Working at the Clinic
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a lice removal clinician? Here are our answers to our most commonly asked questions from clients (and their kids!) about our job.
What made you want to work here?
Well, our reasons are many. Intrigue, a desire to help others or to do something a bit different, flexible hours…the answers keep going. Also, a majority of our staff are pre-med or pre-health college students at UT. And what’s a better way of gaining clinical experience outside the hospital than working at a lice clinic!
Why do you wear those silly hats?
Our colorful hats do a really important job; they keep us from catching lice ourselves! We make sure all our hair is under our hats so that no little bugs can make their way onto our heads. Our clinic owner, Jen, sews all our hats and makes sure we keep safe and fashionable!
Have you ever gotten lice from working at clinic?
You’d think working at a lice clinic would mean we all regularly get lice, but some of us actually go through our whole time here without ever getting them! It’s really a combination of good protective practice and just sheer luck. But if we do get lice from treating a client, we get treated for free! Most of the time the lice don’t even make it to our homes before we notice. Plus, we often check each other’s heads and do the Treatment Goop treatment at home every 10 days. This means we have a lot lower chance of getting lice!
Are you scared of lice?
Lice seem like a scary thing when you first find out that you have them. But after you work with them for a while, you get used to it. Of course, seeing them under a microscope or finding one in your pocket after treatment still give us the heebie jeebies sometimes.
What’s the worst case of lice you’ve ever seen?
Honestly, however bad you think your lice are, we’ve probably seen worse. Some clients don’t realize they have lice because they don’t itch. And some can go more than a year without noticing! In the worse cases, we have to send the person home with goopy hair to return the next day for treatment. It can get pretty bad!
Do y’all keep pretty busy?
Yes! Lice like people no matter the time of year, although we do see more clients when school starts up again. We see about 81 people a month on average.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the clinic?
Like all other non-essential businesses, we closed for the month of April, 2020. However, we’re re-opening on Monday, May 4th! At this time, we’ll only be able to perform Saline Treatments until the pandemic is under control, mostly because our heat treatments blow a great quantity of air around. For everyone’s safety, we will also require all people in the building to wear a face mask and have their temperature taken prior to treatment. This way, we’ll be able to help you with your pesky lice problem while still keeping everyone safe!
