Their Early Days In The Field

There are positives and negatives to any job, and a dental hygienist is no exception to this rule. After completing your RDH program and become a licensed dental hygienist, it’s time to jump into your first job as a professional.

Unfortunately, there are many things that can happen on the job. Keep reading to hear 3 horror stories from other freelance dental hygienists.

Mary’s Working Interview

Working interviews are common in dental practices, and the logic is sound, you get an interview and a test drive of how well you work together. It is a great way for a prospective dental hygienist to show off their knowledge, skills, and bedside manner all at once. Even if the job doesn’t work out, you get a day’s pay, so they can still be valuable learning experiences. This one was no different.

I knew something was off right from the start. There were no other hygienists even working, and there was not even an assistant on staff. So it’s me, the dentist, and the dentist’s wife at the front desk. I ended up working the whole day, taking patients and watching the dentist barely glance at their teeth. They were nice, but the dentist hardly said two words to me all day. It was obvious that I wasn’t wanted there, and he didn’t seem to want to be there either.

At the end of the business, I asked the dentist’s wife about my pay and she said they’d get back to me about it. A week goes by and still nothing, so I call and leave a message. No return call. I don’t want to work there, but I think I earned the day’s pay for what I did.

Jennifer’s National Job Search

As I was nearing the end of my licensing program, I began searching for a full-time position but had no luck. “It’ll be okay, I still have time,” I thought to myself. I kept looking and looking but still could not find anything. I did everything I could think of, too.

From online applications to emailing my resume out to dozens of dental practices to pounding the pavement, handing out paper resumes by hand. I still wasn’t having any luck, but neither were my friends.

It was obvious that the market in my area was flooded with applicants. After expanding my job search, I decided to take a job in Nevada and leave my hometown. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Brittney’s First Day Roller Coaster

After working for an office a few times through a temp agency, I was offered a temp-to-hire position. Luckily I had already spent several days working there and got along with the team and the customers were great. Things were going great until my first day with the new temp-to-hire position. My nerves were shot, I was so anxious. I mixed up the first and second patient’s names, I dropped things, and I forgot to do basic sanitation tasks.

In the midst of what I was sure was the worst first day ever, the doctor noticed I was having an off day. While I was nervous I’d be fired, she ensured me that she was confident in my abilities and that everything was going to be okay. The rest of the day went smoothly and I’ve been in that office for several years.

It doesn’t always have to be this difficult. In fact, Stynt has revolutionized the dental industry when it comes to working as a freelancer. Fill out our form or download or app to join Stynt!