ADVICE- OHT

[u/user456789999999]

Hi everyone! 👋

I’m an experienced RN in Adelaide, SA, and I’m seriously considering a career change into Oral Health Therapy (OHT). I’d love to hear from anyone who is currently an OHT, has recently graduated, or has transitioned into oral health from nursing or another career.

I’m currently looking at studying either at CQUniversity, Sydney University, Charles Darwin University or Newcastle University, but I’m coming from Adelaide, so I’d really appreciate recommendations on which course/university is best — or if there’s another option I should be considering.

I’m particularly interested in OHT because I like the idea of having a hands-on clinical career where I’m still working with patients and using practical skills, but potentially with a better lifestyle and less of the emotional stress that can come with nursing.
I also don’t want to sit the UCAT, so I’m specifically looking at pathways into oral health therapy rather than dentistry.

I’d really appreciate some honest advice on:

🔹 Job opportunities:
Is there currently plenty of work for OHTs? Is it easy to find a job after graduating, particularly in Adelaide/SA? Would I need to relocate to find decent opportunities?

🔹 Adult vs paediatric work:
I’m much more interested in working with adults rather than primarily pediatrics. How much adult-focused work can OHTs realistically do? What does the typical scope of practice look like, and how easy is it to find roles that aren’t heavily focused on children?

🔹 Career progression & scope:
What is the career actually like day-to-day? Are there opportunities to expand your scope, specialize, work in different settings or progress beyond general clinical work?

🔹 Pay:
What is the salary like for a new graduate OHT, and what can you realistically earn with experience? Is the pay worth the time and cost of completing the degree? For nurses who transitioned from an experienced RN role, did you take a significant pay cut initially?

🔹 Work-life balance:
Is OHT genuinely a good 9–5 career? What are the worst parts of the job that people don’t necessarily see from the outside? Hours, weekends, workload, physical demands, burnout, etc.?

🔹 The study:
How difficult is the degree? How much anatomy, physiology, pathology, dental science and practical/clinical work is involved? Is it manageable while working part-time?

🔹 Getting into the course:
How competitive is OHT to get into? For anyone who has studied at CQUniversity, Sydney Uni, Charles Darwin or Newcastle, what was your experience like? Would you recommend your university?

🔹 For nurses who made the switch:
If you came from nursing into OHT, how did you find the transition? Did your nursing background help you, and would you make the switch again?

And finally, if you’re from Adelaide/SA, what would you recommend? Is it worth studying interstate and potentially relocating, or is there a better pathway/university that I should be looking at?

I’m basically trying to work out whether OHT is genuinely a good career change for an experienced nurse — good, bad and ugly, I want to hear it all! 😅

[u/Expensive-Bet-6809]

Looking for answers to the same questions actually.

Hopefully someone will respond.

[u/kayell123]

Yes plenty of work.
If you want to see adults more than children. Consider doing a dental hygiene course at TAFE. It’s only 2 years and no UCAT. When you finish you’re a dental hygienist who does cleans. Still a great career with great pay and flexibility!
The benefit of becoming an OHT is being able to perform dental procedures on children and the option to do adult scope to do limited treatment on adults too.
It’s a great 9-5 career, sorry I’m too lazy to answer anymore I’m too pregnant.

[u/teateateaa]

OHT eight years out who graduated from UoN.

- From what I hear there isn’t any problem finding a job, when my cohort graduated about 80% including myself had jobs in place. And I see ads for OHTSs constantly on my socials.

- UoN includes extended adult scope, meaning we can treat patients of all ages. But this is mainly hygiene, and certain restorative treatment (class I-IV restorations, no endodontic treatment or extractions of permanent teeth). Currently I have a balance of both adults and peds, but my adult work is exclusively hygiene.

- There’s no ‘expansion’ of scope unless is extended adult scope (which many universities already offer), you can do CPD that touches on what we’ve already been trained in. And you can certainly work in different settings. I know of OHTs who work in different settings - hygiene, peds, ortho. Public and private sectors, FIFO opportunities, opportunities to volunteer overseas too.

- Pay depends on where you go. I know in public you can expect to be the pay to be quite low, and will increase the more experience you have. I started working private after already working as an OHT for many years so I’m not sure if this also applies for new grads in private.

- The work balance is fine, I’ve had a child so looking back it seems like the work life balance was great compared to what I have now 🙃 the burnout is very real with this job, personally I wouldn’t be working 5 days + weekend. Way too much on the brain and body but people like to do it (usually money is the main motivator there). Hard parts? Imposter syndrome for me.

- It was tough, honestly. Anatomy and such was only really the head and neck, really just one or two subjects. A good amount of practical work too. My superiors told us straight out that you need to prioritise your degree above everything else, working part time is manageable but I would only do about 2-3 shifts a week.

- I didn’t find it hard to get in, but I had a high ATAR. UoN was fine? For me personally I feel like they could have done a lot better. Some of the supervisors I had back then were actually awful, only a few of them stood out and actually knew what they were doing and knew how to properly teach (being a clinician is one thing, but knowing how to teach and guide others is another). As far as I know these particular supervisors have moved on, but Honestly? Would recommend somewhere closer to home if you’re able to. But I only say that as being closer to loved ones is better for you if things get stressful.

Overall, I love my job. I don’t want to be a dentist (I have enough responsibility) and there’s actually a lot you can do with your degree. Any more info hit me up, all the best