Question:
a friend of mine just finished her 3-year dental lab training in Germany and
wants to know how she can apply for a job in the USA since her boyfriend is
already studying over there. As far as I know, the dental lab technology
programs in the US are two years long, so I think she won't have any
disadvantages regarding her training. But I want to know if anyone could
tell me what would be the best approach for looking for a job like that in
the US.
Answer:
Good Dental Laboratory Technicians are difficult to find in the USA. Your
acquaintance should have no difficulty finding a job in any region of the
USA. Depending on whether the training is in acrylic, casting, waxing, RPD,
porcelain, etc. will determine pay levels. Currently, there is no
*required* training for dental technicians in the USA. Most are trained on
the job-site.
What about getting a working Visa? What kind of visa would she need and what
are the procedures in this case? Has somebody had experience with that?
Having a publicly declared shortage of trained lab techs in both Canada and the
US will work to their advantage though.
Back in the early 80's when Earl Wilcox needed someone with my skills, he flew
me down to Hartford, put me up for a week to show me the area and was prepared
to sign for my green card. How much trouble did you have getting in Alex?
Me 1st. A technical rep from Howmedica/Austenal I had dealt with for years
suggested me to Earl to run his casting department. Earl called me, sent a plane
ticket a few days later and we met for a week. Wethersfield CT (sp?) was a
beautiful place, the people in the lab were wonderful. The job was tempting. The
offer came with 1 green card not 2, unless I was married to a certain young
lady. After spending what seemed like an eternity in the presence of tears like
Niagara Falls, I decided to stay North of the 49th. IIRC part of the agreement
was that I go back to school to get my license. A decade or so later I finally
gave in to the pressure and got married to the same young lady. Didn't think the
job offer still stood. Been with the same lady nearly 3 decades now.
It may or may not be "pubilcy declared" but there is no wide-spread
shortage of lab techs in the US. Wages are so low that our local community
college closed its lab technology program over a decade ago; no students.
Dentistry is not a growth industry. Besides, the work is too easily outsourced
to other countries.
Vaughn, you hit the source of the problem stating "Wages are so low". The # of
colleges programs dropped from 49 to 28 in a decade. Try a Google search for
(shortage "dental technician") 766 hits. The problem is not limited to the US.
See page 6 of the document:
http://www.prosthodontics.org/cf-dbm/library/files/Summer04.pdf
The ACP is reaching out to address the particular
needs of the laboratory technician. The
College is especially concerned about the impending
acute shortage of technicians. That shortage,
combined with curriculum changes, will result in
a lowering of prosthetic standards in family dentistry.
The ACP has established an Alliance membership
status for dental laboratory technicians,
and provides them with quality, continuing education
opportunities. The College also leads a
task force with the American Dental Association
to analyze and act upon the issues impacting technicians.
From the page:
http://tinyurl.com/7x4a9
. The National Association of Dental Laboratories (NADL) has predicted that in
10 years, 40% of all current laboratories will be gone because of a shortage of
dental technicians.
. Technicians that did the majority of prosthetic work delivered in 2001 were
over 63 years of age.
. Thirty-two of 62 ADA-accredited dental laboratory programs have closed since
1983.
. The number of applications to the remaining dental technology programs has
decreased steadily since 1994.
. The number of technicians leaving the profession is increasing.
