Laura DeShazer
Traditionally, salary and benefits articles printed in trade publications often are the most well-read and requested articles. For the survey below to be successful, however, we need your participation.
To participate in the 1999 survey, simply fill in the blank or circle the appropriate response for each question on pages 27 and 28. To let us know what your answers are, choose one of the options listed at the end of the survey.
Please return the survey by June 18, 1999. And thanks for participating. The results will be published in the October 1999 issue.
1.) In what state do you practice? ________________
2.) Gender: [1] Female [2] Male
3.) In what age group do you belong?
[1] under 25 [2] 26-30 [3] 31-35
[4] 36-40 [5] 41-45 [6] 46-50
[7] older than 50
4.) How many years have you been a licensed hygienist?
[1] 1-5 years [2] 6-10 years [3] 11-15 years
[4] 16-20 years [5] 21-25 years [6] more than 25 years
5.) Of which professional dental associations are you a member?
[1] American Dental Hygienists` Association (including state society)
[2] American Dental Association (auxiliary membership)
[3] I`m a former ADHA member
[4] I have never belonged to an association
[5] Other associations (no abbreviations, please)
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
6.) How would you describe your primary employer?
[1] General dentist
[2] Government/public health
[3] Specialist
[4] I am a self-employed hygienist
[5] College or other dental education facility
[6] Dental manufacturer
[7] Nondental occupation
7.) As a clinical hygienist, do you view yourself as working:
[1] part-time [2] full-time
8.) Estimate the percentage of your annual income that is earned as a clinical dental hygienist.
[1] 100 percent [2] 75 to 99 percent
[3] 50 to 74 percent [4] 25 to 49 percent
[5] less than 25 percent
9.) How would you describe the area where you work?
[1] Rural [2] Suburban [3] Urban
10.) In how many dental practices do you work?
[1] One [2] Two
[3] Three [4] Four or more
11.) How many hygienists work in the dental practice(s) that employs you?
[1] Just yourself
[2] One other part-time or full-time hygienist
[3] Two other part-time or full-time hygienists
[4] Three to five hygienists
[5] More than five hygienists
12.) Approximately how many hours a week do you personally practice?
[1] Under 11 hours [2] 11-15 hours
[3] 16-20 hours [4] 21-25 hours
[5] 26-30 hours [6] 31-35 hours
[7] 36-40 hours [8] More than 40 hours
13.) What is the average amount of time typically scheduled for one of your healthy adult patients?
[1] Less than 30 minutes
[2] 30 minutes
[3] 45 minutes
[4] One hour
14.) What do you estimate your total income as a dental hygienist will be in 1999?
$________________
15.) Does your employer pay you by (please write in rate, salary, or percent of production in the appropriate blank at the right side of column):
[1] Hourly rate $_________
[2] Daily rate $_________
[3] Fixed annual salary $_________
[4] Commission ________%
[5] Hourly or daily rate, $_________ plus________% commision (or profit sharing)
16.) Are you generally satisfied with the income you earn as a dental hygienist?
[1] Yes [2] No
17.) How many weeks of paid vacation do you receive each year?
[1] None [2] One week [3] Two weeks
[4] Three weeks [5] Four weeks or more
18.) How many paid holidays do you receive each year?
[1] None [2] one or two holidays
[3] Three to seven holidays [4] more than seven holidays
19.) In terms of health insurance, are you and your dependents covered by:
[1] An employer-provided managed-care plan
[2] An employer-provided traditional 80/20 plan (or similar deductible, including 70/30)
[3] Not covered by any plan (skip ahead to question #21)
[4] Covered by other family member`s plan, such as a spouse`s benefits (Note: Check this response only if your employer offers a plan, but you prefer coverage under another family member`s plan; if your employer does not offer health insurance benefits, please circle #3.)
[5] Other ______________________________________
20.) Do your employer-provided medical benefits cover dependents?
[1] Yes [2] No
21.) Does your employer provide a:
[1] Pension plan
[2] 401(k) program
[3] Profit-sharing program
22.) What portion of licensure renewal and continuing education does your employer pay for? (circle all that apply)
[1] Pays for my licensure renewal
[2] Pays for continuing-education courses I take
[3] Pays for travel expenses to CE courses
23.) Are you generally satisfied with the employer benefits you receive as a dental hygienist?
[1] Yes [2] No
24.) Do you view clinical dental hygiene as a life-long career?
[1] Yes.
[2] No. Clinical hygiene is more of a transition to another career.
[3] No. The flexibility of clinical hygiene allows me to pursue other interests, such as family, while earning some income.
[4] Other:______________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
25.) When (or if) you`ve "retired" from clinical dental hygiene, what do you think will be (or were) the primary reasons? (circle all that apply):
[1] The happiness of the "golden years"
[2] Occupational injury
[3] Lack of upward mobility
[4] Other opportunities are more financially enticing
[5] Problems obtaining licensure
[6] Parenting duties
[7] Unhappy with dental employers
[8] Issues involving cross-contamination of diseases
[9] None of the above
Any final comments about trends regarding salaries or benefits in the dental hygiene profession?
Return this survey to RDH by:
- Mail: RDH, attn: Laura DeShazer, P.O. Box 3306, Tulsa, OK 74101
- Fax: (918) 831-9804. Please do not fax and then mail your answers.
- E-mail: [email protected]. Make sure your answers are numbered and clearly correspond with the related questions.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. Survey results will be published in the October 1999 issue.
