These days its hard to find 'older' and more 'experienced' dental hygienists who are passionate about this profession. I remember in school, even my instructors didn't seem to have a passion for it. Some did, but usually every chance they got they would add comments like "be careful who you work for," "make sure to start in a great office," "don't expect to get paid a lot right away," things like that. Not very encouraging! Right?! Younger dental hygienists, and newer dental hygienists I find are extremely passionate! They are excited and ready to work. They are nice to their patients and ready to take on anything. I think those who have been working for 10+ years are burnt out and discouraged by the profession. The solid truths are we aren't being paid as much, we seem to have more responsibilities and less time per patient to do them, and our yearly association fees have gone up. I could go on here, but you get the idea. However, I will be the first one to tell you that I love this job! I have been working for 12+ years now and I consider it my mission to inspire and motivate my students to love this profession too. Don't let anyone tell you how you should feel and how you should work. Be excited! This profession is wonderful and especially when you are first getting started there is so much to learn. I will also tell you that working in one office over another will make all the difference! Unfortunately when you first start out you have bills to pay and will work anywhere, this is OK! Once you pay off those student loans though, if you quickly realize that office isn't for you make sure to move on. Perhaps you feel the staff never truly 'accepted' you, or you have 30 minutes per patient and you feel like you're working in a factory assembly line, maybe you don't get paid for no shows or cancellations, does your boss give you a major guilt trip when you take a vacation, or maybe you haven't had a raise in 5 years? I hear these stories all too often... On another note, my famous line to anyone who knows me is - "If you aren't happy, change it, only you can." This rings true for your job. You work 40 hours a week, you need to love it! If the dental office is stressing you out and you're working your butt off, change it! I'm not suggesting changing professions but you should try another office first. I can count on two hands hygienists I know personally who weren't happy in their jobs, changed offices and are thanking their lucky stars! They love it there and they have a newfound love for their career. I tutor dental hygiene and dental assisting students for the board exam. More than that though, is I help them when they first graduate, pass the exam, and start working in an office. I guide them through what could be scary time for them. I am passionate in this profession and I want others to be just as excited and passionate as I am! Patients need 'happy' hygienists! You need to love your job for your patients if nothing else. I recommend this Full Dental Hygiene Resource Manual, you can print it out and keep it with you! It goes through everything you need to know when you start working in an office. Remember, don't listen to what others may tell you - if they are unhappy in this profession it doesn't mean you have to be or will be! Dental hygiene is an amazing extension into the health care field - you will help people, make them less nervous and make someones day :). It's incredibly rewarding!   This FULL Dental Hygiene Manual includes 104 pages of periodontal cases, special needs conditions, AB's explained, common medications, eruption charts, wheelchair transfer information, oral pathology lesions, radiography, and more! Click here to learn more.
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Feel free to comment on YouTube after watching if you like. Already getting a few comments on this video. Click above to view, or view here. --I'm so glad to see other students talking because trust me when I say YOU ARE NOT ALONE! School is tough, seems impossible, and stressful. That's all an understatement but it will be worth it. --It's actually really inspired me to start something new...perhaps a YouTube channel specifically for helping students get through school and push through the stress. Would anyone watch it? :)? Lets all get together, share your stories, your struggles and help each other out while in school. You CANT become a dental hygienist or assistant without getting through school right?! Whats stressing you out? Clinical? Exams every week? Other students? Other TEACHERS?....it's a safe place here. Let's chat! Hit reply and email me! Would you be interested in watching more videos? I will talk, and be open and honest. Have questions about an upcoming test? Teacher problems? Student problems? Sleep deprived? Need help? Need advice? I would love to invite you all over here and have a major chat session about dental hygiene school life. Let's unwind and chat, get all the stress off your chest! SEE that you're NOT ALONE! But...I live in Woodstock ON and I have a feeling not all of you would come down here, so lets do a YouTube channel instead? What do you think? I wish I had someone to talk to when I was in school - I've said it before but I had the worst time. Not only having to take the program TWICE but I constantly felt I wasn't good enough. I failed a lot of clinic tests because I swear my one instructor hated me...I remember failing a final clinic exam because my arm was "too high". No joke, this is what she said. It was a test on scaling and I failed because the instructor felt my arm was too high and it would hurt me in the long run. I remember going to the clinical director and appealing the case, even she said "Andrea, I don't know why you're here this is just embarrassing. I'm signing you off as a pass...but keep that arm lower". Can you IMAGINE? I remember for the appeal I had to come in on a Saturday, I had to book it off work (so I was losing money), travel an hour by bus to school..actually a bus and subway in total for her to pass me after a 5 minute conversation. