Montana DH Job needed

I would love to find a job anywhere around LoLo. Where do the Doctors advertise?

Are you working (temping ?) at all? Try: indeed.com and type in Colorado; craigslist.com,...? Check in at offices with resumes, ref's, cover letter and/or a business calling card . Do a search in your town/city and state...If you can do assisting too, that may find you some work . It's hard out there! I know, in the N.E. its pretty crowded too. Good luck

The job situation in Colorado is really bad. It's pulling the pay down too.
I have a house here that I really need to sell but it's just bad for that too.
There is a man I've been in love with for years in Montana. I always watch for jobs there. :)
I am working two days a week for a Dr. that tells me the day before that to many people have cancelled and don't come in. I can't depend on my income at all. So far I've been very lucky. And yes I have Temp. a lot. I make $48 a hour in one office for that. They give me a day a week. That is nice.

rdhcu in Parker, Colorado said: The job situation in Colorado is really bad. It's pulling the pay down too.
I have a house here that I really need to sell but it's just bad for that too.
There is a man I've been in love with for years in Montana. I always watch for jobs there. :)
I am working two days a week for a Dr. that tells me the day before that to many people have cancelled and don't come in. I can't depend on my income at all. So far I've been very lucky. And yes I have Temp. a lot. I make $48 a hour in one office for that. They give me a day a week. That is nice.

The pay of $48/hour is unheard of in Indiana. Good for you! There is a job with the Indian Health Service in MT on USAJOBS, the federal government's web site. I haven't had any luck applying with them but maybe you will. God Bless

Thanks I'll check it out.
A friend of mine got a job at a Indian Health clinic and they gave him a gun along with the drill. :) Wild huh?

rdhcu in Parker, Colorado said: The job situation in Colorado is really bad. It's pulling the pay down too.
I have a house here that I really need to sell but it's just bad for that too.
There is a man I've been in love with for years in Montana. I always watch for jobs there. :)
I am working two days a week for a Dr. that tells me the day before that to many people have cancelled and don't come in. I can't depend on my income at all. So far I've been very lucky. And yes I have Temp. a lot. I make $48 a hour in one office for that. They give me a day a week. That is nice.

$48 an hour is great! I wish that was true in MA and NH. Here it's around MA $36-45, NH $32-40. The higher end is going down though because of the number of R.D.H.'s here.

Temping with a company is usually $40. Then they have to pay a fee to the company. The $48 is doing it on my own. They offered $48 and my jaw hit the floor. Average pay is $36-$40. The older you are the harder it is to find a full time job with benefits.
The real hard part is to find a office you can stand to work in. Everything from Drugs, alcohol, sex, low pay, poor dentistry to nasty rude back stabbing fellow employees. I am working 2 days a week for only $37 because the staff is nice. One office I was afraid my lunch would be tampered with.
Nice is just hard to find. Even in this nice office the Doctor goes off on the receptionist over her time. I have never seen a receptionist do the things this woman does and the Doctor still is distrustful of what time she puts down on her time card. After hearing the conversation I've decided to tell the doctor what I see the receptionist do when no one is around. She is young and maybe just can't see it herself. If you sit in the parking lot you can see in the windows. It's obvious what this woman is doing. Working her butt off.

rdhcu in Parker, Colorado said: Thanks I'll check it out.
A friend of mine got a job at a Indian Health clinic and they gave him a gun along with the drill. :) Wild huh?

Definitely! I know some of the areas are extremely remote. My family is against the whole idea as I am a 52 year old female and it could be dangerous. But they don't seem to be interested in me for some reason. I have applied to 5 positions with them and have been referred for consideration but never got past that. No interview or anything. The pay is better with them than the military but benefits are the same it seems.
I've had other jobs it's a good thing I didn't have a gun. Some DDS'S could push you to the point!!LOL

rdhcu in Parker, Colorado said: Temping with a company is usually $40. Then they have to pay a fee to the company. The $48 is doing it on my own. They offered $48 and my jaw hit the floor. Average pay is $36-$40. The older you are the harder it is to find a full time job with benefits.
The real hard part is to find a office you can stand to work in. Everything from Drugs, alcohol, sex, low pay, poor dentistry to nasty rude back stabbing fellow employees. I am working 2 days a week for only $37 because the staff is nice. One office I was afraid my lunch would be tampered with.
Nice is just hard to find. Even in this nice office the Doctor goes off on the receptionist over her time. I have never seen a receptionist do the things this woman does and the Doctor still is distrustful of what time she puts down on her time card. After hearing the conversation I've decided to tell the doctor what I see the receptionist do when no one is around. She is young and maybe just can't see it herself. If you sit in the parking lot you can see in the windows. It's obvious what this woman is doing. Working her butt off.

