene as a stepping stone and for work while I continue to apply to dental school, but after reading all over these forums, it seems that there are no jobs for hygienists in California. It'll set me back over $100k once I get out (I get no federal aid since I already have a BS), but I have no idea how I could possibly pay that back if the market is so bad.

Dentalist in Newark, New Jersey said: It'll set me back over $100k once I get out (I get no federal aid since I already have a BS), but I have no idea how I could possibly pay that back if the market is so bad.

$100k debt to become a hygienist or a dentist?

enamel pearl in Newport Beach, California said: Qualified RDH: ditto and AMEN to the comment about PDS too bad too many rdhs sell out to them though ... honestly i think they would prefer not to but there are not enough jobs

If you are still looking for a hygienist job please email me your resume. I also worked for PDS while back. The Doctors I work for now are great. portoladental@live.com

Chrissy

I have had the same experience on the east coast! There are very few hygiene jobs available now. You should keep applying but maybe look into another career during this recession. I am looking for other careers because I have been working very few hours since I graduated hygiene school in 2008!