Dental Nursing can be a very rewarding career choice and can open up many opportunities but how do you get started and what are the options further down the line?
How to become a dental nurse?
- Search for and apply for trainee dental nurse positions in your area, these can be found on websites like https://uk.indeed.com or dental specific job sites like dentaljobsni, dentist and dental nurse facebook groups or more recently on individual dental practices facebook and Instagram pages.
- Even if they are advertising for a qualified dental nurse, it is worth applying as they may still consider you so long as you are enthusiastic and motivated
- Once you have applied for the position and passed the interview stage you will be working as a trainee dental nurse in a dental practice and usually will be on a probation type period of a few months
- During this time you will learn on the job alongside experienced dental nurses and it will give you time to decide if this is the right career choice for you before committing to completing the official dental nursing diploma course to become a qualified dental nurse
- It is during or after this first few months that you will apply for/enrol on a dental nursing diploma course like our course. We run the NEBDN dental nursing diploma which is recognised in the UK by the General Dental Council and Ireland by the Irish Dental Council. Our dental nursing course is online and in your practice based so you don’t have to travel anywhere and can work through largely in your own time. The Exams are also taken online at the end of the course
- You will then complete and pass the course and register with the General Dental Council to become a fully fledged dental nurse.
What can I do after in terms of additional courses?
- Dental Sedation such as those run through www.dentalsedationcourses.co.uk
- Dental Radiography
- Dental Implantology
- Special Care Dentistry
- Orthodontics
- Many other long or short courses run by a number or organisations
What areas can a dental nurse work in if I want a change of position?
- Another General dental practice – either Health Service or Private
- In the Community/Salaried service who largely treat children and anxious patients with less time pressures
- In a University dental hospital with dental students
- In an Oral and Maxillofacial surgery department of the Hospital assisting in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer and oral lesions for example
- Specialist practice e.g. Implant practice, Orthodontic practice, Endodontic practice
- Locum dental nursing through an agency
- Go on to become practice managers, treatment co-ordinators and more
Contact us today using our contact page or the floating contact button for more information or to apply for our dental nursing course that we run in conjunction with NEBDN (the national examining board for dental nurses)