My education as a hygienist goes beyond scaling. I am trained to detect many oral conditions and manage health issues that may contraindicate a patients hygiene care. Pharmacology, head and neck anatomy, and oral disease are all courses expected to be passed in order to become licensed. There were also courses in instrumentation and many patient requirements to be met before being considered for graduation and licensure. The level of education and understanding of patient care is essential to complete patient care. Who will eventually get the short end of the stick? Would you as a patient rather have a licensed individual who has been trained to detect and manage your care or would rather have someone who has had a few days training on the job?