Trainee Dental Nurse Review

I assist the dentist with preparing materials and equipment. I provide patient care. I am a chaperone for both the dentist and the patient. I am responsible for the decontamination and sterilization of instruments, as well as ensuring surgery is stocked up and all materials are in date.

I have gained invaluable knowledge and experience of oral heath, oral anatomy and dental treatments. My customer service skills have improved. My attention to detail and motivation has increased.

I enjoy the job role, however I have struggled with the training through Tempdent with it being solely online. It's impossible to engage with other learners and share experiences. It's isolating and inconvenient if support is not available when it's needed.

The course overall is well-structured. However, it isn't always clear how to provide evidence to avoid having to email back and forth with amendments. It would be easier and more enjoyable if we were able to speak in person.

I currently receive great support from my manager, she is brilliant. She is everything you expect a manager to be! She is empathetic and understanding, yet firm and structured. She treats us all the same and that itself plays a huge part in making us feel comfortable and supported.

Support is provided if I request it, however it can be draining with it all being via Teams. I feel like that doesn't prepare me well enough for an actual face-to-face interview at the end of the course. I feel anxious about that because it will be a new experience.

I have learnt a lot through webinars and using my personal Levison's training guide. I think it is important for patients that we hold qualifications to ensure patient confidence and comfort during treatments.

Occasionally, we have team nights where we can bond as a team and discuss performance and progress. This is always nice. It is nice to spend time with the team aside from working. I think we could do more team building outside of work.

Yes

In terms of Bupa, it is a great start to a great career. They are supportive as a whole and a good reputable company to work for. They offer incentives sometimes which is nice. Depending on the individual, Tempdent may be a company I would recommend. However, it hasn't been a great experience for me.

Always ask what style of study the course involves. you need to know if you will be attending a college or studying from work or home. I never asked this as I was so eager to start as a dental nurse, I wasn't concerned in the beginning. A college course would have been a better experience for me personally.