By Kevin Henry, Editor
Welcome to the August issue of Dental Assisting Digest™. As a not-so-subtle reminder, please take a few moments to fill out this year’s five-question salary survey by clicking here to take the survey. I promise it will take less than five minutes and will help your fellow assistants. Yes, this is the same request I made of you in the July issue of DAD, and more than 200 of you have responded. Last year, more than 800 of you filled out our survey, so we still have a ways to go to reach that mark. I hope you’ll take some time today to fill out this quick survey. I would really appreciate your time, and I know your answers will make a difference.
I took a quick look at the survey results so far, and it appears that the economy hasn’t done too much damage to dental assistant salaries. You can see what I’ve seen so far by clicking here.
When the July issue of Dental Assisting Digest™ came out, I was in Las Vegas attending RDH Under One Roof, an event designed just for dental hygienists (and the show that Professional Dental Assisting is patterned after). One of the ladies I met in Vegas was Cathy from Chula Vista, Calif., who maintained her credentials as an assistant and hygienist. I don’t know many people who do this (my dear friend Mary Govoni is another) so I asked Cathy why she kept both designations. Her answer was simple: “I like being a dental assistant, and I like being a hygienist. Both are great jobs and have a completely different pattern to them. I honestly can’t imagine cleaning teeth every appointment, every day.” Her response made me smile.
I hope you’re happy in what you do. A friend of mine recently posted a quote on his Facebook page that read, “If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?” It’s a great question and one that made me think a little. If you’re not happy in your dental assisting job, I urge you to read this article by Linda Miles that was published in the April issue of DAD by clicking here. I stand by my belief that dental assisting is an awesome profession that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. How about you?
Read on, this is your e-newsletter.
