Kentucky is one of just four US states which are constituted as commonwealths. The state’s nickname, “Bluegrass State,” is a reference to the distinctive bluegrass which grows throughout (which also lends its name to bluegrass music). The two major cities are Louisville and Lexington. Other fast-growing areas include Bowling Green and the Tri Cities—London, Corbin and Somerset.
Kentucky is well-known for its key industries: coal, automobile manufacturing, tobacco and bourbon. Horse racing is also a huge deal here, with the Kentucky Derby being held every year in Louisville at Churchill Downs.
The state is also famous for its natural splendour. You can explore the Appalachians here and tour famous sites like the Cumberland Falls, the sole place in the entire Western Hemisphere where you can see a “moonbow,” and Mammoth Cave National Park, which is the longest known cave system on the planet.
So if you are thinking about living and working in Kentucky as a dental hygienist, you have chosen a very exciting state.
Dental Hygienist Salary in Kentucky
But how much money can you make as a Kentucky dental hygienist? Let’s take a look at the mean annual salary and how it compares to the mean annual salary nationwide.
First of all, the nationwide salary is $59,910 according to data provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Kentucky’s mean annual wage is $59,320. So it is lower than the nationwide average, but so is the cost of living in Kentucky. So this means that this is still a competitive salary when cost of living is taken into account.
As far as employment opportunities go, there are currently around 2,150 dental hygienists working in Kentucky. As the field is expanding at a rate of 20%, that should mean many new job openings over the years ahead.
|Area Name||Employment||Hourly mean wage||Annual mean wage|
|Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan area||280||31.20||64890
|East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area||-||28.63||59560
|Elizabethtown, Fort Knox||60||27.92||58080
|South Central Kentucky nonmetropolitan||120||30.29||63010
|West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area||210||28.28||58820
How do you become licensed as a Kentucky dental hygienist? Following are the license requirements you must meet:
- Graduate from a dental hygiene program accredited by CODA.
- Pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination.
- Complete any of the following regional clinical examinations: CRDTS, CITA, CDCA/NERB, WREB or SRTA. This must be done within the five years preceding your application.
- Submit the documentation required to meet Sections 1 and 2 of 201 KAR 8:560E.
- Take and pass the Jurisprudence Examination.
- Pay the fee of $125 when you submit your application.
Kentucky Dental Hygiene Programs
Excited by the prospect of becoming a dental hygienist in Kentucky? Your first step is to choose a school. The following colleges offer accredited programs in dental hygiene in Kentucky.
|Big Sandy Community & Technical College||One Bert T. Combs Drive|
Prestonsburg, KY 41653
|Bluegrass Community and Technical College||234 G Oswald Bldg. – Cooper Dr. Lexington, KY 40506||www.bluegrass.kctcs.edu||AAS|
|University of Louisville||Health Sciences Center|
Louisville, KY 40292
|Western Kentucky University||1906 College Heights Blvd., #11032|
Bowling Green, KY 42101