Our patients feel like a million dollars, they feel like winners when they have clean teeth and a pretty smile. I am still energized by this phenomenon. I get annoyed at doctors who think we are just cleaning ladies, co-workers that think we are prima donnas , patients that think we are trained on the job and other health care professionals who do not appreciate our value. You know the ones I mean. The ones who gripe about everything or the ones who want everything handed to them on a silver platter.
Dental hygiene can be a very lonely profession.
So many hygienists are isolated from their peers. I think this is one of the big negatives, but we have to be mature enough to counteract the isolation. Isolation can be a rapid path to burn out. It makes a lot of sense to take a course, join an e-mail group like yours, or participate in a hygiene association activity. Dental hygiene is a great profession and a lot of hard work.