From Nursing to Dentistry (DDS)

[TurismoDreamin]

So I've come to the conclusion that nursing just is not for me. I hate the work and am overall, just not very happy with where I am at in terms of a career. Mind you, I am currently a student still in school but working in the hospital part-time. I am in my senior year in school and plan on graduating from a BSN program soon.

I have been told that nurses have taken this route before, using the Bachelors they earned in nursing to take their next step into dentistry. I just need to hear it from someone else. Has anyone else gone through this experience? What was your transition into dentistry like? Thanks in advance!

[RDH1, ADN, BSN, RN]

I am also a dental hygienist who is transitioning into nursing. I would strongly urge you to see what the demand is in your area for dentists. A lot of states have a dentist on every street corner, so there is a lot of competition and saturation of the market (moreso with dental hygiene but I see it happening with dentistry too). With times being tight right now, business is slow since dentistry is a luxury for many people. I still practice dental hygiene 2 days a week, and while my chair is usually busy, the dentist has had plenty of time to sit around lately! People are only coming to see him if they are in pain- no one is doing the big money restorative work. Also with people losing their insurance d/t job loss, they aren't going to pay for dental work unless it's an extreme emergency. As the business owner, you will be the one taking the hit when the times are slow.

Job shadow a day or two if you can. Be sure you really want to do it because obviously you will be taking on four more years of hell (oops, I meant school) and will probably have well over $100,000 in loans. I debated going on to dental school after I got my bachelors in dental hygiene, but to me, dentistry seems even more boring than dental hygiene is. It literally is back breaking and repetitive. Good luck in whatever you decide. (I hope I wasn't too much of a downer !)

[marilynmom, LPN, NP]

I wish you the best of luck in whatever path you take!

I'm glad I got my BSN as well cause I'm looking at masters degrees in other programs :)

My BSN pre-reqs were the same bio's and chem (etc) that the dental and pre-med students took. We didn't have any watered down science pre-reqs at my school.

[josinda421]

My sister is a social worker in NJ--typically a high paying state, she works for the county and makes less than 45K/yr. She has a masters in sw.

Wow, are you kidding me? You would think if you got a masters you would be making much more money. Wow, I had no idea. Well, I better stick to nursing than. lol

[caliotter3]

My sister is a social worker in NJ--typically a high paying state, she works for the county and makes less than 45K/yr. She has a masters in sw.

Pretty bad when an LPN without a degree can make as much or more than someone with a masters. I once met a woman who got her masters in social work and couldn't get a job at all so she joined the military to support herself.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

One of the nurses I work with is graduating dental school this summer.

[josinda421]

Pretty bad when an LPN without a degree can make as much or more than someone with a masters. I once met a woman who got her masters in social work and couldn't get a job at all so she joined the military to support herself.

I know.... tell me about it. It's pretty sad. It makes you think what's the point of getting a masters degree.

[just_cause, BSN, RN]

I know.... tell me about it. It's pretty sad. It makes you think what's the point of getting a masters degree.

I think it just re-affirms the need to research prior to making the jump into a new career. I agree that degrees don't translate to profit or a need in the market. I also toss in my and say its unwise to chase a career based on a current high demand as by the time you are trained and ready to work its likely you are behind the demand curve anyhow.

v/r