My Dream Jobs: Dental Hygienist and Florist

Introduction: Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to be in the dental field. I would look forward to going to my dental office twice a year. I enjoyed evaluating how everyone would work together and was interested in every aspect they were doing. The environment was my calling. Thus, it is when I grew older I knew I wanted to be a registered dental hygienist. It is one of my dream jobs. Another one of my dream jobs is becoming a florist. I grew up with flowers always in my home. No matter the season, fresh flowers were always were set up on each table of my home. I have seen so many varieties of flower arrangements in my home throughout the years. Small flower arrangements, big flower arrangements, sunflowers, tulips, roses, and hydrangeas. I grew to love flowers. Hence, my other dream job is becoming a florist. Thesis statement: I will elaborate on these two dream jobs I hope to obtain. It will include, possible job titles I will apply for, salary range, skills and education required, experience required, typical day routine, environment, challenges, and rewards.</p>

Topic sentence: My ultimate dream job is to be a dental hygienist. A dental hygienist cleans teeth and counsels patients on good oral hygiene. I look every day on the website indeed.com to see positions for dental hygienists in my area. I came across one job post for a company where I had worked once as a registered dental assistant. The company is in search for a dental hygienist for golden valley health centers. I plan to apply their when I graduate from dental hygiene school one day. I looked up online what a dental hygienists salary is in California. Evidence & citing: According to Catlett (2014), the mean annual salary for dental hygienists is 54,113 to 93,130. Topic sentence: Skills and education are crucial part when you are applying for this job. Evidence & citing: For example, you must demonstrate that you have effective communication and problem solving skills. Commentary: As a dental hygienist, I will be working under the direct and general supervision of a licensed dentist. This means the dentist and I will collaborate at times during the day. Communication is key between providers. For the most of the day though, I will be working independently. Problem solving skills are a necessity due to this factor. Other examples of skills required for the job that I learned while in dental hygiene school include, administration of local anesthetic, x-rays, performing oral prophylaxis, scaling, root planing, applying sealants, and fluoride. Teaching patients oral hygiene strategies to maintain good oral health and counseling patients on how good nutrition impacts oral health is also part of the skills required as a dental hygienist. Commentary: An employer needs to see what level of education one has obtained. According to Forrest & Miller (2001), it ranges from having gone to an accredited dental hygiene program to obtaining your high school diploma and holding your current California dental hygienist license. Experience is required sometimes by future employers. Some employers accept new graduates. Others will require prior one year experience in the dental field. This is most common from the posts I see online from indeed.com. On a typical day as a dental hygienist I would be partially setting up trays for my patients, cleaning teeth, taking x-rays, and cleaning my room I work in. It is all very repetitive. When I was working in a dental office as a registered dental assistant I enjoyed that aspect, it is similar to what I would be doing as a a dental hygienist. The work environment is usually fast paced with a moderate noise level. Challenges do come with this job of course. Evidence & citing: According to Burkhalter (2004), hygienists usually have no assistance while treating a patient. Dental hygienists are expected to perform at a high level without any assistance throughout the day. It can can be challenging and eventually takes a toll. The burnout rate for dental hygienists is quiet common early on in their career due to this factor (Burkhalter, 2004). With challenges also comes rewards. The rewards of being a dental hygienist is the job satisfaction and stability. It is people oriented, which I enjoy. The good feeling about what you do everyday never gets old.

Topic sentence: Another one of my dream jobs is to be a florist. This would be a great part time job for me and it would be great for when I want to slow down in my career. A florist designs arrangements of flowers. Having a love for flowers is necessary. A possible job I would apply for in my area is the local flower shop in my hometown called, LB flower shop. Evidence & citing: A florist typically earns around 14.39-20.19 an hour (Gutierrez, 2009). According to Gutierrez (2009), the skills required to become a florist include, customer service-skills, organization, creativity, and knowledge of design for different occasions. The education required as a florist is for one to obtain their high school diploma and associates degree in floral design. Evidence & citing: Depending on where you work, floral designers get initial experience from working at a flower shop as a cashier (Gutierrez, 2009). On a typical day as a florist I would be placing customer orders over the phone or internet, designing floral displays and ordering more flowers from wholesalers. Evidence & citing: The type of environment I would be working in is low cold temperature according to Gutierrez, (2009). Commentary: The low temperature environment is needed for the flowers to stay fresh. Evidence & citing: Some challenges I would be faced with as a florist are handling the flower inventory and needing to be flexible (Gutierrez, 2009). Commentary: For example, flowers have a short life span, this would be a challenge because those flowers with a short life span would need to be sold quickly. Another example in regards to needing to be flexible, one needs to come to terms with the fact that flowers are not a necessity for a regular person. To keep the business going, a florist needs to lower the prices. The rewards of being a florist is that you have an outlet to be creative. Your inner artist comes out. When customers appreciate your work it is the ultimate satisfaction. Surrounded by flowers all day doesn’t hurt either.

Conclusion paragraph: In conclusion, being a dental hygienist and florist are completely different from environment, salary, education, and challenges but they both have one thing on common and that’s bringing a smile to the patient/customers face when they see the end result of your work. I hope to obtain both of these jobs in my future. It would be an absolute dream.

References

• Burkhalter, N. (2004). Why are hygienists stressed out? RDH, 24(12), 18–20. Retrieved on March 23, 2019 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ddh&AN=15303928&site=ehost-live
• Catlett, A. (2014). A comparison of dental hygienists’ salaries to state dental supervision levels. Journal of Dental Hygiene, 88(6), 380–385. Retrieved on March 23, 2019 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hch&AN=100505780&site=ehost-live
• Forrest, J. L., & Miller, S. A. (2001). Evidence-based decision making in dental hygiene education, practice, and research. Journal Of Dental Hygiene: JDH, 75(1), 50–63. Retrieved on March 24, 2019 from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mnh&AN=11314227&site=ehost-live
• Gutierrez, L. (2009). Business is blooming. Career World, 38(3), 11–13. Retrieved on March 24, 2019 from http://proxy.tst.carrington.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=voh&AN=45440420&site=ehost-live
• Turner, S., Ross, M. K., & Ibbetson, R. J. (2011). Job satisfaction among dually qualified dental hygienist-therapists in UK primary care: a structural model. British Dental Journal, 210(4), E5. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2011.50