"Only $37 an hour..." that's pretty good pay! Is the cost of living real high in Colorado? $37. an hour would be on the higher end in NH (?MA). Be careful about telling the Dr. about what the receptionist does... he may say stay out of it. If this receptionist gets to the point of wanting to leave and you 2 are friends offer to give her a recommondation. Dr.'s have the upper hand as to how your next job goes also (we talk about offices and Dr.'s and they do to).

I would be careful about the receptionist also. I went to bat for one as I had developed a personal relationship and considered her a good friend. I later found out dr was putting on a show for the rest of the staff. He was actually involved with her, paying her utilities and credit card bills, paying her under the table for hours she wasn't even in the office. I had my commission cut from 50% to 30% when I said she was a very hard worker and maybe she did a lot more than he realized. I ended up being the one nobody wanted to talk to and my schedule started falling apart to the point he didn't need a hygienist.

Suzanne in Terre Haute, Indiana said: I would be careful about the receptionist also. I went to bat for one as I had developed a personal relationship and considered her a good friend. I later found out dr was putting on a show for the rest of the staff. He was actually involved with her, paying her utilities and credit card bills, paying her under the table for hours she wasn't even in the office. I had my commission cut from 50% to 30% when I said she was a very hard worker and maybe she did a lot more than he realized. I ended up being the one nobody wanted to talk to and my schedule started falling apart to the point he didn't need a hygienist.

We know a few names for him! Too bad you couldn't prove your loss of job, but there's always word of mouth (as I said earlier). I hope what goes around , comes around....hopefully you'll know when it does for this -------! (I'm too nice to use fowl language). Lots of co-workers are "superficial", = watch everything you can and not offer too much...

You're right! I had worked at that practice for 7 years and was really hurt by what took place. I found out the hard way I was not the valued and respected person I thought I was. Several patients have left. Ever since that ordeal I have not gotten involved except on a professional level. I don't go out for lunch, I don't socialize. The least said the better. At my last position 2 assts were smoking pot on their lunch break and when dr found out he jumped ME because I didn't tell him! They stayed and I left.

Suzanne in Terre Haute, Indiana said: You're right! I had worked at that practice for 7 years and was really hurt by what took place. I found out the hard way I was not the valued and respected person I thought I was. Several patients have left. Ever since that ordeal I have not gotten involved except on a professional level. I don't go out for lunch, I don't socialize. The least said the better. At my last position 2 assts were smoking pot on their lunch break and when dr found out he jumped ME because I didn't tell him! They stayed and I left.

A real jerk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's not fair, but life isn't fair, especially for those who try to help everyone...To bad we have to "act" instead of being real with other employees, because you don't know if they'll hurt you to keep their job. But it seems to be commonplace in the job market today. I don't mean to sound neg. but many times its reality, esp. in the competitive market of the R.D.H. today. True???

TRUE! One dr told me many years ago while I was still in school: "you will learn to put on your hygienist face in the morning and when you go home you can be yourself". I had no clue what he meant and it took me about 10 years to believe I had to be that way. I thought I could change things. HA!

Dental Hygiene is very much like prostitution. The Dr. Is the pimp, the patient our customer and the Hygienist the prostitute.
And we better be good at what we do or we don't have a job.
We better pull every trick in the insurance book to make the money or we don't have a job.
Every hour on the hour we put on our happy face and do another trick and we better not be late......................or we don't have a job.

rdhcu, Hmmm, interesting way of expressing Dental Hygiene. That's your opinion...and you're sticking to it?

rdhcu in Parker, Colorado said: Dental Hygiene is very much like prostitution. The Dr. Is the pimp, the patient our customer and the Hygienist the prostitute.
And we better be good at what we do or we don't have a job.
We better pull every trick in the insurance book to make the money or we don't have a job.
Every hour on the hour we put on our happy face and do another trick and we better not be late......................or we don't have a job.

