nurses vs. dental hygenist salary

[mommy2BCD]

First of all let me say before I begin that I respect dental hygenist (in fact once thought of becoming one myself), however........

I am amazed at the fact that dental hygenist are paid so much more than nurses. I feel like nursing is much more intense than dental hygiene. Afterall nurses work weekends, holidays, 12- hour shifts, are responsible for the whole body and its systems and are held responsible for many more things than hygenists. I know of a friend who makes $31/hr. Another girl I know started out in the high 20s range right after graduation. The most I have personally seen for new grads in nursing has been 21.86. I am not saying that the hygenists do not deserve their money, they have a woderful job as well, but what has happened to nursing in terms of keeping up with the salary trends? Anyone know of any "real" reasons why this may be ? I wish there was a way for nurses to demand more respect in this profession and demand higher pay, because I personally think that we all deserve it! What does everyone else think?

[Misty1]

Actually ... not really ...

X-ray techs make about four dollars an hour less than RN's, sonographers make about the same.

If you really want to compare, here's the Department of Labor statistics on most healthcare professions ...

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_29He.htm

:typing

Thanks for the website I'll look at it later. I'm getting my information because I missed an appointment for my sons teeth cleaning (working night shift and got my days mixed up) my dentist gently reminded me what he pays his hygenists. I do know at my hospital the x-ray techs are a pay grade higher...and the ultra sound techs make 29.00/hr starting.

[gerry79]

In my area new grad hygienist make about $8.00 an hour more than new grad RN's ($27.00 RN $35.00 Hygienist) of coure this does not include RN shift diff.

I may be wrong in my assumption but hygienist generate income for the dental practice. If the dentist is charging $80.00 for the visit, and the hygienist has 2 visits an hour, the dental office is making $160.00 an hour minus the hygienist salary and usually the dentist is not involved in the care. So paying the hygienist $35.00 plus and hour is not hurting the dental offices bottom line. Now nurses, to my limited knowledge, cant charge for care thus costing the hospital money. Its hard to compare the two salaries when the fiscal working dynamics are so different.

[Misty1]

Its hard to compare the two salaries when the fiscal working dynamics are so different.

Very true. I personally would not like being a hygenist.

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

In my area new grad hygienist make about $8.00 an hour more than new grad RN's ($27.00 RN $35.00 Hygienist) of coure this does not include RN shift diff.

I may be wrong in my assumption but hygienist generate income for the dental practice. If the dentist is charging $80.00 for the visit, and the hygienist has 2 visits an hour, the dental office is making $160.00 an hour minus the hygienist salary and usually the dentist is not involved in the care. So paying the hygienist $35.00 plus and hour is not hurting the dental offices bottom line. Now nurses, to my limited knowledge, cant charge for care thus costing the hospital money. Its hard to compare the two salaries when the fiscal working dynamics are so different.

Hospitals do charge for nursing care, in fact I've always seen nursing care itemized on the bill for an inpatient stay.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

Hospitals do charge for nursing care, in fact I've always seen nursing care itemized on the bill for an inpatient stay.

Can anyone else comment on this? I've seen many, many lengthy discussions here at allnurses.com indicating that nursing care is typically rolled into general "room & board" charges on hospital billing.

Just curious ...

Just one example that kinda irritated me the other day ... in our ER we RNs can draw ABGs or, if it's too crazy, we can page the RRT to have them do it. I was going to be tied up doing a moderate sedation procedure, so I paged the RRT to draw a blood gas on a pt. Before seeing the pt., she asked me, "can I get one of his stickers for my billing?" It has nothing to do w/this individual .. just the idea that she bills specifically for that task, whereas if I do it it's just one more of 100 things I've done that day. Something not quite right w/that picture ...

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

hmm. I know that I have seen nursing care on ER bills. It was distinctive to me because I noticed that the nursing care charge was almost as much as the physician fee which was billed separately. The last time I was in the hospital a few years ago, the nursing fee was separate from room and board on the bill. Even if it's included in the room and board fee - the hospital is of course billing for nursing care. It's their biggest expense.

There are regional differences in billing practices, so this could explain discrepancies w/what people see on bills.

[smk1, LPN]

i've seen nursing care lumped togethe and charge too and them i have sen it itemized (sort of) i was appalled at the charge for regular tylenol! you could have bought 2 full bottles at the store for the amount per dose they were charging in the hospital.

[gerry79]

I guess because of the dynamics of the indusrty dentist can pay hygienist more than hospitals (and doctors offices) can pay RN's.