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to have that pass but I also knew she would pass me. I felt all along that other instructor failed me for a stupid reason. Did she have something to prove? I really think so. Oops...did I say that?...sorry but it's true. I've always had a problem with authority though, especially when I know I'm right :):):). I wouldn't shy away from giving an instructor the evil eye when I wasnt being treated fairly. You should have seen me in school two years ago for Restorative Hygiene..same situations. I guess being 30 years old didnt change me haha. I am convinced one instructor in particular 'hated' me too that I even spoke to the Dean with how I was being treated unfairly. Seriously got me no where but I needed to speak my case. When all my classmates could see it and felt sorry for me I knew I had to do something. Another story for another email? You bet...:). I have tons of them! I'm a tutor now so haha to them! I wasn't alone, I know other students were feeling that way too. How is your program/teachers/tests going for you??? I'm always here to listen!    How was everyone's week? I was on holidays (from clinical dental hygiene anyway) but spent the week building new courses for Dentalelle Tutoring, having extra sessions for students who want individual tutoring, holding a few more professional portfolio courses..you name it! I did manage to find time to stock up on office supplies by going to Walmart and Staples though, now is the time to buy! Have you noticed everything seems so cheap these days? 10 cents for paper and 20 cents for a pack of pencils? YES PLEASE :). OK, not to leave everyone hanging from last week. Do you want to know how and why on earth I took dental hygiene school TWICE? That has got to show my dedication doesn't it? Well, I went to a school in London ON that shut down a few weeks before graduation. For those of you who have graduated or who are near graduating you know these last few weeks are pretty simple. Sure, it may be a little stressful if you need to finish certain courses with top marks or you need to finish that last patient so you can pass...but in my case I was literally done. Classes were finishing and we had projects and exams, clinic was almost done with two more patients left, yup I was done for the most part. THEN the unthinkable happened, as I went to school one day there was a piece of 8x10 paper taped to the front door saying something to the effect of "London College of Dental Hygiene has been closed". I can't remember the exact wording but something to that effect. Can you imagine? We were all in shock. I think I even called my Mom and said "Um..my school has closed?". First of all we thought this has to be a joke? As students started arriving we didn't know what to do, some started banging on the door and trying to break in to see what everything was about. I can't remember how we got inside but we did and we were sitting in the hall together not knowing what to do. I think the police were eventually called because we had some really upset students. Anyway, needless to say that was it. There was nothing anyone could do because I had attended a private school that was non-accredited. I now know what that means, and the importance of needing to attend an accredited college. A few months later I attended Toronto College of Dental Hygiene - yes I needed to take the entire program over again. I went to a private school that had closed and none of it mattered because it was non-accredited. I had to pay the same fees as everyone else and be treated as everyone else. I was not excited as you can imagine to move AND take that stressful program again. But I did it, and passed with honors :). I loved my school and the instructors were fantastic. I believe because of all the trouble I went to, and my fabulous instructors that helped me along the way I developed my passion in helping students. When I was in school we didn't have tutoring help outside the school or any options for board exam prep courses so this was the first thing I wanted to do when I started Dentalelle Tutoring. Welcome to all our new students this months who have joined us for the Full Board Exam Prep Courses for both dental hygiene and dental assisting. If you are interested in registering it's not too late! Help guarantee your success and pass that exam! You can register by going to the main page www.dentalelle.com . Hang in there and keep studying!
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AuthorMy name is Andrea Twarowski, owner and operator of Dentalelle Tutoring. 
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