My name is XXX from Houston, Texas. I am 22 years old who has a passion of becoming a dental hygienist. My motivation to be a dental hygienist is the desire to help people and improve public health in the society. Unlike in other healthcare professions such as nursing where there is tricky emotional attachment with patients, being a dental hygienist is an alternative for somebody with passion in health sciences to assist others. The second motivation to pursue a career in dental hygiene is that in the practice, it is possible to work part time. I like the fact that a dentist is entrusted to make the right decisions within a work environment to help the public lead a hygienic and better life.
In Houston, TX, the median salary of a dental hygienist is approximately $71,270 considering the latest figures updated on September 2017 (salary.com, 2017). Generally, the salary ranges from $61,177 to $81,125 excluding bonuses, benefits, and other factors that influence base pay (salary.com, 2017). The amount paid also varies depending on location, company, level of education among other factors. The responsibilities of a dental hygienist include cleaning calcareous deposits, teeth stains, and accretions using dental equipment under a dentist’s supervision. One would require an Associate’s degree and licensing as a dental hygienist. The career requires special certification and/or licensing to feel a job position.
As put in the preceding paragraph, certification is essential for a dental hygienist. I will undertake a 2-year college education in dental hygiene after a prerequisite study of microbiology, pharmacology, medical terminology, and psychology. The prerequisites will enable me to enroll for an associate’s degree program. I will take the 8-hour written board, clinical anesthesia, and clinical board exams other than credits for the validity of my license. I will not stop learning and doing research and refreshing with emerging protocols.
The job pays more in Houston, Texas than my annual expenditure ($71,270 against $22,811) according to TRC. I will use the excess income to improve my medical cover, take a couple more vacations occasionally. The rest will go to savings and enroll for more dental hygiene programs.
Living in New York, Buffalo would require a salary of $68,577 to lead the same lifestyle while a life in Los Angeles, Hammond will require a salary of $64,096. On the other hand, if I shifted to Florida, Orlando, I will need a salary of $67,297 (CNN Money, 2017). There salary scales in the three locations are modest; but I would not mind because it will still be possible to save. I can work anywhere, as my career is not dependent on a location.
I schedule my work before a day begins by prioritizing my duties and start with the most urgent ones. This is a time management strategy as well that reduces redundancy and improves effectiveness at the workplace. I expect to build on these soft skills as I improve my communication skills, as the field of dental hygiene requires effective communication (Cline, & Haynes, 2001).
My career goal is to influence the public health debate by advocating for improved oral hygiene. I want to help as many people with dental health problems as possible and make them have a healthy by offering the best services I can possibly give. As such, I plan have the best skills developed through further studies (bachelors degree and masters degree) in dental hygiene. As mentioned, previously, I will do more research in my field to discover the best dental hygiene practices and take on merging protocols. My fulfilment will come with the ability to best serve my patients with the knowledge I gather in my career development path.
- Cline, R. J., & Haynes, K. M. (2001). Consumer health information seeking on the Internet: the state of the art. Health education research, 16(6), 671-692.
- CNN Money (2017). Cost of living: How far will my salary go in another city?
- Salary.com (2017). Dental hygienist salary in Houston, Texas.