Wow!! I never thought of it like that but I see your point. Sometimes it's 2 tricks an hour in the offices I work in. LOL

And those 2 patients a hour don't even know they've been screwed. :)

Dear Massachusetts, I thought I was the only one who saw this compairson, Until I saw the same statement on a Forum about a year ago. The World has no idea what goes on behind Dental Doors.

rdhcu in Parker, Colorado said: And those 2 patients a hour don't even know they've been screwed. :)

They have no idea and usually think they are dr's favorite patient!

Dear Colorado, I agree many don't know what goes on.... but I was
surprised to see this statement. I never saw the other statement... Lots of different ways to describe what and how we do things out there in the world of the R.D.H.*

I just want to say how happy it makes me to be a part of a group of sincere hygienists who know exactly how I feel and think because your experiences are so similar to my own. Often in the practice setting I am the only hygienist and no one sees my point of view so I end up feeling alone and questioning my reasoning. Then I get on here and find others sharing the same frustrations. Thank-you to all who take the time and make the effort to share.

Suzanne in Terre Haute, Indiana said: I just want to say how happy it makes me to be a part of a group of sincere hygienists who know exactly how I feel and think because your experiences are so similar to my own. Often in the practice setting I am the only hygienist and no one sees my point of view so I end up feeling alone and questioning my reasoning. Then I get on here and find others sharing the same frustrations. Thank-you to all who take the time and make the effort to share.

Your welcome Suzanne! It's always nice to get real, informative info, as most of us have and pass on the "reality" of our field to those (esp. new or thinking about the field)of joining us.

I have felt great guilt for the trust that patients felt for a bad dental office because of the trust they had in me.
More then once I tried to protect the patient.
I pretended that the Dr. was sick when he was so drunk he couldn't walk straight. He slept on the floor in his office the rest of the day.
I got a woman dentist to get off the floor of her office to come do a exam. I don't know what she was on.
One of my beloved patients was tortured by a general dentist with a full mouth extraction. It went on for over 3 hours as the Dr. would do exams and other dentistry on other patients. At the end of the appointment I saw the Dr. hand the patient a hand full of Antibiotics. He said, "Here this will help with the healing". Nothing was given before the appointment. The assistant told me she had never seen anyone bleed as much as this patient did. Two days later while I was in the middle of a cleaning the receptionist/Dr.s wife told me the patient died. My hands started to shake, the tears started to soak my mask and I completed the cleaning on a Catholic Nun. I cleaned the room and told them I wouldn't be back, I quit. It's been many, many years and I still remember who I was working on when I was told. There is a lot more to this story and MANY others.
It has been so hard to be part of something that I love so much.
Thank you too for being out there and knowing the hard side of being a Hygienist.
I have seriously thought of starting a Hygienist support group. I have seen the depression on the faces of some of my fellow Hygienist. I know from personal experience that telling someone to just leave a bad situation it not always a option, especially in these times. Thanks again

Your welcome rdhcu, I empathize totally with your experiences. Once I had a diabetic patient in my chair who had ridden his bike to the office. He was in his 40's and visibly shaky, perspiring heavily, out of breath. He asked to be rescheduled. Dr's wife pushed/talked him into going ahead with me protesting all the way. He sat down in my chair, I took bwx, and when I got back from putting them in the developer he was slumped over unconscious on the cuspidor. I ran to the front yelling to call 911 and while the receptionist was calling the wife went downstairs on another line and called their insurance man! He went to the hospital and I was so shaken I had to leave for the rest of the day and when I did I put his bike in my trunk and took it home to his house. She had the nerve to call me at home and say I was unprofessional because I cancelled out on my other patients. I quit. Another dds was so intoxicated after lunch he actually fell on top of the patient as I was reclining her for his exam and said it was because I made him dizzy, he wasn't ready for her to lay back. It was shameful. She walked out and I was right behind her. My paycheck from him bounced numerous times also. I had to sue another in small claims court for 2 weeks pay. I could go on. You have a good idea about a support group. I think many would join. I too appreciate others such as yourself sharing truthful experiences. It is so difficult to be in these situations when you are a trained professional and love the job.

