Congratulations to NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s latest cohort of modern apprentices who have successfully completed their Modern Apprenticeship in Dental Nursing.
The group of 12 Dental Nurses, who are all employed in local dental practices throughout Ayrshire, started the course in September 2022 and have worked hard to gain their qualification. They attended weekly evening classes in the Training Centre at Ayrshire Central Hospital to learn about various aspects of dentistry including infection prevention and control, radiography and dental diseases. They also learned about common treatment procedures and the instruments, equipment and materials needed for each one.
Throughout the course the apprentices were also provided with invaluable in-house training, mentoring and supervision from experienced members of their dental teams including Dentists and Dental Nurses. This allowed them to develop their practical skills while assisting clinicians to treat patients in their own working environments.
Karen Watson, Lead Dental Nurse Tutor, said: “We are all absolutely delighted that the Modern Apprentices have completed their course. It has been a privilege to watch them grow in confidence and gain the skills and knowledge they need to help provide the highest standards of patient care. This would not have been possible without the dedication of everyone involved – from the dental professionals supporting them in their workplaces, the Skills Investment Advisor at Skills Development Scotland and all of the NHS staff including the SVQ Co-ordinator, the course administrator and, of course, the SVQ Assessors in the Dental Nurse Education Team – who all aim to provide a high quality, enjoyable learning experience, where each Modern Apprentice feels empowered, valued and supported throughout the course.”
“We are confident that they will all continue to be assets to the dental profession and wish them the very best of luck for the future.”
Leah Henry, Dental Nurse Modern Apprentice, who works at Netherfield Dental Practice in Prestwick, said: “The course was great and I feel so much more confident in my job now. I couldn’t have done it without the amazing lecturers – they were brilliant and the support couldn’t have been better!”
Dionne Hannah, the Practice Manager at Netherfield Dental Practice, added: “The three Dental Nurse apprentices we employ put what they have learned on the course into action in our practice and are all great team members. The evening classes are beneficial as this gives them a chance to ask questions and get the support they need. Our qualified nurses in the practice also helped them throughout the course and when we were able we gave the trainees time during working hours to complete the coursework. I would recommend NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s dental nurse training course to other dental colleagues and dental practices as it is a local course and the dental nurse education staff are great, very professional, supportive and approachable”.
Another of the Modern Apprentices, Abbie Kennedy, who works at Knockroon Dental Practice in Cumnock, said: “The support from the Dental Nurse Education Team was excellent. My assessor especially has been absolutely amazing, she has always given me any extra support that I needed and has been so helpful and communicative, as well as being very organised which helped to make everything understandable. I loved learning about why we do what we do in the dental surgery and now that I have completed the course I feel proud that all my hard work has paid off.”
Sarah Leslie, HR Director, said: “Our future dental health depends very much on our ability to recruit and deliver health care apprenticeships here in Ayrshire. Ensuring access to good dental care is essential to good health for all. The Dental apprenticeship programme is delivered by our Public Dental Service in partnership with our Dental practices in Ayrshire through our accredited centre here in NHS Ayrshire & Arran.
“Apprenticeships are an important workforce priority to address workforce shortages in NHS Scotland and we are working with our professional leads to identify other apprenticeship opportunities in other areas. We are proud of our class of 2024.”