Hi everybody, i'm a newly qualified dental nurse. Nearly 40, ex-retail. Joined dentistry for job security. (HA!)
I'm loving being chair-side, I love my patients, and I love the job.
What I DON'T love is how many many many dental nurses i've met so far (through my college course, locums, and from nurses from the 3 different practices i've worked at) is that literally all of them have many horror stories from working with difficult and horrible dentists! Pretty much every one says that they have nearly turned away from dental nursing due to stress, feeling underappreciated/bullied/treated unfairly/humiliated, not given enough time to do decon, etc etc etc.
What is up with this? What is going on with dentists and this environment that they make the nurses feel this way? What is is that can contribute to us feeling so unhappy?
I've got a few theories.
1. dental nurses are highly intelligent yet sensitive people, which makes them so perfect for the job yet can make the stings from the dentist last longer
2. we aim to constantly please our dentist, going the extra mile often for no thanks
3. being sensitive, we feel bad when we "disappoint" them
4. maybe we are trying too hard
5. overthinking everything (worrying about our suction!)
6. putting too much pressure on ourselves
7. the margin for error is narrow ... you will not do everything perfectly every single time, you will mess up! there are apparently a thousand different ways to pass a flat plastic yet you must read the dentists mind to know how he is feeling that exact moment of that day in order to please him
8. the dentist, being in close proximity notices everything and is not afraid to point out your shortcomings!
9. we are too nice!!!!
What do you think? I mean, i'm shocked at how many wonderful talented, multi-skilled dental nurses have had their confidence completely shaken. I am no exception, as during my training I completely lost confidence and found I had to leave the practice I was working at in order to qualify and finish all my observations! Such was the belittling I was facing on a daily basis, I was not prepared for being treated in this way at all and it shook and shocked me to my core.
Yet I qualified and so far have been feeling good again.
Today, however, I was "told off" by a dentist I worked with. I do not feel I deserved his outburst. I feel it is a sad part of my job and yes, it affected my day and consequently my evening.
What are your stories? Do you find it easy to bounce back? I do learn from things I do wrong but sometimes I feel like... well.... I did my best, what more can they expect???! Who made the dentist god of everything?
Why should we eat humble pie all the time?????
