DENTAL HYGIENISTS

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Dental hygienists in the U.S. Public Health Service can choose from a variety of challenging opportunities within PHS and several other federal programs. Clinical care, health promotion, and administration are among the many paths to pursue.

PHS priority needs are for clinical dental hygienists in primary care facilities, including community and migrant health centers, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the Indian Health Service. Opportunities for dental hygienists offer a broad range of work experiences in multi-disciplinary clinical settings. Some opportunities are available for dental hygienists to work in administration or as regional consultants.

As Officers of the PHS Commissioned Corps or as Civil Service employees, dental hygienists earn a competitive salary and generous Federal benefits, and can choose assignments or agencies without losing their PHS tenure. Dental hygienists are also hired locally as salaried employees of community and migrant health centers, as well as BOP and IHS tribal and urban programs.

Loan repayment may be available for dental hygienists who work in some isolated sites. The minimum commitment as a Commissioned Corps officer is two years.

Student Dental Hygiene Programs

Dental hygiene students enrolled in the final two years of a baccalaureate level dental hygiene program can gain paid, professional experience through COSTEP, the Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program. COSTEP students work for 31 to 120 days in clinical as well as administrative settings.

Also, continuing professional education for PHS dental hygienists is encouraged through degree program course work, conferences and symposia.

AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITIES

Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

The BOP employs dental hygienists in a variety of correctional settings. Opportunities are available through the Commissioned Corps or Civil Service, and range from supervised positions for new graduates to challenging supervisory/administrative roles for the experienced dental hygienist. The BOP is considered to be an international model for correctional techniques. The facilities are progressive in design and many are located near or in metropolitan centers like Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. Others, like the facilities in Allenwood, PA, Sheridan, OR, and Raybrook, NY, (the former Olympic Village at Lake Placid) provide a rural setting.

Indian Health Service (IHS)

The Indian Health Service provides comprehensive health care to more than 1.4 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives through more than 250 hospitals and clinics nationwide. In many of these facilities, the IHS operates fully accredited, modern, well-equipped dental facilities.

IHS dental hygienists work in a stimulating cross cultural environment. Most IHS dental facilities are small and provide individuals with a collegial work atmosphere where they are an equal and respected partner of the health care team. Hygienists provide clinical and community-based health promotion/disease prevention services.

Most IHS facilities are west of the Mississippi, including the Northern Plains States, the Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Dental hygienists at the NIH's Clinical Center, a 540 bed research hospital and laboratory complex in Bethesda, MD, provide dental care to patients participating in research trials. Areas of study include neurology, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, allergy and infectious diseases, child development and general medicine.

Opportunities for dental hygienists are more limited in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research than in other agencies. In these and other agencies, additional opportunities are afforded to those dental hygienists with advance educational credentials.

U.S. Public Health Service dental hygienists make a difference in the lives of many Americans while building challenging health careers. To learn more, call the PHS Recruitment Program at 1-800-279-1605 or IHS Dental Program at 1-800-IHS-DENT.