There are about 30,000 dental nurses working all over the UK. Most work
in dental practices, while others work in the Community Dental Service
or in hospitals. You could progress in a general dental practice to
practice manager or you could help to train and supervise other dental
nurses. In a hospital or the Community Dental Service, you could become
a tutor dental nurse, or a senior or principal dental nurse in charge
of a department or specialist area.
There are no set guidelines for a Dental Nurses' salary. Salary is
whatever the practice in question decides to pay and so can differ
widely, although it is linked to the location of the practice and level
of experience. Here are some typical salaries.
At entry level (trainee) Dental Nurse's pay starts at the minimum wage, around £14,000 per annum. An experienced Dental Nurse can earn £17,000 to £20,000 per annum. A senior Dental Nurse may earn up to £26,000 (or more depending on the surgery) per annum
You might well start as a trainee on the minimum national wage, increasing your salary with experience to around £17,000 - £20,000.
The national average is £17,316.
The hours you
work would depend on your employer. With a general dental practitioner,
for example, the hours may be 8-8.30am to 5.30-6pm. Many practices also
have some evening and Saturday morning surgeries. Part-time work is
sometimes possible. You may need to stand for much of the working day,
and you should be prepared to work under pressure because dentists are
usually very busy.
Sources of information
British Association of Dental Nurses: www.badn.org.uk
British Dental Association: www.bda-dentistry.org.uk
Dental Education Resources on the Web: www.derweb.co.uk
General Dental Council: www.gdc-uk.org
NHS Careers: www.nhscareers.nhs.uk
Our
goal is to become "The Recruitment Agency of Choice", for both our
clients and candidates alike. We don't want to be the largest agency;
we want to be the best run agency
|