Pay

sometimes i'm tempted to ask for more, but i'm the highest paid nurse the practice has ever had believe it or not. plus even though id like more, i do feel £12.50 is reasonable so i'll keep my mouth shut until maybe next year! i know someone who is on £16 an hour at a practice up the road!

I’m normal nurse on 12.50£/hour, our head nurse is even on more I think.
When practice wanted me back,i said just pay the same as agency and they did.

as i've just posted on another forum:
I work in a private practice and earn around £12.50 per hour.
I started as a trainee on £6 per hour. This went up to £7.50 once qualified.
After a year I said I wanted more and was happy to take on more responsibilities if necessary and we agreed on £9 per hour.
I'm now head nurse and £12.50 is what we agreed on, I've been here for 7 years. I feel that if you don't ask, you won't get and as awkward as it is, you need to have that meeting. I now wouldn't accept anything less than this for all the work we have to do.

private dental practice - 13£/hour minimum
Nhs/mix - 10£/hour minimum
that what a normal nurse should be on after get qualified
Be strong guys fight for us , say NO to low pay job have the guts to do it.
Do not accept any job offer at first.

well said Forsythe!!

I totally agree with you here. I have been in and out of the dental industry for 30 yrs and am only on £9.25 an hr now. Unfortunately ppl don't go into nursing for the salary otherwise there wouldn't be the nurses there are today. I have tried at various surgeries to get salaries raised but I always find myself the only one with a backbone who speaks up and noone else will as afraid of losing jobs!
Id rally down on my soapbox at No 10 for better pay, but would anyone join me? not sure where to go from here tbh, the badn who is supposed to be our backup doesnt really rally our cause either, not sure why i pay them some of my pay either.

I have worked as a dental nurse/receptionist/manager for over 20 years. The role of the dental nurse carries more responsibilities than it ever has before, with CQC compliance and GDC registration at the forefront of our professional duties.
A dentist cannot work without an assistance and I feel it is time for the whole profession to recognise the role of the dental nurse today (not 20 years ago when we fed the cat and made the tea!!!)
Recognition of the dental assistants role and responsibilities would benefit from a financial increase on a nationwide level.
How do we make a start in highlighting this issue??

Also - £10/hour for all you do is low! Even more depressing as I can't see a decent future!

Hi, thanks for that. I'm in a rural practice in Yorkshire so not much else around - and the owner knows that! I have a friend who cleans and earns £12/hour. It is depressing. I like my job but I don't know how much longer I can afford to stay in the industry. Really questioning how to move forwards, whether that be another practice (and travel time added) or leave dental nursing all together. Interested to hear other people's pay experience so I have a better idea of 'normal.'

It depends where abouts you are.
I am dual role head dental nurse/practice manager and only just over £10 p/h. I think this is seriously low for the amount that I am expected to do. I think if I left the practice would struggle to find someone to do my job for what it pays.

I know girls who only nurse and they are 30 mins from me and are on £10.50. I also interviewed a receptionist (she was head receptionist at her practice) and she was currently earning £11.25! That was at a practice in the same town as me!

Our trainees are on £7.20 and I expect they will go up to £8 once qualified, which I also think is seriously low. I think they should start on £9 an hour once qualified, but I don't have a say when it comes to wages!

Dentists are tight, you would get more working for an agency but then work is not guaranteed. You would also probably get paid more working as a cleaner or stacking shelves in Lidl! Depressing but true.

Hi everyone. I'm interested in hearing what you all think of your pay. I'm at the point of thinking I may have to leave the industry all together but actually don't want to! For the most part I like my job.
I'm earning £8.25/hour and have worked in 1 dental practice only, for the last 7 years. Can I expect to earn more elsewhere? What is the industry standard? Anyone willing to share their experiences and thoughts? Thanks.