WRITING ARTICLE ON UNHAPPY HYGIENISTS--NEED INPUT

Hello all! I'm in the process of writing an article concerning the terrible situation of affairs for hygienists and need input concerning the following: regrets for having chosen the profession, experiences you've had at work, in school, with boards, dentists, job-seeking, why you're leaving the profession or thinking about it, and anything else you wish to share. You must agree to let me use your name and quote you in the article if I choose your story. You will be notified of exactly what would appear in the final draft before submission to the editor. The article will impart the feelings of disappointment, distress, and despair caused by attempting to make hygiene a career only to face unemployment, financial woes, and other unforeseen obstacles. I want to hear your stories!

Please e-mail me your experiences & feelings at: kelly.taylor.rdh@gmail.com and I will reply to all. I will need your name, your city, and how long you've been a hygienist.

Thank you!

LOL! I've been in the dental hygiene profession for over 25 years and have so many stories that I should probably be writing my own book!

I've been in it just as long, Suzy. I know what you mean.

Hi there. I am an RDH. I will not give you my name though because there is no reason this can't be anonymous. If you ask on a dental hygiene forum then and people are so specific then you can assume it is the truth and you don't need names. Naming hygienists can just get them fired/ in trouble in their profession and no hygienist can risk losing her job right now.
regrets for having chosen the profession: would be because there is no work and the offices who really take time on each patient (1 hour per patient) are rare to find because no hygienist leaves those good jobs
experiences you've had at work, in school, with boards, dentists, job-seeking, why you're leaving the profession or thinking about it: Would be in school it was tough. Just like nursing school is considered difficult. I worked my butt off to graduate and then when I did I discovered very few jobs available. Many dentists do not offer any benefits, not even health insurance which is awful when we work in health care and are at risk of getting illnesses and blood diseases from working on patients. The dentist and office should care that all their hygienists have health insurance to get the needed vaccines for their health. I am thinking about going into another field only because I can't find enough work and I seem to only find jobs that are production based (meaning clean as many patient's teeth in a given time frame and I don't have the time to really be thorough and talk with the patient about their health). Also dental hygiene is bad on the back. We don't SIT in chairs we have to lean forward and after a while it takes a toll on the back and neck. People all assume we are kicking back in chairs like an office worker might be able to. But when you are working on another person you have to really LEAN in and hold your arms out all the time. I can't rest my arms on anything while working.

RDHCJ in Boston, Massachusetts said: Hi there. I am an RDH. I will not give you my name though because there is no reason this can't be anonymous. If you ask on a dental hygiene forum then and people are so specific then you can assume it is the truth and you don't need names. Naming hygienists can just get them fired/ in trouble in their profession and no hygienist can risk losing her job right now.

It would be first name only and name of the state. This is anonymous enough and what the editor wants.