Ayers Kathryn, Meldrum Alison M, Thomson W Murray, Newton J Timothy
Department of Oral Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, PO Box 647, Dunedin, New Zealand.
J Public Health Dent. 2006 Summer;66(3):186-91. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2006.tb02578.x.
To describe the current working practices and level of job satisfaction of dental hygienists in New Zealand.
Postal survey of all dental hygienists on the New Zealand Dental Council's database. An initial mailing was followed by a 3-week follow-up. Information was sought on respondents' demographic characteristics, current occupation and working practice, history of career breaks, continuing education and career satisfaction.
213 responses were received (73.2%); 90.6% were currently working as hygienists, mostly in private practice. Many worked part time, particularly those with children. Almost 50% of respondents had taken at least one career break, most frequently for childrearing. The mean time taken in career breaks was 3.6 years. Overall, dental hygienists reported high levels of satisfaction with their careers and their income. Older hygienists had higher career satisfaction scores. Most respondents were actively involved in continuing education. Almost half were interested in expanding the range of procedures they perform. Over one-third plan to retire within the next 10 years.
While many hygienists take career breaks and work part time, most have a high level of career satisfaction, actively participate in continuing education, and are satisfied with their remuneration.
描述新西兰牙科保健员当前的工作实践及工作满意度水平。
对新西兰牙科理事会数据库中的所有牙科保健员进行邮寄调查。首次邮寄后进行为期3周的随访。收集了有关受访者的人口统计学特征、当前职业和工作实践、职业中断历史、继续教育及职业满意度的信息。
共收到213份回复（73.2%）；90.6%的人目前从事牙科保健员工作，主要在私人诊所。许多人兼职工作，尤其是有孩子的人。近50%的受访者至少有过一次职业中断，最常见的原因是抚养孩子。职业中断的平均时长为3.6年。总体而言，牙科保健员对其职业和收入的满意度较高。年长的保健员职业满意度得分更高。大多数受访者积极参与继续教育。近一半的人有兴趣扩大其执行的程序范围。超过三分之一的人计划在未来10年内退休。
虽然许多牙科保健员会有职业中断并兼职工作，但大多数人对职业满意度较高，积极参与继续教育，并且对薪酬感到满意。
