OT: Better profession- Dental Hygiene or Registered Nurse??

[npmommie]

Nursing would be in more demand now, and there is no guarantee that dental hygienists work only four days. If you got into nursing at a hospital, you would be the one with the lowest seniority, so expect to work overnights, weekends, and holidays. Many dentists keep emergency hours, too -- but not like hospitals!

Nursing is more "recession-proof" because a dentist can do everything a hygienist can do with a properly trained assistant.

I always wanted to be an RN, but I make the same now as a teacher and love my job. I just can't see me starting at the bottom, kwim?

Good luck with your decision.

Yes you will be low in seniority but that doesn't mean you would have to work 11-7.........if you take a day job or an evening job...........if you work 8 hour shifts the usual rotation is every other weekend and every other holiday.
the 12 hour shifts its usually every 3rd weekend.......at least that is how it is where I worked.

Your best bet would be to call the hospital and ask the if you can job shadow a RN for a shift. I would do the same with the dental Hygenist by calling your dentist office and explaining to them that you are interested in this field but would love to job shadow. This may give you more answers then anyone on the DIS boards could ever give by seeing it first hand. With that being said, I am a LPN, being a nurse is rewarding but can be very stressful. I would like to go back someday for my RN but I need to wait until my three little kids are in school. Another thing to look at is there an actual job shortage in your area for nurses. There is no longer in my area and all the nurses graduating is struggling to find jobs.

Good Luck with the decision and schooling.

this is a great idea but with privacy and all, I am not sure a hospital is going to just let someone come in and shadow one of the nurses for the day.........even if one agreed to let someone shadow them

There's some good insight here, Thanks!

Around the area that I live now, you cannot find a Dental office that is open on Fridays! But we plan to move to Florida (between Tampa and Orland) so I have no idea about those areas. I will have a Bachelor's of Science before I ever enter either program. At my university, they offer an accelerated RN program for people already holding a degree, so in 1 year I could be an RN. I'm not sure of a waiting list here for that. That Hygiene schools that I'm looking at in Florida don't have waiting lists. If you don't get in when you apply, it starts all over. They are all 2 year programs for that.

I will definitely go and shadow each one. I was just hoping to hear views of people actually in those professions to give me a better assessment of what I'd be getting in to.

I've been so stressed about it. They both seem like good fields to get into.

If you work for a hospital as an RN, how is the schedule? Is it 12 hour shifts? Do you ever get weekends off? Do you have a choice of how many days per week to work?

Thanks to everyone!

you may be able to get the course work done in a year, but with clinical time I am guessing you are looking at closer to 2 years til you get done. there is most likely a wait list to start.

I will be graduating with my RN in May. The program I am in requires you to get your LPN license and then your RN (3 semesters for LPN and two for RN). The good thing about nursing is you can work in SO many areas. If you find you don't like working at a hospital there is no reason to stay, there are so many other jobs. At the hosptial in my town you can work 12 hour or 8 hour shifts. Yes, you will have to work some holidays.

so yes my vote is for RN too. You will have flexibility, high pay, the option to work in many areas, and you can usually get your schedule to fit your family life.
around here the average pay is about $50 an hour.........so the pay is good.
You will never be without a job

you can also go further. like a masters deg to be an NP or go on for nurse anesthetist if you are interested in that. or midwifery too.

many options. I say go for it!

 

[mommybrown]

I am a currently unemployed dental hygienist. I moved to a new state in August, due to a job change for DH. I have been a hygienist for 10 years and have never been w/o a job- until now!! I too was in your shoes and was torn between dental hygiene & nursing. I job shadowed in both careers and made my choice.

I chose hygiene due to the flexible hours, no holidays, and a lower stress level. Pay has been excellent and I have worked for very generous Dentists. I still love my career and I am still happy about my job choice. I have been able to sub in different offices over the last few months.

I am lucky to be in a situation where I do not need to work but still choose to on a part time basis. I know that where I live there is ample RN jobs. If you think that dental hygiene is for you - please look into the job prospects. Dental Hygiene is still listed as one of the highest paid associate degrees and one of the fastest growing careers. I know that the economy is making my job search difficult!!
Good Luck to you in your decision. If you have any specific questions you can PM me.

 

[momxx5]

I think RN has more benefits in the long run.

Around here the hospitals offer "signing bonuses" to RNs in certain fields. Like ICU and Pes, etc. We live within 30 minutes of 3 teaching hospitals, all with new Women's Hospitals and Children's Hospitals. A work schedule of 24 hours qualifies as full time with full benefits.

Many moms I know work part time on the weekends so their hubby is home with the kids while they work, or they work the overnight shifts. Some of my neighbors work at the hospital. One is a Heart ICU and gets paid more because of her specialty. She has had offers w/incentives from other hospitals but she is almost over-qualified for certain jobs and she likes being closer to the kids.

