Are you paid when your patient does not show up to the appointment?

I have a little issue at work. When I was applying for the dental hygienist position at the general dental practice I asked the dentist if I would be paid if my patient does not show up. The dentist replied that I would be paid for scheduled hours 8-5, minus one hour for lunch.
Well, I have no show once in a while, and now my dentist tells me that I have to take a break.
Guys, what is happening in your office when you have no show?

Hi Lori
well, I work at 2 different offices but none of them duct my hours if patient no show or even an empty schedule. One Dr.pays me 8 hrs day even i left early or take 2 hr lunch if patient cancel (ofcourse I have to make sure the assisstant doesn't need me pour the models or bag instrument...and Dr doesn't need any help before I left). The other Dr. requires clock in and out and will duct me if I l left the office even 5 min when I finished my last patient early and I won't get pay extra if I stay overtime. He pays 8 hrs if I stay in the office and help around (but I always left early if last pt cancel to save him $ :).
So, keep yourself busy on a slow day and be productive on a busy day because on a long run your Dr. will see value in you and will not treat you like that. If you do everything and he still ducts your hour due to noshow then quietly find another job and move on.

Tuyet Nhi in Westminster, California said: Hi Lori
well, I work at 2 different offices but none of them duct my hours if patient no show or even an empty schedule. One Dr.pays me 8 hrs day even i left early or take 2 hr lunch if patient cancel (ofcourse I have to make sure the assisstant doesn't need me pour the models or bag instrument...and Dr doesn't need any help before I left). The other Dr. requires clock in and out and will duct me if I l left the office even 5 min when I finished my last patient early and I won't get pay extra if I stay overtime. He pays 8 hrs if I stay in the office and help around (but I always left early if last pt cancel to save him $ :).
So, keep yourself busy on a slow day and be productive on a busy day because on a long run your Dr. will see value in you and will not treat you like that. If you do everything and he still ducts your hour due to noshow then quietly find another job and move on.

Tuyet Nhi,
Thank you for your reply. I like that you are so optimistic.
I also have two part-time dental hygiene positions. Unfortunately, as a part-timer, I do not get any benefits. My health insurance is going up and utility bills are rising. So, I am really dependent on my hourly wages. I am trying to be positive. May be, as you said, it will pay off in the future :)

Lori in Seattle, Washington said: I have a little issue at work. When I was applying for the dental hygienist position at the general dental practice I asked the dentist if I would be paid if my patient does not show up. The dentist replied that I would be paid for scheduled hours 8-5, minus one hour for lunch.
Well, I have no show once in a while, and now my dentist tells me that I have to take a break.
Guys, what is happening in your office when you have no show?

Hi Lori, Before I got laid-off, our office, expected us to re-stock our rooms with hygiene supplies, scrub our instruments, bag them, and take them to the autoclave, file charts for the front desk, and do recall. Say, I wanted to ask you, are there hygiene job opportunites in Washington. A family member of mine knows someone in Oregon who is the wife of a dentist. The person in Oregon suggests that I move to Oregon or Washington where hygiene jobs are plentiful and pay up to $40. an hour. Is this true? And, are hygiene office dynamics any nicer on the west coast than here in Illinois? Thanks.

RDH Chicago in Chicago, Illinois said: Hi Lori, Before I got laid-off, our office, expected us to re-stock our rooms with hygiene supplies, scrub our instruments, bag them, and take them to the autoclave, file charts for the front desk, and do recall. Say, I wanted to ask you, are there hygiene job opportunites in Washington. A family member of mine knows someone in Oregon who is the wife of a dentist. The person in Oregon suggests that I move to Oregon or Washington where hygiene jobs are plentiful and pay up to $40. an hour. Is this true? And, are hygiene office dynamics any nicer on the west coast than here in Illinois? Thanks.

Hi there,
Thanks for your reply. Actually, I never worked in Illinois. So, I cannot give you a valid answer.
As for the salary, as a new grad I started at $40/hour. Now I make $42/hour (I have 2 years of experience). I have heard that hygienists with a lot of experience are making around $50/hour here. There is a lot of work here. You can check Indeed web site or Craig's List for Washington. I think there are about 2-5 new adds per day. Let me know if you have more questions.

