Why I’m glad I started out as a temp hygienist (and why you should consider it too)
Marguerite Maslo, DipDH, BSc, RDH
The year was 2011. After four years of grueling studies, sleepless nights, and clinic hours that seemed to go on forever, I finally made it. I was finally a registered dental hygienist! I wore my RDH badge with pride and even posted it on social media for the whole world to see. There was only one problem. I didn’t have a job in line and the market for hygienists was bleak at best. I couldn’t help but feel envious of my friends who were fortunate enough to be offered a permanent position before they even graduated. This was when I decided that I needed to sign up with a local dental staffing agency.
The process was simple. I reached out to the agency, sent them my resume and practice permits, and waited until I got the phone call for my first temping assignment. Lucky for me, it was the middle of summer and the demand for temporary staff was higher than usual, so I didn’t have to wait long before I got my first call.
My first temping day was frantic. I didn’t drive at the time, so I made sure to arrive at the clinic an hour before my first patient arrived. I memorized all the staff members’ names, reviewed their protocols thoroughly and scaled patients’ teeth as though I had a clinical instructor hovering over my shoulder ready to give me a pass or fail. I did this day after day, week after week, month after month. I must have taken all the possible bus routes in town just to get to a different office the next day!
My dental hygiene friends were curious about my experience as a temping hygienist. I must be honest—it wasn’t easy. I was, admittedly, a bit of a perfectionist and was terrified to make a poor impression at the offices I worked for given that I was still slow and just learning the ropes of real-world, fast-paced dental practice. I also thrived best on routine, so the spontaneity of being on-call and working different hours for different clinics gave me anxiety. I could not plan my schedule in advance. I also struggled to manage my finances given that my income varied widely from month to month. I even worked in offices where tensions ran high among the staff and where I did not share the office’s philosophy on client care, which made working there difficult and dragging.
However, temping also taught me to be open-minded, adaptable, and confident. I learned to use different computer software; familiarized myself with a variety of X-ray units, and manual and ultrasonic instruments; and acquainted myself with a variety of sterilization processors. Temping allowed me to pursue another year of schooling to acquire my bachelor of science degree without committing to a fixed number of days and hours of work. I fostered relationships with some wonderful clinic staff and other dental hygienists who offered mentorship and guidance as I journeyed through my first few years in dental hygiene. Best of all, temping offered me an opportunity to discover what I liked and didn’t like in a dental office. In my case, I realized that I prefer to work in a smaller office where clinicians have more freedom to create personalized, client-centered treatment plans. I also enjoy working with an approachable boss who values strong team communication and prioritizes continuing education opportunities.
Fast forward to 2019, and I now work full-time at a locally owned dental office with a great boss, friendly coworkers, and amazing patients. I do believe that my struggles during my temping days helped me develop into the determined dental hygienist that I am today. As daunting as it may seem, I believe that temping is a great way to establish your roots as an aspiring health-care practitioner, especially if you are a new dental hygiene graduate with minimal connections in a competitive market.
If you’re just finishing dental hygiene school, I wish you the best of luck on your competencies and board exams! If you are a new graduate and are struggling to find a job, I strongly encourage you to give temping a try. Who knows what opportunities lie out there for you?
Marguerite Maslo, DipDH, BSc, RDH, has been a practicing dental hygienist since 2011. She graduated with a bachelor of science (dental hygiene specialization) from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. She is also currently a part-time local anesthetic clinical instructor at the University of Alberta. Marguerite’s interests include volunteering, and she most recently traveled to Cotacachi, Ecuador, in 2018 to take part in a dental mission.
