By Torrie Hardcastle
As the aging Baby Boomer population seeks more care, and as more Americans of every age are insured, dental professionals are in high demand.
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The field offers good pay, relatively low stress, and secure employment. Best of all, it only takes two years to earn an associate’s degree to become a dental hygienist, and dental assistants can become certified in the span of a year.
In effect, dental professionals can have rewarding medical career without the punishing student debt load often associated with a medical degree. These advantages are why the dental health jobs frequently grace the tops of best-of career lists.
Bright job outlook for hygienists
Placing hygienists at number four in its top ten best healthcare jobs list, US News & World Report notes that hygienists make “comfortable salaries, especially considering that more than half of them work part time.” The median salary comes in at over $72,000, and even the lowest paid still earned $50,140.
Hygienists work closely with a dentist to clean and prepare teeth for repair. Good hand-eye coordination is essential for these delicate tasks. Attention to detail and critical thinking skills are required of any healthcare professional who works closely with patients.
Hygienists also need to be capable communicators, and compassionate toward patients who have anxiety about undergoing dental work. “The client’s head is in their lap basically,” as Kelli Swanson Jaecks, president of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association put it to US News. “They should know how to read a client and relate to a client.”
Dental assistants train quickly
Dental assistants earn a median salary of $35,980, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the field is projected to expand by 18 percent through 2024. Most dental assistants earn their certifications after completing a training program lasting one to two years.
Education doesn’t have to stop at certification. In fact, the experience of working in a clinic as an assistant – preparing dental instruments, processing X-rays, interacting with patients – is an ideal springboard into a career as a hygienist.
Like hygienists, dental assistants must have excellent organizational and communication skills, and be sensitive to the emotional needs of patients.
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Dental hygienists
Median pay (2015): $72,330 per year, $34.77 per hour
Number of jobs (2014): 200,500
Employment change through 2024: 37,400
Job growth through 2024: 19% (much faster than average)
Dental assistants
Median pay (2015): $35,980 per year, $17.30 per hour
Number of jobs (2014): 318,800
Employment change through 2024: 58,600
Employment change through 2024: 18% (much faster than average)
Source: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm; http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-assistants.htm
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Your Community College’s Dental program
Paragraph(s) with information on how to apply to Your Community College’s Dental Health program. This should include a web page, email, and phone number, as well as the physical location of the office.
A general description of the facilities, and overview of the course and eligibility requirements
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