Reasons for changing employment positions among practicing North Carolina dental hygienists

This study sought to identify factors associated with dental hygienists' decisions to leave one dental office and commence practice in another. Although dental hygienists' decisions to leave the profession have been examined in some detail, this more common phenomenon of changing positions has not been carefully examined. All currently practicing dental hygienists in North Carolina were surveyed in 1990, as a part of a cooperative project addressing retention of dental office team members. The survey collected information concerning the 976 respondents' (51% response rate) employment experience, reasons associated with leaving past positions, current job and career satisfaction, and personal characteristics. These data were analyzed to determine factors associated with both reported position changes and respondents' predictions of their professional activity status five years hence. No one reason or group of related reasons predominated among respondents' indicated reasons for leaving past positions. Approximately 25% of all changes were related to family responsibilities or spouse relocation. A larger proportion of changes was associated with a variety of job-related factors. Length of time in current position was not strongly related to job or career satisfaction, or to specific employment arrangements. The satisfaction measures were strongly associated with respondents' predictions of future activity status, while the employment arrangements were not. The results indicate that position changes occur for a variety of reasons, most, but not all, of which represent problems amenable to resolution through interventions designed to improve aspects of management within the practice.