I hope these comments help others. It would be nice to think that Hygienist, Dentist and Dental instructors might read it and think of ways to deal with these difficult situations.
We know if we really come forward we will never work again.
I made a report ONCE and only Once. I was treated to shamefully by the person doing the evaluation that I will never do it again.
OR>>>> I'll do pictures and or video as evidence.

I also kept a ledger of events with names and dates but tossed it in the trash due to the way I was treated on the phone when I tried to establish a complaint. I agree, if we go against an unethical dds or report illegal activity such as staff smoking pot on lunch we will be the ones blackballed. I did report a dds for having assts taking x-rays without certification and it was 2 days before he called me ranting and raving. So much for confidentiality. I thought of taking a digital camera in but was afraid that would be illegal due to some loophole. Hopefully someone will read our posts and something good will come of it. It's funny to me that many reply on here to our difficulties with the attitude of leave and go somewhere else or get out of the profession all together. They are missing the point of the fact this type of activity goes on and on. It needs to be addressed and come to an end not only for us but for the sake of patients.

Suzanne in Terre Haute, Indiana said: I also kept a ledger of events with names and dates but tossed it in the trash due to the way I was treated on the phone when I tried to establish a complaint. I agree, if we go against an unethical dds or report illegal activity such as staff smoking pot on lunch we will be the ones blackballed. I did report a dds for having assts taking x-rays without certification and it was 2 days before he called me ranting and raving. So much for confidentiality. I thought of taking a digital camera in but was afraid that would be illegal due to some loophole. Hopefully someone will read our posts and something good will come of it. It's funny to me that many reply on here to our difficulties with the attitude of leave and go somewhere else or get out of the profession all together. They are missing the point of the fact this type of activity goes on and on. It needs to be addressed and come to an end not only for us but for the sake of patients.

Hello Suzanne, Try googling: where are all the jobs in ... (I put in MA and NH), put in your state and see the articles other R.D.H.'s have written...it sounds just like "here". Any thoughts on how to have the ADHA, help us as professionals? I am not familiar with all the legalize (sp?), so if you have insight to this?....bring it forth.... P.S. Some R.D.H.'s also drive "Probes". Hyg. S's, told me she drives an "Explorer", me too, *giggle*).

It's to bad Dentiat don't have to give Hygienist references before we go to work for them.
I have learned that its a good idea to check and see if the Dentist has anything on his record. I found out the hard way that one Dentist didn't even have a license.

I have thought of this many times. How I would love to ask dr if I can have the names of former hygienists or staff as references as to what he/she is like to work for, how many times a year does he take time off that I will be without pay, how he handles difficult patients, does his wife interfere with the schedule, is she privy to my personal information, did their paychecks bounce? I could think of a hundred things to ask. But to be honest, I have never thought of checking out his license! That is brilliant. Could you just imagine asking at an interview "Is your license in good standing? Have you ever been convicted of a felony? Have you got a lot of drug seekers in your patient base?" LOL I love it!!!

Suzanne in Terre Haute, Indiana said: I have thought of this many times. How I would love to ask dr if I can have the names of former hygienists or staff as references as to what he/she is like to work for, how many times a year does he take time off that I will be without pay, how he handles difficult patients, does his wife interfere with the schedule, is she privy to my personal information, did their paychecks bounce? I could think of a hundred things to ask. But to be honest, I have never thought of checking out his license! That is brilliant. Could you just imagine asking at an interview "Is your license in good standing? Have you ever been convicted of a felony? Have you got a lot of drug seekers in your patient base?" LOL I love it!!!

