Registered Dental Hygienist, Pediatric: Galt and South Sacramento FQHC

Full-time hygiene with benefits, a 4-day option, and about 10 patients a day

• $51 to $57 per hour
• 4-day (32 hr) or 5-day (40 hr) week
• 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, no weekends
• About 10 patients a day
• NHSC loan repayment eligible
• FTCA malpractice, no premium

Pure Heart Staffing recruited a full-time registered dental hygienist for the pediatric dental program of a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center in Sacramento County. The role split time between a Galt dental center (about 80%) and a South Valley dental center in the Elk Grove and south Sacramento area (about 20%), roughly 20 minutes apart on Highway 99. Patients are children and teens from infancy through age 20, many on Medi-Cal Dental.

What made this role different

• Full-time hours with a single employer, instead of part-time days pieced together across private offices.
• A manageable pace: about 10 patients a day, with 1-hour appointments for teens and complex cases and 40-minute appointments for younger children.
• No evenings or weekends. Monday and Friday coverage was required, with either a 4-day week (one set weekday off) or a 5-day week.
• NHSC loan repayment eligibility: up to $12,500 a year on a 4-day schedule or up to $25,000 a year on a 5-day schedule, tax-free, with help on the paperwork.
• A dental team with no layoffs in 15 years and hygienists who have stayed 5, 10, and 15-plus years, plus a path to RDH II and III levels.
• A paid first week of orientation, including EPIC training and shadowing before seeing patients independently.

Schedule and compensation

• Hourly rate: $51.00 to start at the RDH I level, with a range to $57.00.
• Paid time off: 16 days a year on a 4-day schedule or 20 days on a 5-day schedule, plus 11 paid holidays and 6 sick days. Quarterly PTO cash-out was available.
• Continuing education: 3 paid CE days (24 hours) and a $2,250 annual stipend for courses, license renewal, and association dues.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage (Kaiser or Sutter options) with an employer-funded health expense card of $5,000 to $5,500 a year per covered person, plus a $50,000 term life policy and employer-paid disability coverage.
• 401(k) with a 25% employer match, and FTCA malpractice coverage at no cost.

The day to day

Full-scope pediatric hygiene: prophylaxis, periodontal maintenance and scaling, radiographs, sealants, fluoride, and oral health education for patients and parents. The hygienist works alongside the dentist and dental assistants, keeps charts current in EPIC, and follows the clinic’s sterilization and safety protocols. A second language helps with this patient population but was not required.

Who qualified

• Current California RDH license in good standing, with CPR/BLS and radiation safety certification up to date.
• At least one year of clinical hygiene experience after licensure. This was not a new-grad role.
• Confident with young patients and able to adjust technique by age; pediatric experience a strong plus.
• Reliable transportation between the two sites, and ideally a home base in south Sacramento County or northern San Joaquin County (Elk Grove, Galt, Lodi, Stockton).
• Authorized to work in the United States; the employer could not sponsor visas.

Role profile of a position Pure Heart Staffing® recruited for on behalf of a client, a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center in Sacramento County. The role has closed; the details are shared so dental hygienists can benchmark community health offers. Pay and benefit figures were current when the role was open. The employer is an Equal Opportunity Employer.