Meet Naomi, 26, from Kent. She is a dental nurse at Bushey Dental Surgery in London.
Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
I genuinely love helping others, which is why I find my job so rewarding.
My name is Naomi and I'm a dental nurse.
Naomi:
Okay, did you manage to complete the food diary?
Patient:
I have actually
Naomi:
Oh, lovely.
A dental nurse assists the dentist with their procedures, comforts a patient throughout their treatment and ensures that they've explained everything to the patient.
Colleague:
Right and you just add that to the middle.
Naomi:
In my current job I'm head nurse, so I have quite a lot of responsibilities. I'm the head of infection control, I make sure the patients and dentists are happy, I co-ordinate treatment and I also provide oral health education to patients, so there's a lot to do.
(to patient) How many times a day do you brush your teeth?
Patient:
Twice.
Naomi:
I love being able to help people so it's nice doing the oral health education. It's nice that I'm actually able to educate patients on things that they might not have ever even known about.
(to patient) As you can see from this, this contains seventy-five…
So when I left school I actually studied photography and I was going to set up my own business, but I felt like it was so competitive, it kind of scared me away from it, so I worked as a healthcare assistant for two and a half years. That was a great start because you have to be a caring individual and take time to explain things to patients, and as a dental nurse that has definitely come in useful.
(to patient) So what we're going to do is…
I went to Australia for eight months and worked backpacking jobs and I saw a dental nursing position advertised. I didn't get the job but when I got home I found a course in dental nursing. Once you're on the dental nursing course, you'll need to find an employer who will train you. So that's why I applied for my first job in nursing.
I was lucky enough to secure a position with a dental care provider called MyDentist.
Shilpi, employer:
(to patient) Okie dokie.
We look for someone who is a real team player, because you're working with dentists and nurses all day long and Naomi was really impressive in that respect.
Naomi:
I really love the team and I have always loved working closely with other people.
Shilpi, employer:
It was clear from her experience as a healthcare assistant, that she was really caring too and that's something we really value.
Naomi:
I genuinely love helping people, which is why I find my job so rewarding. If I was to go back in time, I would have started a lot earlier when I left school, because if you do your dental nursing training when you first leave school, you've got more opportunity to then decide what you actually wanna do.
I'm currently applying for Dental Hygiene, but I feel like I could have done that many years ago if I started at an earlier age. I'd just say if this is the route that you wanna go down, do it straight away.
Even if you don't get many qualifications, there is always routes that you can take later on. Get as many GCSES as you can in school, especially Maths and English because it really does open up doors.
- Naomi is a dental nurse who assists the dentist with their procedures, comforts patients throughout their treatments and ensures that they’ve explained everything to the patients. Other duties include scanning patients, ensuring patients are happy with the treatment they have received and ensuring infection control policies are followed
- As a dental nurse, you have to be technical when coordinating different treatments. Having a good knowledge of English does help, as well as knowing how to communicate effectively with patients and the team members. Everything else is about learning on the job. You also need to have the ability to work well with others, to be thorough and pay attention to details, and have patience and remain calm in stressful situations
- Naomi initially only had a GCSE in Maths, but completed one in English later, before applying for her first job.
What to expect if you want to be a dental nurse
- Dental nurse average salary: NHS bands [3-5]. Read more about NHS bands. Salaries will differ in private healthcare.
- Dental nurse typical working hours: 37 to 40 per week, which could include evenings and weekends.
What qualifications do you need to be a dental nurse?
You could get into this role via an apprenticeship, a college course (such as a T-level in Health – England-only), or by studying towards a dental nursing qualification while working at a dental practice as a trainee.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service, NHS Health Careers, GOV.UK.
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website and the NHS Health Careers website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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