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Is Dental Hygiene School Harder than Nursing School?

The healthcare industry is one of the most rapidly growing sectors and is home to a variety of challenging professions. Both nursing and dental hygiene are two such professions, each requiring knowledge and training to excel in their respective fields.

To help students decide which program to pursue, it can be helpful to compare both in terms of educational complexity and career prospects. Here, we’ll take a look at the degree of difficulty of both nursing and dental hygiene school by exploring related topics such as course content, job outlooks, and licensure requirements.

Course Content:

Nursing courses often have a broad range of topics such as anatomy, physiology, ethics, pharmacology, and biology. Aspiring nurses typically take part in a combination of laboratory and classroom courses in subjects such as health assessment and nutrition.

Dental hygienist students, on the other hand, take courses in areas such as anatomy, hygiene sciences, safety, and dental theory. Dentistry students are also required to develop skills such as cleaning and polishing teeth, x-raying, contributing to dental diagnosis, and administering local anesthetics. 

Job Outlooks:

The demand for nurses and dental hygienists is expected to be much higher than the average, with a projected growth of 16% from 2018-2028 for nursing and 11% for dental hygiene, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, this does not mean that one is harder than the other. Both nursing and dental hygienists enjoy competitive salaries and great job security. 

Licensure Requirements: 

Nurses generally require a minimum of a 2-year degree in nursing to be eligible for licensure in most states. Additionally, nurses will often need to pass a National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) exam. On the other hand, dental hygienists in most states need to have a postsecondary degree or certificate to be eligible for licensure.

This can be completed through a 2- or 4-year program. Aspiring dental hygienists will also need to pass a written and clinical exam known as the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE).

FAQ: The degree of difficulty of both nursing and dental hygiene school

Q: Does dental hygiene school require prerequisites? 

A: Yes, many dental hygiene schools require prerequisites in the sciences, such as biology and chemistry, to be admitted into the program. 

Q: How long is a dental hygiene program? 

A: Most dental hygiene programs are two-year associate’s degrees that require the completion of approximately 88 semester credit hours. 

Q: How much does a dental hygienist make a year? 

A: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for dental hygienists in 2019 was $74,820 per year. 

Conclusion: 

In conclusion, both dental hygiene and nursing schools both require intensive coursework and the completion of licensure exams in order to be qualified to work in the field.

Dental hygiene school often requires students to gain more practical skills such as cleaning and polishing teeth, while nursing school has more in-depth medical topics. Ultimately, the degree of difficulty and program offerings will depend on the institution attended and personal interests of the student.

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