Lori in Seattle, Washington said: I have a little issue at work. When I was applying for the dental hygienist position at the general dental practice I asked the dentist if I would be paid if my patient does not show up. The dentist replied that I would be paid for scheduled hours 8-5, minus one hour for lunch.
Well, I have no show once in a while, and now my dentist tells me that I have to take a break.
Guys, what is happening in your office when you have no show?

Sad but true, some Dr.'s DO this!!!!!!!!!!! I'd look into another Dr.'s office, this guy(?) sounds cheap!!! Alot of Dr.'s want to keep the money for themselves, and don't care that you count on your paycheck to be consistent on a regular basis!

Hi BM,
Thanks for your input. I am going to look for another job, but with recession it is not going to be easy.

I think you should tell your dr. how much you like your job there, remind him of the discussion you had at your interview about pay and then with the most sincere tone you can muster, ask if the practice is in trouble. If it isn't he's going to have a hard time justifying telling you to take a break from the clock. Also, do your research on how much you alone are producing him a day or week. Then as a last resort, be polite and ask him to please tell the other staff that he has requested you to leave with no-shows because you don't want the girls to get the wrong idea that you don't have to be a team player and help sterilize, stock, file ect. He won't want to do that I guarantee you. If you have to clock out, get in your car and leave! Even if it's a block away. Don't let him see you standing around. Then get back right in time for the next pt. Don't get back 10 min early. Be set-up beforehand and walk in at the same time once or twice. Then be cheerful and get to work. Good luck!

Lori in Seattle, Washington said: Hi BM,
Thanks for your input. I am going to look for another job, but with recession it is not going to be easy.

Hi Lori, Hang in there! This recession and schools accepting too many applicants, etc... doesn't make sense but schools and many Dentists count on the all mighty dollar. Network yourself as much as your schedule allows: Calling cards, meeting the Office Manager's (remember their and other personnel names), contact Dr.'s you've worked for in the past and let them know you're available as a fill-in (last minute or you can be called til ie-10pm.... This economy **** ( fill in what you like), try to stay positive!

BM in Raymond, New Hampshire said: Hi Lori, Hang in there! This recession and schools accepting too many applicants, etc... doesn't make sense but schools and many Dentists count on the all mighty dollar. Network yourself as much as your schedule allows: Calling cards, meeting the Office Manager's (remember their and other personnel names), contact Dr.'s you've worked for in the past and let them know you're available as a fill-in (last minute or you can be called til ie-10pm.... This economy **** ( fill in what you like), try to stay positive!

Thanks BM,
Your advice is very helpful. Being positive, I think, is very important in the work of a dental hygienist.

Hi Lori Before I got terminated after working at an office for 6 years, I was expected to clock out anytime there was not a patient in the chair. Somedays it was 5hrs out of a 8hr. day. It really wasn't fair since I had no control over what the schedule would bring and some weeks it cut my paycheck almost in half. Hang in there I would talk to the dentist and see what he says, I worked for a corporation so they really didn't care. I had offered to cut my hours and my days but they wanted a fulltime hygienist but then expected me to punch out whenever it was convienient for them. Good luck.

I commented earlier, but I would like to add that I spoke to an office manager friend of mine and she has a unique situation. In her office, the hygienist was having so much down time and being asked to clock out that she went to the dr and threw a fit about needing her money as much as anybody else. She suggested he have the the front desk clock out too as they are the ones who do the scheduling and she cannot control if no one calls for an appt or fails. He took her up on it and now they are all going through what hygienists are made to do and it's not pleasant. Dr. told them they need to work harder at keeping his and her schedule filled. So they are rebelling by not staying in the office to answer the phone, going outside to smoke or run next door to McDonalds. She's looking for another job, but not any out there.

Lori in Seattle, Washington said: Hi BM,
Thanks for your input. I am going to look for another job, but with recession it is not going to be easy.

Good luck Lori! Think positive. Watch out for some of the Bloggers online, they get nasty when you let them know the employment situation in the State that you live in.

i have one question i am a new student in county college i want to know if it is hard to fine a dental hygiene job around then nurse job.

i just start my college i have no idea how it is going to be. i am so confuse my self. should i chose dental hygiene or nursing

Talk to the college and see if you can find out how many grads from the previous couple of classes are employed and where. Many colleges keep track of that for marketing their programs. Also, get on the phone and just call some local dental offices and see if they are accepting resumes. Are there any ads in your local paper? Look on Indeed.com, simplyhired.com, or careerbuilder.com. They have hygiene jobs and then look at the nursing jobs on the same sites. Maybe this will help.