Pupil Labored at a Lice Clinic to Save Cash Throughout College (Unique)

• Cailin Hawn has labored at a lice clinic for 5 years in an try to make and lower your expenses for college.
• Though she is a dental hygiene scholar, her time working on the lice clinic has allowed her to grow to be extra comfy round sufferers.
• Along with her commencement slowly approaching, Hawn says she will probably be debt-free after 5 years of upper schooling.

Working at a lice clinic wasn’t a profession Cailin Hawn had ever imagined for herself. But, at 21, it has grow to be a job that has supplied invaluable expertise and performed a key position in serving to her obtain her long-term targets. 

As she appears forward to graduating from dental hygiene faculty in Might 2026, Hawn displays on her time working at a family-owned lice clinic. 

Through the years, the job has not solely allowed her to help sufferers and educate them on widespread misconceptions about lice, nevertheless it has additionally been instrumental in enabling her to graduate debt-free after 5 years of upper schooling.

“Though it was by no means one thing I assumed I might be doing with my work life, I take pleasure in it a lot and I actually wouldn’t have it some other approach,” Hawn tells PEOPLE completely.

Her position on the lice clinic entails a variety of duties. She detects and treats head lice by working an FDA-cleared gadget that dehydrates lice and eggs. She additionally sterilizes devices, schedules appointments, upsells merchandise, collects funds and supplies schooling to sufferers. 

However her predominant focus? Easing the fears of those that are available in, understanding that lice generally is a aggravating and generally embarrassing subject.

“Saving a mom from a panic assault after a protracted day, saving a teenage lady from the embarrassment at college, serving to households in want which were coping with lice for years, bringing peace of thoughts to the sufferers which were instructed they had been loopy for the ‘unexplained itching’ … that’s the pleasure of my job,” Hawn explains. “It’s straightforward to recover from the concept of ‘bugs’ whenever you see every day how a lot of a distinction you’re making in folks’s lives.”

Working on the lice clinic has not solely helped her develop profession expertise, nevertheless it has additionally confirmed her want to work in healthcare. By her work, she has discovered that her true ardour lies in serving to others regain their confidence and peace of thoughts.

“I aspire to assist folks grow to be wholesome and assured of their pores and skin,” Hawn says. “Lice remedy and dental hygiene come hand in hand in that side.”

Having labored on the clinic on and off for almost 5 years, she has seen nearly every little thing.

“After years within the area, there are actually no extra surprises! I’ve seen all of it … each treatment try, each fable, each loopy lice infestation,” she reveals. “I am positive you couldn’t think about all of it in case you tried. The job retains me on my toes for positive, however I am all the time up for the problem!” 

Hawn extremely recommends the job, significantly for individuals who are in search of a versatile and accommodating place. “It doesn’t require education, and certification is supplied on the job,” she notes. 

Whereas working at a lice clinic may not be for everybody, she believes that in case you can look previous the stigma related to lice, it gives rewarding work and a way of satisfaction.

One specific problem she faces on the clinic is coping with the misconceptions folks have about lice. The most typical false impression is that lice can fly or bounce, which isn’t true. 

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Hawn’s TikToks – which regularly present her letting her hair down after a shift on the clinic – have garnered a whole lot of involved feedback. 

“Oh sure … the notorious hair!” she laughs. The primary video she made letting her hair unfastened was in reference to a “day by day shed” development that was circulating TikTok on the time.

“I do, actually, put on my hair down within the clinic when I’m not treating; it isn’t ‘faux rage bate’ as many commenters have assumed,” Hawn admits. 

“I also can utterly perceive the place folks’s issues are coming from,” she provides. “Nevertheless, the extra you recognize about lice, the quicker you’ll understand that this isn’t the best way to contract head lice.” 

Lice solely spreads by way of direct head-to-head contact, however Hawn nonetheless takes precautions and lint-rolls her garments after therapies to make sure she’s not carrying something house. 

“I’m most susceptible to contracting lice when I’m utilizing the machine within the likelihood that I blow a bug onto myself; subsequently, I do cowl my head throughout affected person remedy,” she tells PEOPLE. “In conclusion, the million-dollar query: letting my hair down within the clinic is not going to give me lice.”

Whereas working on the lice clinic might be demanding, particularly with the rigorous schedule of dental hygiene faculty, she makes it work by taking over weekend shifts. 

“Not working in any respect isn’t an choice, however I’m fortunate sufficient to work with employers which are extraordinarily accommodating to my faculty schedule,” Hawn shares. “We additionally work on name, so if there occurs to be no appointments scheduled but, I take advantage of that point to check till it’s time to enter work.”

One among her major targets all through her schooling has been to graduate debt-free. With the assistance of the lice clinic, she has been ready to save cash and keep away from taking over extreme debt, all whereas pursuing her passions.

“Healthcare applications of any diploma will not be low cost, so the lice clinic has supplied me with sufficient to keep away from any debt and obtain my objective of graduating debt-free after 5 years of upper schooling,” Hawn says. “I’ve tried different jobs, and I loved them at occasions, however no job has even come near the wage obtained on the lice clinic. For that, I’m endlessly grateful.”

Her recommendation to different college students aiming to graduate debt-free is to work throughout summers and breaks, discover a job you take pleasure in, apply for scholarships and take into account group faculty for the primary few years. “Sacrificing your time now will enable you extra freedom to take pleasure in your time after you graduate,” Hawn says.

Wanting towards the long run, she plans to deal with her dental hygiene profession after commencement, although she’s open to persevering with her work on the lice clinic part-time.

“As bizarre as it could sound, I’ve actually developed a ardour for lice and what I can do for folks as a lice technician. Who is aware of, perhaps I will even open my very own lice clinic in the future?” she tells PEOPLE.  

From easing the nervousness of burdened sufferers to gaining invaluable expertise in healthcare, her work on the lice clinic has not solely been a supply of earnings but additionally a stepping stone towards a satisfying future in healthcare.