Another background check for a Hygienist possibly thinking of working for a particular Dr. is "word of mouth, from former employees, and or also looking in charts of pt.s you see that transfered to another office". I actually had a pt. that knew a Dr. rep from another D.A. and also from her interview to do an internship with his office...She , her fellow D.A. student and myself , ALL new of his ..... personality issuesssssss. He's not very nice and even the Lab Tech guy hated to see him when he brought cases back and the Lab guy had a good rep. This Dr. could not (never) be pleased even when I's were dotted and T's crossed. I knew before working for him, at first he was nice, but also tried to underpay me ( I was smart enough to ask the last R.D.H. who was actually trying get me to take the job) when I told him " so & so said you paid her ... an hour and I expect that same pay." I also had more years as a R.D.H. He was a real POW,....*!x I try to check the Dr. background online too, checking reviews by pt.'s which you can sometimes find.

exp in Massachusetts said: Another background check for a Hygienist possibly thinking of working for a particular Dr. is "word of mouth, from former employees, and or also looking in charts of pt.s you see that transfered to another office". I actually had a pt. that knew a Dr. rep from another D.A. and also from her interview to do an internship with his office...She , her fellow D.A. student and myself , ALL new of his ..... personality issuesssssss. He's not very nice and even the Lab Tech guy hated to see him when he brought cases back and the Lab guy had a good rep. This Dr. could not (never) be pleased even when I's were dotted and T's crossed. I knew before working for him, at first he was nice, but also tried to underpay me ( I was smart enough to ask the last R.D.H. who was actually trying get me to take the job) when I told him " so & so said you paid her ... an hour and I expect that same pay." I also had more years as a R.D.H. He was a real POW,....*!x I try to check the Dr. background online too, checking reviews by pt.'s which you can sometimes find.

Excellent idea. I took a position once and found out later that the hygienist I replaced had gone on vacation and had no idea he was even looking for someone. He called her the night before she was to return and he told her not to bother. She had been with him 4 years! I gave a 2 week notice and when he was interviewing and someone asked why I was leaving I told them to call me and then I told the truth. He was about 6 weeks getting a hygienist and she quit after 3. You might have seen on some of my other posts he was the same one who told me not to scale, they wouldn't know. That "word of mouth" does matter.

I interviewed for a job today and asked the office manager, "What would you consider the most difficult adjustment a dental hygienist needs to make to fit in this office?" She said that
they allow a lot of time for S&RP and expect a good portion of the time spent on OHI. 2 hours for 2 quads.
Interesting.
I have found my relationship with the Temp services a good place to get feed back on Dr.s
Maybe we should start a blog where Hygienist can research Dr.s.
Watching for job openings tell you alot. When you see the same Dr. looking for employees over and over its a bad sign. :) Also I have seen adds for more then one job postion in the same office. It's a good idea to not just enter Dental Hygienist. Look at Dental in the job postings.

Those are some good idea's.

These are very good comments. I always wonder when I see an ad for say an asst, hygienist and front desk all at the same time. It makes me wonder what the heck? Is dr cleaning house or did they all quit at the same time, maybe a new practice? You are right about noticing openings at the same office, it shows people don't want to work there and there's a good reason why.

I think some sort of site where hygienist's can post both positive and negative comments about a dds who is a current or past employer is an excellent idea. I think most would be very honest and would be truly interested in helping their peers avoid a nasty pitfall if possible. Or the opposite if a dds is great to work for and ethical and respectful, that would be good to know! How do we start one?

One more comment. Some may worry about being sued for slander if posting a negative comment. Legally it's not slander if it's the truth.
I know you can get online and find out how many staff work in a practice, how long the practice has been operating, you can even find out how much income it grosses a year. But how do you find out how many people have worked at the practice? That would tell a lot without doing anymore investigation. I know when I signed up for unemployment the lady made a comment "oh them again". Of course it was too late for me and I asked if a person can call the Workforce Development office and find out how many times a dr has had to pay a claim and that is a no-no. But there has to be a way besides word of mouth to find out if it's even worth pursuing.

I've applied for several jobs that did background checks. Maybe that would at least give you a idea of drug and alcohol convictions.
I hate it when I am asked "Why did you live this or that Dr?"
Most times I tell the truth. Other times I tell something that is part of the truth. I am not a good liar.
You know I wonder if this site would post a spot where Hygienist could give reviews of job experiences....with names?
Surely they would know if it would have a legality problem.