Are you looking to make important life and work changes in the new year? Maybe you want to take your role to the next level? If so, then read on to find out how you could achieve these changes in 2023!
The end of the year is always a time that brings a feeling of starting over. It’s a time to renew, but it’s also a great time to reflect on the year that’s just been.
Training industries report that 76% of employees want the opportunity to expand their careers. So what better time to review and plan for the future than now?
If you’re looking to develop your dental nursing career in 2023, this article will show you the positive steps needed when planning for the year ahead.
To look forward, we have to first look back.
When planning ahead for your career development, it can seem a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to!
Making positive changes to your role can give you something to strive towards, keeping your career interesting and fulfilling.
You first need to look back at what you’ve achieved, what new skills can you utilise moving forward?
If there were things that didn’t go well, was it something you could control? If not, then try not to dwell on it.
You may like to make yourself a table with the positives, negatives, and any changes you want to implement.
Bearing all this in mind, what do you want to plan now for the year ahead? What will you do differently in 2023?
Fail to prepare, and you’re preparing to fail
OK, so I don’t know if you’ve heard of this saying, but I really think there’s some truth in it. If you want to set some positive goals for next year it will benefit you to be proactive and plan ahead now.
They may be goals that you can’t action right away, and that’s fine, but you can always work towards them as the weeks and months go by.
As you know, as part of your CPD, you’re required to fill in an annual Personal Development Plan (or PDP), and this is very similar to what we’re trying to create here.
You could use this as your base and expand on it by considering how you could use any additional skills you’ve picked up this year.
Once you know what goals you want to achieve, have a think about what small steps you need to take to achieve them.
What skills can I improve as a dental nurse?
Did you know that there are so many extra skills that a dental nurse can improve to grow their career?
Whatever your career stage, or goals, there are lots of courses available to get you to where you want to be. See our courses here.
We are so much more than ‘just nurses’ and New Year’s resolution ideas like these are a great way to help you focus, and empower you to take responsibility for your own career path.
Can you progress from being a dental nurse?
There are also ways you can progress from being a dental nurse and take your career in a different direction. You might want to retrain as a Dental Hygienist or Therapist for example, or help to market the practice like I did.
I was a dental nurse for 14 years, and during my career, I was given the opportunity to take on more creative tasks like writing the practice newsletter, creating patient leaflets, and writing content for social media.
I developed a love of writing, and alongside working as a nurse I set out to gain a degree in English Language. It wasn’t easy to work and study as well as bringing up a young family, but I set myself goals and took the small steps I needed to achieve them.
That opportunity, not only helped me to take on a different role within my dental practice, but also to create a different career for myself. I’m no longer working as a dental nurse, but have since started working as a freelance writer.
The skills and knowledge I gained as a nurse, along with the extra qualifications I chose to undertake, have meant I can now help other nurses by writing articles like this one.
It’s definitely a career path outside of the typical nursing role, and it wouldn’t be for everyone. However, I wanted to share my story to show you that sometimes with career development, you might need to think outside the box.
Planning for YOUR future
Depending on which goals you set, and which route you take, you will all end up at different places on your career path, but the most important part is knowing that you are planning for your future.
Don’t worry about what other people around you are doing. You are in charge of your career progression, and with a few simple steps you could be on track to have the best year yet!
By Emma Blakeley