Some RNs work only in Dr. offices and those hour are more set and have alternating holiday/weekend schedules. Again I know some because their kids are in my children's class at school. They seem very happy with their jobs.

As for D Hygenist, those jobs are harder to get in this area. Our dentist retired(due to health reasons) and sold his practice. Well in the beginning it was all fine and we were happy working with the new dentists keeping our regular hygenist, but now they are in a new, bigger building, have twice as many hygenist, the rooms have an open feeling....like I want the guy next to me hearing all about my mouth?!?! Back to my point, this office is now open on Fridays and has 2 nights a week with extended evening hours. They also seem to be pushing more products and treatments. It is really changed the place and it has lost the personal touch.

Good luck and I'm sure you'll pick what feels right.

 

[neatokimmo]

Just read in our local paper that 330,000 RNs are needed every year and there are only 300,000 graduates. Plus the retiree spots aren't being filled.

Here, an RN is paid more than double of what a hygienist is. But the shifts are 12 hours, 3 days a week (I am considering nursing school too, it is a 2 year program because I already have a degree).

 

[MK2thcleaner]

I'm a hygienist. I love my job. I chose it because the college advisor said, "they make like $25 an hour and work flexible hours." Truth be told, that is not a good reason to pick a job, but I had a little one and wanted to get out of school as soon as possible to start making money to support him. Even though I made the choice for the wrong reason, I did make the right choice. I believe fate led me to this profession. It truly is what I was meant to do. I believe the best hygienists are those who have a high attention to detail, like people, possess good communication skills and are very consciencious (sp).

Pros:
*I have my own schedule independent of the dentist
*long lasting friendships and connections with patients
*ability to administer local anesthetic and nitrous oxide
*flexible schedule
*hygienists in Colorado can have their own private hygiene practice
*many states are changing the scope of practice for hygienists and allowing them to have their own hygiene practice in schools and nursing homes
*the general idea that you're doing basically the same thing with most patients.

cons
*lack of employer sponsored health insurance in smaller practices
*lack of employer funded retirement plans in smaller practices
*difficulty finding a job in saturated areas, those with hygiene schools
*many states are allowing dental assistants to do some things that hygienists were previously only allowed to do. This means that some dentists are not hiring hygienists because they can pay an asst. less. Generally however, these dentists are ones you probably wouldn't want to work for anyway
*body mechanics, or lack there of, can up the chances of carpal tunnel, low back and neck problems
*license portability is lacking compared to nursing. Florida, California and Hawaii all require retaking at least one board exam. Most other states allow some type of licensure by credentials with a stipulation in regards to years of practice.
*the general idea that you're doing basically the same thing with most patients


Options
public health including schools, community clinics, prisons and nursing homes
teaching
company rep
pediatric dentistry
general dentistry
periodontology- gum specialty

I agree with a previous poster. Shadow someone in each profession for at least half a day, though several different days would be best to get a good overall idea of job requirements. HIPAA should not prevent you from being able to do this. I believe this is the only way to get a good idea about the responsibilities of each.

Good Luck!

 

[kgle]

this is a great idea but with privacy and all, I am not sure a hospital is going to just let someone come in and shadow one of the nurses for the day.........even if one agreed to let someone shadow them


you may be able to get the course work done in a year, but with clinical time I am guessing you are looking at closer to 2 years til you get done. there is most likely a wait list to start.



so yes my vote is for RN too. You will have flexibility, high pay, the option to work in many areas, and you can usually get your schedule to fit your family life.
around here the average pay is about $50 an hour.........so the pay is good.
You will never be without a job

you can also go further. like a masters deg to be an NP or go on for nurse anesthetist if you are interested in that. or midwifery too.

many options. I say go for it!

I don't know about where you live, but every single hospital in my city offers a shadowing program. I have already shadowed in L&D (which was absolutely awesome). They had to of course inform the patient before I came with them. It was a great experience!

My vote is RN, mainly because that is what my major is/will be. I will say though, $50 is not what most people will start out at. Straight out of nursing school, from what I have read, nurses make between $21 and $30 (or more) and its mainly dependent upon which shift and if there is a shift diff.

I agree with someone else who said not to do it if its not something you REALLY want to do. Everyone I have talked to has said that. Its a LOT of hard work in nursing school and it takes up all of your time, but as my mom has told me, its totally worth it...IF you love what you do! Good luck!

 

[kwilliamsrn]

I love being a nurse, so my vote is for that, but also because there are so many different options, being a nurse does not mean you have to be in hosp. or dr's office. consulting, insurance co. chart review, etc...

I love L&D too but it is not always wonderful, a bad day in L&D is not something I would wish on my worst enemy, but I wouldn't give it up for the world.

