Dental Hygienist Essay

The role of a dental hygienist in education includes clinical and classroom instructors according to the ADHA model. The dental hygiene educator teaches dental hygiene students at community colleges and universities. They instruct students on how to properly remove calculus, stain, and plaque as well as exposing and processing radiographs in the clinical environment. In a classroom environment, the educator will teach the students about the dental hygiene process of care, evidence-based decision making, ethics, and numerous other courses and curriculum that is required for the students to obtain their licensure. Dental hygiene fits into this path as an educator because you can use a dental hygiene degree to become a clinical instructor or classroom instructor.

The educational requirements to become a clinical instructor in dental hygiene is a bachelor’s degree with 2 years of clinical experience.

To become a classroom instructor, a master’s degree is preferred. The minimum education needed overall is a bachelor’s in dental hygiene. Some other educational requirements include taking multiple continuing education courses and taking a course in methodology. CPR certification is required. Although it is not an actual requirement, dental hygiene educators should have a passion for dental hygiene and act as a mentor or role model for the aspiring dental hygienists that they are teaching.

Practice requirements include a licensure and CPR certification. The educator must be licensed in the state that they teach in. Licensure is obtained from the state government. To apply for licensure, a dental hygienist must have completed a background check and the jurisprudence examination and graduated from an accredited dental hygiene school. The dental hygienist must provide transcripts, certificates of completion, and examination score reports from board exams to the state to apply for

licensure.
There are many employment opportunities as a dental hygiene instructor as the need is high. There is a need for new faculty as many instructors are retiring and dental hygiene programs want educators with a different perspective of dental hygiene to better improve programs across the nation. An instructor can be employed by a college or university full time or part time and some institutions offer benefits such as health, vision, and dental. Jobs as a dental hygiene instructor are located nationwide as there are 335 entry-level programs for dental hygiene. The national average salary of dental hygiene instructor is $56,000 which varies depending on clinical experience. The annual salary can range anywhere from $39,840-$86,049. There is a need for the role of dental hygiene instructor because there will always be dental hygiene students that are ready to learn. The need is great because many dental hygiene programs are understaffed and are willing to higher dental hygienists with the minimum requirements to fill the void.
In conclusion, I can see myself fitting into the role of dental hygiene educator because I love to help people. I believe that educators are understaffed and underappreciated for their efforts. Dental hygiene educators are solely responsible for helping students become the best clinician that they can be and I would love to be a part of that. As an instructor, I could help students in the classroom or in a clinical setting better understand and provide the best patient care. Dental hygiene educators are coaches, mentors, and advice givers who make a difference in students’ lives and mold their futures as clinicians.