DESERVED WINNER OF DENTAL NURSE OF THE YEAR:
- Xyanthe Lambert
Senior Dental Nurse, Radiographer, Oral Health Educator
I am proud to say I am a 41 year old registered Dental Nurse, (well perhaps less of the 41 year old)! I am a Senior Dental Nurse, qualified Radiographer and Oral Health Educator and I have been nursing for almost ten years now. I still have the same passion for the job as I did all those years ago. You could say that once you get me talking about the subject I turn into a bit of an anorak and go into full swing talking about my job, because I love it so much.
Why do I love my job so much?
I like making a difference to patients. I like seeing patients from their initial consultation, until their treatment is complete and than seeing them come back regularly for dental health reviews. Overcoming patient’s fears and previous bad experiences and building their confidence up, so they are actually smiling and laughing with us at the dentists. It is so rewarding making a difference and giving people the confidence to smile again. I wish I could take all the glory but I am only one of a team that achieve this. No one person standing above another as we all work together to achieve the transformation in patients.
How did I end up working in dentistry?
I had previously always worked in an office, so was always highly organised and when I was made redundant I initially thought about becoming a dental or doctor’s receptionist. When I went to the job centre, the guy said you are smartly dressed, why don’t you call round and pick up an application form from this practice and it turned out to be for a position of a dental nurse. My Mum was a dental nurse and I had lost her when I was young and so thought it would be nice to do something that she had also done, and after two interviews the rest is history……the best decision I ever made.
Would I recommend a career in dentistry?
Yes I would, although I don’t think dental nurses get the credit that they truly deserve. The unsung heroes…The Annual Retention Fee, I feel is very unfair,
not that I don’t think we shouldn’t pay to be on a register but that nurses have to pay the same as hygienists/therapists and lab technicians who have the potential to earn far more than nurses. I felt so strongly about this that I set up a Face book group supporting this and also a No. 10 e-petition gaining more than 500 signatures from other dental professionals. I have had tremendous support from other nurses feeling the same and that now they are thinking they need to turn to other careers because of this which is such a shame for such a rewarding job. They can’t afford the cost of just being allowed to do their jobs so they can be called a dental nurse. As I said at the beginning I am proud to call myself a Dental Nurse, and patients are my main priority, as long as I can make a difference to them – that is all that matters.
Prize includes-
GDC retention fee paid- A cheque sent in the post
One year's worth of verifiable CPD
This gift hamper
