BCDHA STUDENT RESOURCES
Employment Resources & Professional Growth
Graduation is an exciting and sometimes nerve-wracking time, with many things to consider as you prepare to register as a new graduate dental hygienist in B.C. You’ll need to consider the NDHCE Board exams, professional liability insurance, job applications, negotiating employment contracts, paying off student loans, and growing your skills as a new dental hygienist.
BCDHA and CDHA work together to ensure that our dental hygiene members can access various member benefits. We offer different but complementary resources to support you. As a new graduate, you can use these resources as you enter the workforce and continue to benefit from them for many years. We hope you’ll make full use of everything available to you!
Graduated CDHA-BCDHA Student membership
The complimentary Graduated Student membership category is available to current dental hygiene students who are CDHA-BCDHA Student members who have recently passed the National Dental Hygiene Certification Exam (NDHCE) within the current calendar year. As BCDHA and CDHA are Affiliate DH Associations, you only need to fill out one application and indicate that you are working in BC.
Your student membership must be current to upgrade to this complimentary membership category. Please log into your CDHA profile to update. If your membership has expired, select “RENEW NOW”. Once your membership is active, select “Convert to Graduated Student”.
You will need your NDHCB Candidate ID #, the number used to write your exam and verify your account, to finalize the upgrade process. If you have not renewed your student membership, you will be prompted to renew it first and will then be able to proceed to upgrade to this membership category using the steps above.
Included in your CDHA-BCDHA FREE Graduated Student membership is professional liability insurance coverage of up to $5 million aggregate until December 31 of that year. CDHA negotiated this Policy with BMS and it is designed to meet the professional needs of dental hygienists across Canada.
Here is a comparison chart that shows the benefits of the BMS policy. If you would like to know more about professional liability insurance, please visit the CDHA website.
Getting a Job
BCDHA-CDHA members have access to many resources over the two member sites that support you as you prepare for your career in dental hygiene. As you prepare to apply for a job, CDHA has resources in their Career center to help you with information if you are considering employment across Canada. Check out the links below to learn more.
CDHA Career Center
The CDHA has revamped its Career Centre where you can search the latest employment opportunities, find out about rates of pay in your area, and more.
BCDHA Guide to Employment Contracts
You can access the BCDHA Guide to Employment Contracts to help you understand contract negotiations during your job search.
Loan Forgiveness
In 2024, the Government of Canada announced that Dental Hygienists who work in rural and remote areas qualify for loan forgiveness. This marks a significant milestone in supporting healthcare professionals burdened by student debt.
Job Search Tips
Need help with Resume writing, Cover letters and interview tips and tricks. You can access that information through the CDHA website.
BCDHA New Graduate DH Wage Survey Report
The BCDHA new graduate DH wage survey report is an important resource for new dental hygiene graduates as it provides essential insights into current compensation and benefit packages as you negotiate your first employment contracts.
Professional Growth
As a new graduate in oral health care, you’ve embarked on a career path that emphasizes lifelong learning. BCDHA offers numerous live and on-demand webinars, allowing you to expand your knowledge conveniently from home. These resources are easily accessible on our website through two dedicated sections. Check out the links below to learn more.
Live Webinars
Webinars are member-protected resources and require registration to attend these event. Members can access the registration links through the events calendar on the website.
On-Demand Webinars
Click the icon to watch on-demand webinars at your own pace at the BCDHA website.
BCCOHP Quality Assurance Program and Learning Plan Assistance
For information on how continuing education eligibility and reporting, we recommend that you consult the following BCCOHP Documents
BCCOHP Dental Hygienists QAP Content Subcategories Expanded Definitions Document
We recommend that you consult the BCCOHP Quality Assurance Program (QAP) resources when learning about how to report your Continuing Education (CE) on the BCCOHP Online Learning Plan. There may be overlap among the various knowledge subcategories, so dental hygienists should determine the most appropriate subcategories for their learning plans.