What It Takes To Train To Become A Dental Nurse

My dental nurse training has involved working for three years at a general dental practice in Powys, Mid Wales. One day a week I went to Wrexham every Tuesday for academic teaching towards my qualification. During Covid this teaching took place virtually. Normally the training takes 18 months but due to the pandemic my training took a little longer.

Hannah Mykaela Price

What do you enjoy most about your course?

• discussions with other dental nurses about different treatments or procedures they do
• being able to speak to tutors if we have any problems/concerns in our practice
• relaxed environment able to voice opinion
• being able to contact the tutor at any time for help with assignments
• hearing specialists talk about their topics
• learning about different extended duties

What did you do to get on your course?

Before starting my course, I had no prior experience of dental nursing but had worked as a hotel/café manager. The previous experience of dental nursing varies on the course, with some people having just started nursing and some people having worked in a dental practice for 9 months. Once on the course, we are expecting to complete at least 3 days a week in dental surgery working clinically.

What type of person would suit studying your course?

You need to:

• be organised and focused due to homework and revision on top of nursing full time.
• be able to work as part of a team
• have a good working relationship with your mentor (dentist or senior dental nurse)
• be confident in speaking to patients when giving them oral health advice
• be able to act quickly and calmly under pressure.