WIDE OPEN OPTIONS
Employment, education opportunities expanding in dental hygiene field
Yvette Granados has a thriving career as a dental hygienist and small business owner. Granados is part of a growing group of hygienist entrepreneurs who run their own collaborative practices in partnership with a dentist. She works independently in her own office, offering cleanings, periodontal therapy, fluoride treatments, sealants, screenings and education. Her patients also see a dentist for annual exams and fillings or other restorative treatments. “It’s really rewarding. I form a stronger relationship with my patients,” Granados says. “I’m definitely growing and I think it’s been a good career move.” Options for dental hygienists have been expanding in recent years, says Elmer Gonzalez, assistant professor and dental hygiene program director at New Mexico State University/ Doña Ana Community College in Las Cruces. “There are so many opportunities,” he says. “Dental hygiene is actually a very flexible profession.” Hygienists are in demand and those hired by a dentist can work full or part time and expect to earn about $34 an hour, Gonzalez says. Some hygienists choose the entrepreneurial path to run their own collaborative practices like Granados does or to pursue other business opportunities such as seeing patients in a nursing home setting, consulting, product development or running a staffing agency. Others work in administrative or government roles. Legislation approved earlier this year allows hygienists another option — continuing their education
to become dental therapists, offering more complex services in public health settings, similar to the way that a physician assistant or nurse practitioner can provide higher levels of care than a registered nurse.
Degree programs
Gonzalez, who also is president of the New Mexico Dental Hygienists’ Association, chose to go into education for his career. Aspiring dental hygienists in New Mexico have four options to earn an associate degree, the requirement to practice in a clinical setting: Doña Ana Community College, the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, San Juan Community College in Farmington and the private Pima Medical Institute in Albuquerque. UNM also offers a bachelor’s degree program for those who want to continue their education and has a program that allows associate degree-holders a fast track to a bachelor’s, says UNM professor Christine Nathe. “We’re getting hygienists from all over the country now for this program to get their bachelor’s degree in two semesters,” she says. The American Dental Hygienists’ Association is in favor of requiring all hygienists to have a bachelor’s degree, Gonzalez says, adding that UNM and NMSU/ Doña Ana Community College are working on a dual enrollment degree plan that would allow the community college students to enroll and take courses at UNM while remaining full-time students at NMSU/DACC. “This type of program is the first of its kind in the country and will be very beneficial for students and the growth of dental hygiene,” he says. The UNM faculty also is in the early stages of developing a doctoral program with a focus on research, a program that could be the first of its kind in the country. (UNM had the first master’s degree program west of the Mississippi.) “We’re really gaining a lot of momentum with hygienists pursing advanced degrees,” Nathe says, adding that more research will accelerate progress. “Then we will see even more changes in the practice of dental hygiene that will improve the practices that we have now.” “We believe that these innovative educational changes in New Mexico will be very beneficial for the profession and the public and could set precedents for other states to follow,” Gonzalez adds. Because the profession is dominated by women, schools are trying to recruit more men, Gonzalez says.
School services
Dental hygiene is a fairly young field. It was started about 100 years ago as a school-based service and that tradition continues today. UNM dental students provide education, cleanings, sealants and fluoride treatments to children at East San Jose Elementary School, Van Buren Middle School and Highland High School. Gonzalez launched a similar program that takes community college students out to provide cleanings and other dental care to children in Las Cruces under faculty supervision. “We’re treating kids at the middle schools at no cost whatsoever,” he says. Granados, who has a bachelor’s degree, sees children and adults in the collaborative practice she started almost four years ago. She provides routine and deep cleanings in which the gums are numbed as well as X-rays, periodontal exams to check for gum disease and other services. When she has a question or needs back-up, she can consult with the dentist, sending photos and X-rays for them to review. Teledentistry is another option. “Even if you’re not at the same location, you can see the patient on camera,” she says. “It’s working out well with collaboration.” Granados says it was a little frightening to be on her own at first, but she’s gotten past that. She’s had to learn about running a business, filing insurance claims and running a front desk. “Having your own business requires a lot more than being a hygienist,” she says. “As I get bigger, I’ll have someone to help me.” And while some dentists are not yet receptive to collaborative practices, things are moving in that direction. “Dentistry is changing so much these days,” Granados says. “My doctor benefits from me bringing him business.”