Ever since Covid-19 there has been a massive increase in demand in the healthcare sector. In particular, we are seeing many dental clinics looking for nurses to join their team. It turns out that a dental nursing career is an amazing career choice. There are not an overload of academic or qualification requirements to start and complete the course. Students are required to work as trainee dental nurses during their course. Trainee nurses also get paid while they study, which really helps to cover the course fees and commuting, making it a lucrative opportunity for someone to take the first steps into the dental career.
What is Dental Nursing?
Dental nursing is a well-paid and rewarding career choice. Dental nurses’ day to day duties are to assist in several procedures and provide chairside support to a dentist. The dental nurse is often the first person the patient comes into contact with within the clinical area. Some of the dental nurse duties:
- Maintain the clinical environment, equipment and keep everything sterile.
• Carry out infection-control procedures to prevent any type of contamination in the surgery.
• Complete the dental charting of a patient upon the dentist request - Sometimes required to prepare, mix, and handle dental materials
• Provide chairside support
• Keep and update patient records
• Processing of dental radiographs
• Support the patient and their colleagues if there is a medical
emergency.
National Examining Board for Dental Nurses (NEBDN)
The NEBDN National Diploma in Dental Nursing course is the most prestigious and popular choice in the UK. Course usually takes 12-18 months to complete, and during this course students will be learning the entire NEBDN syllabus, consisting of 11 modules ranging from human anatomy to microbiology, dental diseases, and oral hygiene. At the end of the course, students are required to take 2 exams to achieve the qualification. Once they pass the exams, they can also register with the GDC (General Dental Council). Every dental care professional in the UK must be registered with the GDC before they can lawfully practice in a dental clinic. National Diploma is equal to level 3 and this qualification is accepted in the UK meaning students can work in any dental clinic NHS or private.
A qualified dental nurse salary is roughly about 33,000 GBP — amazing considering that no academic qualification is required prior to joining the dental nurse course.
Lately, people have been choosing a dental nurse course online rather than a classroom-based course as it provides greater flexibility. Students no longer need to travel or stick to a tight timetable, as all the material is accessible online which allows them to study anywhere and anytime they like.
You may be interested in: What Can Nurses Do to Further Improve Patient Quality Care?