Registered nurse vs dental hygienist

Differences between registered nurse and dental hygienist duties and responsibilities

Registered nurse example responsibilities.

• Manage patient care for individuals with multiple diagnoses including COPD, diabetes, stroke and cardiac issues.
• Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
• Manage surgical recovery patients including vascular, ENT, GI urological and neurological cases, coronary bypass surgery patients.
• Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
• Provide care for cardiac patients in arrhythmia critical care unit, providing patient education and monitoring telemetry
• Re-Cover surgical patients immediately after heart and vascular surgery until transfer out of ICU.
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Dental hygienist example responsibilities.

• Assist dentist to manage dental and medical emergencies by maintaining CPR certification.
• Assist front office with eligibility interviews and inputting information of future patients into Dentrix computer system.
• Perform all the same duties as a dental hygienist under the supervision of a RDH.
• Enter all services render, treatment plan and suggest into DENTRIX computer system; including clinical charting.
• Develop a course plan, instruction materials, and curriculum goals for students as a didactic instructor for radiology.
• Sterilize surgical instrument trays, set up and operate ultrasonice cleaners, maintain and operate autoclaves, assemble surgical trays.
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