Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

February 27-March 4, 201222 United Kingdom EditionDCPs C M Y CM MY CY CMY K PeriproductsVital March2012.pdf 1 20/02/2012 12:27:58 M any things have changed over the years for dental nurses - we were once known as Dental Surgery Assistants (or DSAs) but changed our title to “dental nurse” in 1994. Since 2006, together with dental therapists, hygienists and technicians, dental nurses are re- quired to register with the General DentalCouncilontheGDC’sDental Care Professionals’ Register. With this progression in professional- ism the level of education provid- ed has changed to reflect this. As dental nurses we can find ourselves in a variety of different roles ranging from dental nurse, decontamination nurse, practice manager to practice owner. We may find ourselves undertaking any number of these roles in our normal working day. This is why dental nurse training has evolved to cover these additional duties and responsibilities such that we are now an all-round dental pro- fessional, ie more than a typical dental nurse of old. Dental nurse training has been provided in Northern Ireland now for more than three decades. There are currently 1512 dental nurses from Northern Ireland registered with the General Dental Council, with many more dental nurses under- goingtraininginvariousproviders. The new National Examining Board for Dental Nurses (NEBDN) Diploma in Dental Nursing is the qualification that is delivered throughout Northern Ireland by many training colleges and educa- tional providers. Courses provided can vary from: • Full time – college attendance three days per week and a two day placement in various GDP’s, community, hospital and special- ist clinic • Part time day release attending college one day per week and four days in general practice • Part time evening classes while working in practice On successfully passing the exam and GDC registration the dental nurse can then progress to a course where they can complete additional qualifications/addition- al skills. Following on from the under- pinning knowledge being pro- vided for dental nurses in North- ern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA) provides many courses for dental nurses to up- date their core knowledge. Some of these courses include Medical Emergencies, Radiography, IPC, Complaints and Legal & Ethics further to this dental nurses can add additional skills to their port- folio: Intra Oral Photography or Cannulation for Sedation Quali- fied Nurses to name but a few. Decontamination workshops have also been developed by NIM- DTA to enhance the knowledge of the members of the dental team when it comes to the handling and usage of decontamination equip- ment used within the dental sur- gery. This is also supported by “in practice” training sessions which are currently up and running. This means that the entire dental team can undertake this training simul- taneously in their own environ- ment. This has real and obvious benefits for the personnel involved and individual. For full contact information for all training providers in Northern Ireland please contact NEBDN or visit their website www.nedbn. org. DT An evolving vocation Leigh Morrison discusses dental nursing in Northern Ireland About the author Leigh Morrison qualified as a dental nurse after passing her exam at New- castle Dental Hospital in 1995 and she has worked in general practice, ortho- dontics, private dentistry as well as for the Ministry of Defence. She gained her Radiography Certificate in 1999. Leigh was awarded her C&G 7302 in February 2006. In 2006 Leigh started work with NHS Education for Scotland as a Region- al Dental Nurse Tutor where she went on to gain her C&G 7303 & 7304 and is aiming to complete the C&G 7305 later this year. Leigh is also an examiner for NEBDN National Certificate.