Lisa Curbow, RDH, shares her dental hygiene journey from grocery store work to dental assisting— and how it led her to a long-term career in dental hygiene, including a specialized role in special needs dentistry and hospital coordination. Her story reinforces a steady truth for both dental hygiene students and early-career clinicians: your direction often becomes clear through patient care, not before it. One patient experience led her to build a niche serving an underserved population, reminding listeners that growth in clinical dental hygiene often starts with curiosity and a willingness to adapt. She also offers grounded insight into common challenges like finding patients in clinic, paying for dental hygiene school, and navigating workplace culture—emphasizing that the right office environment and continued education (like CE courses and conferences) can shape long-term satisfaction in the profession.

Start here:

Get dental hygiene school tips, free resources, and access to upcoming student events → https://dentalhygienebasics.mykajabi.com/newsletter

When you're ready for boards:

Join StudentRDH VIP → https://www.studentrdh.com/national-dental-hygiene-board-review-nbdhe-studentrdh-vip-club?utm_source=Referral%60&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=DHBasics&utm_content=DVIP3

Want extra support + events?

Get your free CloudU student membership (monthly events + giveaways) → http://clouddentistry.com/r/vxn1

🟠 Struggling in school? https://dentalhygienebasics.mykajabi.com/pl/2148740487

🟠 Socials: @dentalhygienebasics

🟠 Scholarships: www.dentalhygienebasics.com/scholarships

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dana walks through what to do after an unsuccessful board exam attempt, starting with the first 48 hours—when processing the disappointment matters just as much as planning your next step. Once the initial emotions settle, the real work begins: reviewing your failure report, identifying gaps in foundational dental hygiene knowledge, and shifting from passive review to active recall, spaced repetition, and full-length practice exams that mirror the real test experience.

Struggling on your dental hygiene school journey? Download our free guide to help you overcome your dental hygiene hurdles HERE!

Thank you to our sponsor, Student RDH, for supporting Dental Hygiene Basics! You can access more information on their national boards prep services here.

🟠 Struggling on your journey? Download our free guide to help you overcome your dental hygiene hurdles HERE! https://dentalhygienebasics.mykajabi.com/pl/2148740487

🟠 Follow @DentalHygieneBasics on socials for study tips, motivation, and educational content.

🟠 Check out www.dentalhygienebasics.com to see all of our services and scholarships! Whether you are applying or recently accepted, we got you!

🟠 Listen & Subscribe: The Dental Hygiene Basics Podcast is available on all platforms (Youtube included!). Hit follow and stay updated!

🟠 Thank you to our sponsor, StudentRDH! Head to www.studentrdh.com for all of your board prep needs! Give them a follow on socials @studentrdh, also!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learning information in dental hygiene school is one thing—retaining it long enough to use it in practice is another. In this episode, Jaskiren explains why connecting classroom knowledge to real clinical experiences is one of the most reliable ways to strengthen memory retention in dental hygiene school. Instead of “learning and dumping” material after exams, students can reinforce concepts by actively applying them in clinic.

Struggling on your dental hygiene school journey? Download our free guide to help you overcome your dental hygiene hurdles HERE! https://dentalhygienebasics.mykajabi.com/pl/2148740487

Thank you to our sponsor, Student RDH, for supporting Dental Hygiene Basics! You can access more information on their national boards prep services here.

🟠 Struggling on your journey? Download our free guide to help you overcome your dental hygiene hurdles HERE! https://dentalhygienebasics.mykajabi.com/pl/2148740487

🟠 Follow @DentalHygieneBasics on socials for study tips, motivation, and educational content.

🟠 Check out www.dentalhygienebasics.com to see all of our services and scholarships! Whether you are applying or recently accepted, we got you!

🟠 Listen & Subscribe: The Dental Hygiene Basics Podcast is available on all platforms (Youtube included!). Hit follow and stay updated!

🟠 Thank you to our sponsor, StudentRDH! Head to www.studentrdh.com for all of your board prep needs! Give them a follow on socials @studentrdh, also!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.