Dental nursing is a highly rewarding and varied career, with many professionals choosing to remain in the field for years. However, if you’re looking to expand your career opportunities and develop new skills, consider branching out into dental tutoring or assessing. Whether you continue working as a dental nurse or transition entirely into an educational role, it’s essential to understand the qualifications, skills, and opportunities each path offers.
Which Role Is Right for You: Assessing or Tutoring?
When considering your next career move, think about whether dental tutoring or dental assessing suits your interests and strengths best.
- Assessing/Marking: If you prefer to focus on evaluating the skills of dental nurses without the additional responsibility of teaching, starting as a dental assessor might be the best option.
- Future Tutoring: Even if you begin with assessing, you can always transition into tutoring later. In fact, most of our teaching staff hold both qualifications, which not only broadens your skill set but also increases your flexibility and appeal in the job market.
Dental Tutoring
Dental tutoring allows you to share your expertise with trainee dental nurses and support them as they work toward their qualifications. You can also train colleagues in extended duties such as fluoride varnish application, radiography, or oral health education to help broaden their scope of practice.
Key Requirements:
- Minimum qualification: Level 3 Award in Education and Training or similar.
- GDC registration.
- Several years of experience as a dental nurse.
- Indemnity Insurance.
Teaching Environments:
- Classroom settings.
- Online platforms.
- Practice visits to assess dental nurses in their workplaces (this may require flexibility and personal transport).
Essential Qualities for a Dental Tutor:
- Strong Communication Skills: Ability to explain complex topics in an accessible way.
- Confidence: Comfort with speaking in front of groups and delivering engaging presentations.
- Knowledge of Learning Styles: Understanding that different learners have varied needs and adapting your approach accordingly.
- Attention to Detail: Precision when marking students' work.
- Patience and Empathy: Supporting students who may find the course challenging or face workplace issues.
- Time Management: Meeting deadlines for exams, coursework, and assessments.
- Good IT Skills: Particularly important for online tutoring roles.
Professional Development:
Once you start tutoring, consider expanding your expertise by completing further qualifications, such as a Level 4 Certificate or a Level 5 Diploma in Teaching. The Level 5 Diploma, in particular, can help you gain official teaching status. Additionally, training in supporting students with specific learning difficulties can further enhance your teaching effectiveness.
Dental Assessing
Transitioning into a dental assessor role allows you to evaluate the competence of dental nurses. This position is ideal for those who enjoy a flexible, often remote, working environment.
Key Requirements:
- Minimum qualification: Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment (ACWE), Level 3 Award in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA), or similar.
- GDC registration.
- Indemnity Insurance.
- Note: While the NEBDN previously accepted the Level 3 tutor course for assessing the NEBDN national diploma, current guidelines require completion of the assessor qualification.
Additional Skills:
- The more post-registration qualifications you have, the more areas you will be able to assess.
- Good IT skills are important, as much of the assessing is conducted online.
Further Training Opportunities:
Internal Moderation:
We highly recommend pursuing further training as an internal moderator. From our experience as a course provider, internal moderation is a qualification in high demand, yet few candidates currently possess it.
Standing Out and Applying for Jobs
Since the pandemic, many dental nurses have completed assessor training to secure flexible, remote work—whether to complement full-time roles, supplement part-time positions, or even replace their clinical role altogether. Here are some tips to help you stand out:
Maintain Clinical Involvement:
Continuing to work in dental nursing, even one day per month, enhances your credibility as a tutor.
Develop a Strong CV:
Highlight your work history, additional qualifications, and relevant experience. Ensure your CV is error-free and professionally formatted.
Qualifications Requirements:
At Dental Nurse Network, we require a minimum of two post-registration qualifications alongside your education qualification. Other course providers may have different requirements, so it's best to check with them.
Networking and Direct Applications:
Send your well-crafted CV to training providers with whom you have a previous relationship, and consider reaching out to other providers directly—personal referrals can lead to valuable job opportunities.
Conclusion
Becoming a dental nurse tutor or assessor offers a rewarding opportunity to share your passion for the profession while supporting the next generation of dental nurses. It also promotes your own professional growth as you develop additional skills beyond those required in a clinical setting. Whether you choose to focus on assessing, tutoring, or eventually both, having a diverse range of qualifications will serve you well in this evolving field.
