Having been a Private Banking Assistant, PA and civil servant I was looking at a change of career. Knowing what I did and didn't like doing I came accross an advert for the NHS academy to train fastrack as a Dental Nurse- 11 months later and I had finished my course and was qualified!
I now work for the NHS as a PDS Dental Nurse and I am on the look out to do as many post qualification courses as I can. With the current NHS issues around budgets this may be difficult, the worry of actually keeping my job in the current climate is testing enough. But I love my work and would also like to become a Dental Nurse Tutor/Assesor and will be on the look out for future opportunities to get into that line of work.
Becoming a Dental Nurse within the last18 months I have entered into the career with the expectations of registration and CPD. I believe this is a very good move for the world of Dental Nurses as it recognises that this is a professional job which requires qualifications (apart from the grandmothering clause at the begining of it all). I ensures that we are continuing to keep upto date with the latest knowledge and practices, including some very important core topics such as infection control, resuss and safeguarding children. Extended duties is yet another exciting thing for Dental Nurses as those who would want to progress further now can do!
All of these things thrust us ladies and gents into a more professional light and also make us responsible for our own actions too. The current dental contracts have made access to Dentistry difficult I feel to certain group of people and I hope that the shake up of the NHS (and the Prof Steel Report) may bring in a different Dental Contract which will see people being able to access dentistry and allow us to provide excellent oral health care and to give oral health care advice to those who need it.
Having been a Private Banking Assistant, PA and civil servant I was looking at a change of career. Knowing what I did and didn't like doing I came accross an advert for the NHS academy to train fastrack as a Dental Nurse- 11 months later and I had finished my course and was qualified!
I now work for the NHS as a PDS Dental Nurse and I am on the look out to do as many post qualification courses as I can. With the current NHS issues around budgets this may be difficult, the worry of actually keeping my job in the current climate is testing enough. But I love my work and would also like to become a Dental Nurse Tutor/Assesor and will be on the look out for future opportunities to get into that line of work.
Becoming a Dental Nurse within the last18 months I have entered into the career with the expectations of registration and CPD. I believe this is a very good move for the world of Dental Nurses as it recognises that this is a professional job which requires qualifications (apart from the grandmothering clause at the begining of it all). I ensures that we are continuing to keep up-to- date with the latest knowledge and practices, including some very important core topics such as infection control, resuss and safeguarding children. Extended duties is yet another exciting thing for Dental Nurses as those who would want to progress further now can do!
All of these things thrust us ladies and gents into a more professional light and also make us responsible for our own actions too. The current dental contracts have made access to Dentistry difficult I feel to certain group of people and I hope that the shake up of the NHS (and the Prof Steel Report) may bring in a different Dental Contract which will see people being able to access dentistry and allow us to provide excellent oral health care and to give oral health care advice to those who need it.
N Loydd
