A few years ago, many dental assistants, hygienists, and dental front office personnel chose to leave the dental field for greener pastures. However, recently, we are seeing many of them return. I have been saying it for years: dentistry is the best profession to work in, and that’s why I love connecting dedicated dental professionals with amazing dental offices. But if you still aren’t convinced, I’m going to lay out all the reasons why dentistry is the place to be.
Flexible Hours
Yes, many dental offices still work the Monday to Friday 8 to 5 grind. But many dentists are realizing they can offer flexible hours to attract the right employees. If you can’t work every day or need to leave early on certain days, still apply to the job. If you are the right fit, you can negotiate your schedule at the time of hire. If the doctor is smart, they will find a way to make it work to bring you on as an employee.
Another way to work with flexibility is to temp. When you temp, you control your schedule and work on the days you want. Many assistants and hygienists have turned to temping full-time to finally have control over their careers. Want to know the other benefits of being a dental temp? Read this – The Joys of Temping.
Competitive Pay
For a long time, working in a dental office did not include great pay. But with the shortage of dental assistants and hygienists, many offices have increased pay rates. This has been needed for a long time, and we are finally seeing people satisfied with their pay.
If you haven’t received a raise in the last four years, it’s time to have a conversation with your doctor. Here is a great post on how to ask for a raise.
Benefits
Another thing that working in dentistry didn’t usually offer is benefits. Now it seems like every dental office is offering the basics: medical, dental, 401k, and paid time off.
These benefits can be invaluable to you and your family. If you are comparing a job with higher pay but no benefits to one with lower pay and benefits, you might find that the overall compensation is actually better with the benefits included.
This post breaks that down here.
Comfortable Work Environment
We are in the middle of a heatwave as I type this. The luxury of working in a job with blasting air conditioning can’t be beaten. Many people work manual labor outside or in warehouses with minimal temperature control. We get to be in a nice, cool office with comfortable chairs and happy patients. It simply can’t be beat!
Free Coffee
Oh, and unlimited free coffee. Well, hopefully. If your office doesn’t provide that, head to DirectDental and find one that does.
No Nights or Weekends
Most offices are open 4 to 5 days a week, Monday to Friday, allowing you to have weekends off and sometimes 1 additional day. Many other jobs require weekend or night shifts, making it challenging to spend time with loved ones.
Leave Work at Work
If you have been in dentistry your entire career, you may not realize what a luxury this is. I used to work in sales and management, constantly taking calls on nights and weekends, which would often ruin my whole day or evening.
Once I started working in dentistry, I was amazed that when I left the office, NO ONE bothered me. I didn’t even think about work outside of work. It was a magical and peaceful time.
Then, like a dummy, I decided to create my own business and am back to taking calls on evenings, weekends and on vacation. So if you enjoy not thinking about work when you leave the office, dentistry is absolutely the place you need to be.
Work Besties
Oh my goodness! Alyssa, Amy, Alex, Devin, Elizabeth, Sandy and any of my previous dental work besties—I miss you! I have never had as much fun working as I did in a dental practice. You get paid to hang out with the most amazing people every day.
Job Security
Predictions suggest that the shortage of dental professionals will continue for many years. This means there will be more dental jobs than people to fill them, ensuring you won’t be without a job for long.
If you find yourself without a job, you can easily step in as a dental temp until you find your next position. Temping will always be available, and (as mentioned earlier in this post) many dental professionals have made it their full-time career.
Choices
This ties in with job security. Many offices need to hire, allowing you to choose the best office for you. If they aren’t as great as you thought, find a new position. We have many jobs posted at DirectDental!
Did I miss anything?
I am sure I did because there are just too many benefits! I have worked in restaurants, retail, sales, corporate management, from home, hybrid, in-office, and more jobs that I have blocked out of my mind. Dentistry was simply the best. Would I rather be living on a yacht with unlimited income and not have to work? Yes. But since I have to work, dentistry is the place to be.
Smiles,
Holli Perez
DirectDental
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