Hey where does everyone live that is making 50/hr. I live in northeast one of the highest paid, I want to move.

 

[kgle]

I love being a nurse, so my vote is for that, but also because there are so many different options, being a nurse does not mean you have to be in hosp. or dr's office. consulting, insurance co. chart review, etc...

I love L&D too but it is not always wonderful, a bad day in L&D is not something I would wish on my worst enemy, but I wouldn't give it up for the world.

Hey where does everyone live that is making 50/hr. I live in northeast one of the highest paid, I want to move.

I want to move there too!

 

[MagicalMom]

I would check to make sure there is a true nursing shortage in your area first. Here there is a long waiting list to get into school, everyone and their sister wants to be a nurse right now. I have no idea where these graduates think they are going to work. My hospital hires a couple of new nurses a year. I know of other hospitals in my area that have had recent periods of hiring freezes. I have never believed there in the nursing shortage, just a shortage in nurses willing to work full time. I'm quite happy working part time and making 50,000.00 a yr. There is no way I could work full time. I love my job, but it takes me days to recover from a stressed-filled 12 hour shift. We do primary care at my hospital (I believe the true shortage is the nursing assistant) and often provide total care for 5 - 6 patients on our own. This includes bathing, changing, assessments, meds, charting, vitals, feeding, ambulating, reading tele strips, I & Os, calling drs, Ugh, sometimes just a discharge medrec can take an hour. LOL, sorry, it was a long day at work today. Again, I love my job but honestly sometimes a 12 hour shift is not enough time to get my job fininshed. Anyways, my point is to just be sure there are openings in your area for new grads. Good luck in whatever you decide!

 

[jwwi]

Nursing, hands down. So much variety in job opportunities. I work as an RNFA, which means I work in both the office and OR. Great continuity of care for our patients. (From a RN with 20+ years of experience.)

 

[Tink-aholic]

I read once that dentists have the highest rate of job-related HIV and hepatitis, presumably from working in people's mouths with sharp instruments. This fact would also affect a dental hygienist, too. Gloves don't stop sharp teeth!

 

[kwilliamsrn]

don't get me wrong we are paid very well but not 50/hour especially for a new grad, lived in GA and FLA and was not making anthing close to what I am back home in New York.
Almost half, which was crazy, I was ten times busier delivering babies in GA then I am now making double. With half the lawsuits now, I definately got better end of the deal here.

 

[kwilliamsrn]

I would check to make sure there is a true nursing shortage in your area first. Here there is a long waiting list to get into school, everyone and their sister wants to be a nurse right now. I have no idea where these graduates think they are going to work. My hospital hires a couple of new nurses a year. I know of other hospitals in my area that have had recent periods of hiring freezes. I have never believed there in the nursing shortage, just a shortage in nurses willing to work full time. I'm quite happy working part time and making 50,000.00 a yr. There is no way I could work full time. I love my job, but it takes me days to recover from a stressed-filled 12 hour shift. We do primary care at my hospital (I believe the true shortage is the nursing assistant) and often provide total care for 5 - 6 patients on our own. This includes bathing, changing, assessments, meds, charting, vitals, feeding, ambulating, reading tele strips, I & Os, calling drs, Ugh, sometimes just a discharge medrec can take an hour. LOL, sorry, it was a long day at work today. Again, I love my job but honestly sometimes a 12 hour shift is not enough time to get my job fininshed. Anyways, my point is to just be sure there are openings in your area for new grads. Good luck in whatever you decide!

very true. It is extreamly difficult to get into nursing school these days. My girlfriend has been a LPN for at least ten years now and it took her a while to get into a program. I am glad I did it a long time ago when we were in a true shortage and they took anyone with a pulse, or anyone who would enter, since there weren't many and even then we gradutated with half of what we started with.
And every area is different. If you are willing to do the grunt work for a while "nights" you can always find a job, then once you get some years under your belt you can go perdiem at different hospitals and make double what the full timers make and work less.

 

[kardut]

I'm a second-career RN and I agree that it's a great field, but it has to be something you really want to do and have a calling for. The school itself isn't easy (particularly if it's an abbreviated 1-year program...though I can't imagine having to learn everything you need to learn in one year). If you make it through school, you'll still have to pass boards, which are also challenging. The responsibility that rests on you is amazing..you miss something on an assessment and it can mean life or death....or a lawsuit and/or loss of your license. It's a very physically, emotionally and intellectually demanding job...not at all how it's portrayed on TV. And the paperwork....

