Career Paths
Rochell D Rodriguez
Coastal Bend College
A registered dental hygienist not only cleans, examines, and provide preventive care but they also educate. The career also allows for other career paths. This includes, private practice as a clinician being the most popular work place for the dental hygienist, a corporate office, public health, researcher, educator, administrator, and or entrepreneur. Each career option varies in education requirements. The options for education includes an associates that's the most common, bachelors, and a masters. According to bls.gov, "Employment of dental hygienists is projected to grow 19 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. …show more content…
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