I would volunteer at one of our local shelters educating and helping people to understand the importance of having great oral health.
Another role would be developing a relationship with my patient, be organized and use time management.
I would encourage and assist the individual with personal care, cooking, administering medication, stoma care, cleaning and laundry. I also carry out home visits for Care Plan and Risk Assessments. My duties are varied and I am required to assess,…
As the Care Team Coordinator/Scheduler for Gentiva Health Services I have multiple job functions. I receive and enter data for new and current patients and employee records. I create, maintain and update the clinician’s schedules according to patient’s needs. I also maintain clinician availability. I am the point of contact for all interactions with clinical team members, administrators, referral sources, and the patients. I prepare clinical records for new patients upon receipt of referral. I complete administrative review of clinical records at start of care and upon discharge. I file incoming documents daily. I maintain a control procedure for patient files. I also maintain a tracking system to ensure clinical records are current according to company policy.…
It is time for your yearly check up at the dentist to clean and polish your teeth. How do you react? Are you scared to go? You may be thinking about your last trip to the dentist where they poked and picked you with needles. They left you with your teeth hurting and gums swollen. They may have even had to give you a shot in your gums to numb your mouth and you couldn’t talk without spitting everywhere. You are dreading this trip and don’t want to go. You ask yourself, “Is this really going to help me?” Even though going to the dentist may be painful, it does keep your mouth healthy, which is important to live a healthy life. This is what dental hygienist do. Dental hygienists keep patients teeth and gums clean, access patient’s…
My role now is to give personal care to all the residents. We assist with their mouth care, washing either done in bed or getting out and having a shower or bath and grooming. Some clients have catheter bags, so I have to empty these as well, also, some clients have specific creams they have applied after washing and some have wounds that I need to check making sure that the dressing is clean and tidy, if not then we need to get a nurse to re-do them. I make sure that whilst doing personal care that the client is treated with dignity i.e.- curtains are remained closed and the door is shut. I then assist with dressing the client, some clients can move independently or for those who cannot we use hoists or serita’s- which is a standing hoist. I have to make sure I use the right sling for the individual to hoist them into their wheelchairs or chairs, we also have handling belts for those able to weight bear. Each time you leave a client’s room when you have finished you must dispose of your gloves in the yellow bins provided and wash your hands and make sure any saturated pads are put into an outer bag and into the yellow bins. If you are doing any personal care to a client with MRSA or any infectious disease then you must always use ppe i.e. gloves and aprons and masks which you dispose of in an…
For an advice, being a dental hygienist is a great job to have. It’s good for those who want to enjoy life and have a family and at the same time have a great job to help others. Therefore, if anyone plans to b a hygienist, plan to get good grades and good understanding of materials, so you can use them later on in their career path. Besides the fact that it takes only two years of education, it’s important to understand that dental hygienist is not an easy job at all. It requires different skills to be professional at…
Thank you for a great post. As a hygienist, I can see that we will keep on learning for the rest of our lives. It is great that you have a mentor to help you learn and fit into the new work environment. I do believe that it is important to be open minded and adapt to different environment because as hygienist, we see a lot of patients in one day and we have to learn about them as a whole to be able to give them the best treatment. I also believe that we can always learn something new and it is critical for us to stay on top of all the current information.…
There is a stigmatism in treating individuals with HIV/AIDS but these individuals deserve compassionate oral care. A dental hygienist has an ethical responsibility to provide such care. If students have more knowledge of HIV/AIDS, the less anxiety they may have in treating such patients. Although transmission of infectious disease may be rare in the dental setting, it is important for the dental hygienist to be knowledgeable about infection control and to follow the CDC standard precautions when treating patients with bloodborne diseases. Some infection controls include routine handwashing, proper sterilization and use of instruments, use of personal protective equipment (e.g. protective gloves, eyewear, apparel, and masks). As dental hygienists, we must regard all patients as potentially infectious to prevent cross infection to other patients and dental…
As a dental hygienist you must be prepared for the busy day that lies ahead. From the moment you get to work until the time you leave you are always busy with patients. While talking to a dental hygienist, of 24 years, I found out they have many roles during the day. As they go through their busy day they might have a couple of difficult things to deal with.…
It says a dental hygienist should demonstrate appropriate caring towards patients and respect professional boundaries. They must have the understanding of providing safe and effective patient-centered care in an ethical manner and applying the knowledge of scientific, clinical and technical skills…
You must be able to understand what the person requires, act on it from the initial information until the matter is concluded, pass on the information to the relevant person/s to ensure the patient’s needs are met, this process takes time to have faith in your colleagues, to challenge them if you feel the right information or task has not been acted on correctly, it takes time to build these relationships, it is a learning process and knowledge can be gained for the benefit of all concerned. The more you get involved in communication, meetings and discussions the better for all it will get you out of some awkward situations, and avoid arguments.…
A dental hygienist is a licensed member of the dental health team. The main purpose of a dental hygienist is to help patients maintain good oral health and prevent gum disease. Job duties and tasks vary from state to state. Typical duties allowed in the state of Florida under general supervision (dentist needs to authorize prior to services but need not be present) of a dentist include:…
Other options to work as a clinician can be in community clinics, hospitals, schools, prison facilities, nursing homes, and university dental clinics. According to adha.org, " Dental hygienists in a clinical role assess, diagnose, plan, implement, evaluate and document treatment for prevention, intervention and control of oral diseases, while practicing in collaboration with other health professionals"(adha,2017). Education requirement is usually an associate's degree. According to adha.org, the corporate career path is described as, "Corporate dental hygienists are employed by companies that support the oral health industry through the sale of products and services. Leaders throughout the dental industry often employ dental hygienists due to their clinical experience and understanding of dental practice. Examples of corporate positions include: Sales representatives, product researchers, corporate educators, and corporate admini strators"(adha,2017 ). Next is public health as another optional career path. According to adha.org, " Community Health programs are typically funded by government or nonprofit organizations. These positions often offer an opportunity to provide care to those who otherwise would not have access to dental care. Examples of public health opportunities include a variety of roles and settings: Clinicians, Administrators, Researchers, State Public Health Officer, Community Clinic Administrator, Indian Health Service, Head Start programs, Local health departments, National Health Service Corps, School sealant programs, and Rural or inner city community clinics"(adha,2017). Another common career option is education. According to adha.org," Dental Hygiene educators are in great demand. Colleges and universities throughout the U. S. require dental hygiene instructors who use educational theory and methodology to educate competent oral health care…
Admission to dental school is highly competitive. Generally speaking, a degree in dentistry requires four academic years of study. The first two years usually cover the basic sciences and the last two years, diagnosing oral disease, surgery, and clinical study. At the completion of the curriculum, students are awarded either a DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) or DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) degree.…
Having braces taught me what foods I can eat and what bubblegum I can and cannot chew but beyond that it has shown me to further explore a future in dental hygiene. Some things you can do as a dental hygienist is clean and remove plaque from teeth, educate others about the importance of caring for your oral health which is the gateway to a person’s overall health. Becoming a dental hygienist professionally requires you to obtain an associate degree in dental hygiene. They affect the average American by educating them about dental care. And their earnings depend on where they work, and the amount of time worked.…
Today, not that many people are decided on what they want to become as they mature in…