Abstract
Objectives: This study was carried out for the purpose of examining the levels of vocational awareness and the professional ethics recognition in the clinical dental hygienists. Methods: A survey was conducted targeting 500 members who participated in the supplementary education program for dental hygienists in the first half of 2017. Total 328 subjects’ materials were analyzed. Results: A reason for working in terms of the occupational identity was very high with 81.4% in ‘aiming to earn money’. A goal of working was the highest with 41.5% in ‘financial independence’. The professional ethics approach level was indicated to be the highest with 3.33 points in the domain of human relation. It was shown to be in order of the job satisfaction level with 3.21 points, followed by the lifelong working with 3.17 points, the vocational ethics observance with 2.95 points, the workplace satisfaction level with 2.82 points, and the job anxiety level with 2.65 points. The domain in the job anxiety level according to general characteristics was indicated to be significantly high in the higher age and work career in case of the married and in case of Seoul as a workplace. The domain in the professional ethics observance was shown to be significantly high in the higher work career in case of the married and in case of Gyeonggi Province as a workplace. The domain in the lifelong working was indicated to be significantly high in case of the married. Conclusions: For the establishment of the right professional ethics as a dental hygienist and for the securement of its practice starting from the education for the dental hygiene department, the development of educational program will be needed aiming at the approach to the professional ethics and the reinforcement in the vocational ethics recognition.
Acknowledgements
본 연구는 동남보건대학교 연구비 지원에 의해서 수행된 것임.
Figures & Tables
Table 1. General characteristics of the subjects
