There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power
Alan Cohen.
Dental Nursing is in an exciting metamorphosis of change, I know that when you head for work through rain and nightmare journeys by tube and train it does not always feel that way, but it is a fact that changes are afoot.
When I started dental nursing 22 years ago it was a very different world…. Or was it?
Yes composite restorations have taken over from Amalgam and we have super press button mixing machines for our impression materials ,and we are even allowed to wear trousers rather than skirts ,no I am not kidding this was an issue at one of the practices I worked in a few years ago.
It has been nearly two years since we have had compulsory registration with the GDC
and we ask ourselves what have we gained by this. Many nurses were already registered on the voluntary register, I being one of them, it was at a fraction of the cost we now have to pay.
But surely it is worth the cost of keeping up your CPD, paying your retention fee and protecting yourself with your professional indemnity insurance. it is, if you are treated as a professional person. In order to be treated as a professional you must act like a professional.
This brings me back to the quote at the top of this page we must overcome the old attitudes towards dental nurses and become excited about what we do ,because in change there is power.
I have been in many staff kitchens over the years listening to unhappy members of staff and am guilty of moaning about various employers during our break time.
We must try and encourage each other rather than just complaining about our lot.
As nurses we have a wide skill base not only assisting in the surgery but also talking to patients and making them feel at ease .As nurses we are empathic people and this should not be overlooked.
Do not be scared to discuss treatment plans, become more involved in the practical aspect of your work.
It all comes down to how your employer views you as I said at the beginning of the article if you use your knowledge let yourself be heard you will gain respect and become the true professional you are.
Louise Russell RDN