That said, there is a lot of flexibility in the career, whether you work in a hospital, Drs office, insurance company or whatever (or at Disney for that matter!) It has good pay and job security, depending upon where you live. And the emotional rewards are priceless. Just can't emphasize enough that it's definitely not a career field you go into for the $$ or flexibility. Good luck

 

[MK2thcleaner]

I read once that dentists have the highest rate of job-related HIV and hepatitis, presumably from working in people's mouths with sharp instruments. This fact would also affect a dental hygienist, too. Gloves don't stop sharp teeth!

I'd like to see facts on this. I don't know a single dental professional that has contracted HIV or hep from a patient! Here's a study out of Canada:

Among nurses, more than 8 percent said they had been exposed to a patient's HIV-contaminated blood, either through a cut, needle stick or blood splashing into their eyes, nose or mouth. Close to 1 percent of surgeons, and about 0.5 percent of dental hygienists and dentists, respectively, reported they had been exposed to HIV within the previous year. The chance of infection from such exposures is 0.3 percent, previous research suggests.

Now, if you said that dentists have a higher rate of suicide, I might believe that.

 

[MagicalMom]

I read once that dentists have the highest rate of job-related HIV and hepatitis, presumably from working in people's mouths with sharp instruments. This fact would also affect a dental hygienist, too. Gloves don't stop sharp teeth!

They don't stop sharp needles either.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'm an RN.

I will have a Bachelor's of Science before I ever enter either program. At my university, they offer an accelerated RN program for people already holding a degree, so in 1 year I could be an RN.

I think this is a great option. I doubt there would be a huge waiting list.

I agree with npmommie about shadowing, where I work we can't because of liability and HIPPA concerns. I've tried to bring in some young people I know who were considering nursing as a career before and no-go. So each institution must have its own policy.

I think either career path is a good one. They are just very different. My dental hygienist and I discuss this a lot. I can't speak for what dental hygienists do, but what I observe, at least in the several practices we've used, is that they have a generally pretty pleasant working atmosphere, a regular schedule, sometimes with part time hours, and good pay.

I can definitely speak to what being an RN is like. (In fact, I could probably write a book, but that's for another day.) I've worked in large teaching hospitals for 25 years, currently at my present job for 21. I've worked with a lot of different nurses over the years at all levels. I spent years working full time, but now enjoy part time hours with decent pay. This comes with longevity, thankfully.

Nursing is like a calling. Those who go into it "for the money" will be disappointed. It's not easy work and the rewards are few and far between. Schedules aren't always great, especially around holidays, and in hospitals, at least, you may be lucky to get a break over a 12 hour shift. Patients and coworkers don't always treat you well. Services that are put into place in hospitals to help you take care of patients often don't work. Everyone has excuses, but the buck stops with you. You are the one responsible for seeing the patient gets what he or she needs, however you have to do that, and it may not always be pleasant. You may have to go searching for something yourself, argue with other team members, put yourself in harm's way, improvise, work short staffed, you name it. It can wear you down. Sure there are overtime hours available, but you don't want to do too many or burnout will rear it's ugly head. That's the nature of the job.

I love my job, but it takes me days to recover from a stressed-filled 12 hour shift.

Exactly.

OTOH, you will do all this because it's what the patient needs. That patient may take your hand and tell you you made a difference. It could be more profound, like "thank god you were here today". And you know they mean it. I had a very difficult patient recently and his family told me that I was just what he needed. That meant a lot. A good clue in to me on whether I've done a good job is being asked if I'm coming in tomorrow and hearing "good" if I say yes, or "aww" if I say no. Yup, those are our rewards.

I love being a nurse and so do the vast majority of my coworkers. They continue to impress me every working shift. But these are people who went into it for the right reasons: to help people. Those in it for the wrong reasons are perpetually unhappy, and their attitude affects the whole atmosphere. Fortunately, they don't stick around too long. I still look forward to going to work. Although it's stressful when I'm there, I enjoy it.

One piece of advice I would give is to be careful, if you choose a hospital to work in, to work for a really good one. They are not all alike. Some hospitals treat their nurses poorly. I worked in one briefly and thought I'd made a mistake in career choice. But once I went elsewhere, I was happy. Don't stand for not being treated with respect. It's busy in every hospital - as others have said, acuity has gone way up. But you can deal with that as long as you have an administration that supports the work you do.

 

[npmommie]

LOL, yes I should clarify, you will NOT make $50 an hour as a new grad.........no. but Like i said, my experience is a city major teaching hospital, with a nurses union, and a great pay scale
and yes it is back breaking HARD work! part of why I went back to school for MSN degree, to work as an NP.......which is also hard work, in its own way. very demanding. when kids came along, I went per diem. which I still do as RN and NP.

 

[rluey29]

I thought this would be an easier decision once I heard everyone's opinions but I was wrong. I think I may even be more stressed about choosing the wrong career. I do love getting the opinions though. It has given me several new things to think about.