[miss_fit]

i think the dept of labor statistics page is way off (low) on the hourly wages for hygienists, at least in the areas i'm familiar with.

it may be related to the footnote that states: "hourly wage rates for occupations where workers typically work fewer than 2,080 hours per year [color=gray](40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year) are not available."

just guessing, but so many of us work 2-4 days/week in a single office (optionally adding another day or two in another). the dentists often treat our 3-4 days/week as full-time, and the bureau may divide those days' pay by 40 (hours). (i've never been paid by the hour, only by the day.)

also, as you all say about the billing, yes, the fact that the income we bring in is so obvious makes it hard for the dentist to be stingy in paying a fair percentage...

but that goes both ways; if we don't please a pt, then the loss of $ to the practice is also obvious.

~missfil, burned-out rdh

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

But that goes both ways; If we don't please a pt, then the loss of $ to the practice is also obvious.

I think this is an aspect that is somewhat unique to being a dental hygienist. They have to have their education and expertise PLUS satisfy the patients to the point that they will return. You know, be personable & pleasant. Someone the patient would like to spend an hour with again. If that makes any sense.

Now it's not a great analogy - but imagine if your nursing job depended on if your patients decided they wanted to see you again or not. Imagine if you had to compete in that way. So it's not only doing your job and maintaining a certain demeanor - it's making the experience such that they want to return. Imagine the dialysis patients prefer Nurse Bridget to you - so the hospital doesn't give you work. Rough analogy, but it's there. Imagine if your patients were able to book the nurse they prefer when admitted. Nurses not booked would not work. And those booked would be paid higher to compensate. I think it's similar.

[miss_fit]

i think this is an aspect that is somewhat unique to being a dental hygienist. they have to have their education and expertise plus satisfy the patients to the point that they will return. you know, be personable & pleasant. someone the patient would like to spend an hour with again. if that makes any sense.

now it's not a great analogy - but imagine if your nursing job depended on if your patients decided they wanted to see you again or not. imagine if you had to compete in that way. so it's not only doing your job and maintaining a certain demeanor - it's making the experience such that they want to return. imagine you work per diem and your dialysis patients prefer nurse bridget to you - so the hospital doesn't give you work. rough analogy, but it's there. imagine if your patients were able to book the nurse they prefer when admitted. nurses not booked would not work. and those booked would be paid higher to compensate. i think it's similar.

yes. and i think it's an important topic in itself. i see a lot of nurses angry about hospital management pushing for more "customer service" orientation.

first, i completely agree that there is a line to be drawn. even as a hygienist i had patients whom the dentist and i were happy to "run off". no one should ever be asked to tolerate abuse by anyone, nor should they be overworked, or asked to compromise their standards for the sake of money.

but, in for-profit hospitals where there is indeed competition for patients, i think it behooves us all to remember that, and think about how increasing the bottom line of the people writing our checks can, and should, increase our own personal benefits.

perhaps if nurses as a group approached hospital management more directly in those terms, things could change for the better. i know it might sound mercenary, and that the primary goal is always to provide the best care, but the two shouldn't be mutually exclusive. imo, of course.

(for the record, i only agreed to work in offices where the dentist gave me free reign with regard to the time i allotted to individual patients. if i felt they needed more time, i scheduled for it, even though it might cost us money. in the end, our patients were more loyal, and we slept well at night knowing we weren't compromising our high standards.)

[Multicollinearity, BSN, RN]

Yes. And I think it's an important topic in itself. I see a lot of nurses angry about hospital management pushing for more "customer service" orientation.

First, I completely agree that there is a line to be drawn. Even as a hygienist I had patients whom the dentist and I were happy to "run off". No one should ever be asked to tolerate abuse by anyone, nor should they be overworked, or asked to compromise their standards for the sake of money.

But, in for-profit hospitals where there is indeed competition for patients, I think it behooves us all to remember that, and think about how increasing the bottom line of the people writing our checks can, and should, increase our own personal benefits.

Perhaps if nurses as a group approached hospital management more directly in those terms, things could change for the better. I know it might sound mercenary, and that the primary goal is always to provide the best care, but the two shouldn't be mutually exclusive. IMO, of course.

(For the record, I only agreed to work in offices where the dentist gave me free reign with regard to the time I allotted to individual patients. If I felt they needed more time, I scheduled for it, even though it might cost us money. In the end, our patients were more loyal, and we slept well at night knowing we weren't compromising our high standards.)

:yeahthat:

Thing is, it seems that hospitals push customer service but they don't give the nurses teh resources to accomplish the goals. So they push customer service while adhering to god-awful nurse to patient ratios and skimping on techs and CNAs. So even though I hold to the above opinions, unless the goals for customer service are funded with resources, the hospitals can just shove it!