Dental Nurse

LegacyUser

I decided to become a dental nurse so i did a 2 year course in college which was very much theory based not much training on the practical side. when i finished i moved to new zealand and got work as a dental nurse i explained in my interview i did not have that much experience but they offered me the job.

This is when my problems started on my first day i was shown around by the dental nurse that was leaving she showed me where things were, how to do things, the way the dentist likes things set up etc. then i was thrown in the deep end on my own assisting the dentist. my first day i was screamed at because i placed his glasses on the right hand side of the bench instead of the left hand side! told i was stupid because i could not mind read and know what he would want to be handed next. I stayed in this job for 8 months as i was worried i would not find another one i learnt as fast as i could but if i made any simple mistake i would be given the cold shoulder for the day and generally just made to feel stupid.

then i got a new job and was excited as i had picked up a lot of skills and knew a lot more information but i was so wrong as all dentists have different ways of working using different materials etc so my first day i greeted the paitent said hello asked how was their weekend the dentist told me you do not speak to the paitents they are here to see me not you!on my second day i asked him how to use an instrument i never used he told me to get one of the other girls to work with him as he could not deal with me. On the 3rd day between paitents he told me that i had made up doing my course and i had never worked in a dentist! i held back the tears for the rest of the day left and never went back. the last few months in nz i worked in an office.


Now my problem im back in ireland and im so worried about getting a job i do enjoy working as a dental nurse if the dentists were nice and i was not treated like crap or a bold schoolchild and i want to put my cert to good use. I know im not a bad worker im never late pick up things fast, no sick days. dentists seem to be very ocd and freak out if things do not go excatly the way they want and some treat their nurses like crap. I dont want to have to go through feeling like crap every evening and feeling sick going to work everyday. Any advice on what i should do or any dentists or dental nurses out there with any advice. being a dental nurse is hard because you are stuck beside the boss all day ong in a small room and cant get away!

marrkarnell

Wel, being stucked in a small room with your boss, the dentist maybe is the nature of your job. you can deal with it right? but what is not good is the way your bosses treat you. it's a good thing that you quit than to be treated like a crap. maybe you can work on dental company so you could do lots of work than being a "tail" of a single person. In a dental company, you could have many boss that actualy makes it interesting cause you gotta meet a lot of people.

the_syco

Register, and ask at the Dental Issues and ask what a day as a dental nurse is like in the UK and/or Ireland, as I think a few dentists visit the forum. Ask nicely, though.

ballsymchugh

dental123 wrote: »

I decided to become a dental nurse so i did a 2 year course in college which was very much theory based not much training on the practical side. when i finished i moved to new zealand and got work as a dental nurse i explained in my interview i did not have that much experience but they offered me the job.

This is when my problems started on my first day i was shown around by the dental nurse that was leaving she showed me where things were, how to do things, the way the dentist likes things set up etc. then i was thrown in the deep end on my own assisting the dentist. my first day i was screamed at because i placed his glasses on the right hand side of the bench instead of the left hand side! told i was stupid because i could not mind read and know what he would want to be handed next. I stayed in this job for 8 months as i was worried i would not find another one i learnt as fast as i could but if i made any simple mistake i would be given the cold shoulder for the day and generally just made to feel stupid.

then i got a new job and was excited as i had picked up a lot of skills and knew a lot more information but i was so wrong as all dentists have different ways of working using different materials etc so my first day i greeted the paitent said hello asked how was their weekend the dentist told me you do not speak to the paitents they are here to see me not you!on my second day i asked him how to use an instrument i never used he told me to get one of the other girls to work with him as he could not deal with me. On the 3rd day between paitents he told me that i had made up doing my course and i had never worked in a dentist! i held back the tears for the rest of the day left and never went back. the last few months in nz i worked in an office.


Now my problem im back in ireland and im so worried about getting a job i do enjoy working as a dental nurse if the dentists were nice and i was not treated like crap or a bold schoolchild and i want to put my cert to good use. I know im not a bad worker im never late pick up things fast, no sick days. dentists seem to be very ocd and freak out if things do not go excatly the way they want and some treat their nurses like crap. I dont want to have to go through feeling like crap every evening and feeling sick going to work everyday. Any advice on what i should do or any dentists or dental nurses out there with any advice. being a dental nurse is hard because you are stuck beside the boss all day ong in a small room and cant get away!

i'm sorry to hear this. as a dentist, the ones you worked with in NZ seemed like right pricks. in 11 years of doing this, i've had loads of assistants, (maybe over 20!!) some have lasted a couple of days, others have lasted years. in the UK, we used to get school leavers and train them over a few days/weeks so that they would be suited to us. some didn't like it and left, others moved away. the one that i have at the moment has been in the job for 7 years and she learned from scratch here.

it's not just up to you to work with the dentist, the dentist has to work with you, as you can make the day seem like a day in hell if you want. how someone expects you to just gel from the get go is ridiculous.

personally, i prefer when the nurse makes chit chat with the patient, as i'm crap at it. you'll find out very quickly if you can gel with the dentist as a person, and that's what matters. it's just as bad working with a miserable fecker who doesn't give you crap. i've been there also, where i just didn't get on with the nurse.

tscall

I have worked as a Dental Nurse in America, Ireland and New Zealand so I can sympathize with how terrible Dentists can be to their staff. However, I have also been very lucky to work with some amazingly supportive Dentists, the best of which was in Ireland.

Where in Ireland are you? I'm still in NZ, but I do have a few dental connections in Ireland, and if you PM I'd be happy to get you in contact with someone who might be able to help.

I have been in the field for almost 15 years, so it can't be that bad!....don't give up just yet.

Dental_Nurse

Tscall, how did you get working as a dental assistant in america im interested in going to new york for a while!

also, dental 123 ive worked with nicest and the worst dentists, hang in there you'l get working with a lovely dentist and start enjoying your job, i love my dental nursing!:)

tscall

Dental_Nurse wrote: »

Tscall, how did you get working as a dental assistant in america im interested in going to new york for a while!

I'm from the states (Oregon) originally so I trained there. Some states are strict about requiring certification, but I think you can work in NY without it, but you would be limited in what you can do and how much you would make without someone kind of nationally recognized qualification.

Dental Nursing (Assisting) can be a lot different in the states...it's usually very hands on, and depending on your level of training and certification you could spend a lot of the day seeing your own patients. There are so many more training opportunities for assistants in the states.

If I were you I'd go for it! Learn as much as you can and try to get additional training while you're there because if/when you move back to Ireland you'll be worth your weight in gold to a progressive dentist. That's not to say Irish Dental Nurses aren't great, I've worked with some truly amazing ones. The problem is they don't get the chance to expand their knowledge as much as they should. Granted, I haven't been there for 6 years, so maybe that's changed!

Best of luck to you!