How many of you are reluctantly working as a dental nurse? How many of you are struggling to wake up in the morning? Have you considered that if you are not happy with your job that you are the one who can make a change. You are responsible for your life, circumstances, job and career.
Your daily job should never be about paying bills and just getting by. It is time you turn your job into a career and renew passion and purpose for what you do. How would you feel if you went to the doctor and the nurse clearly didn’t want to be there and didn’t really care much for her job? You have a duty to yourself and your patients to do your job with 100% effort,100% of the time.
Part of my job involves meeting dental nurses from all over the UK and it is amazing the difference in attitudes between nurses I come across. You have the majority who really are just fed up and who view dental nursing as ‘just a job’ and then you have an inspiring minority who have taken charge of their lives. These individuals have made their jobs careers which are ever evolving. Some decided that in the end dental nursing was not for them but instead they have gone on to set up consultancies, recruitment companies, training companies and practices within their industry. If those same nurses, who are now business owners had not given 100% to their jobs as nurses they would not be the business owners they are today.
I recently met a nurse, Pauline who had been on the Treatment Coordination course in London this year. I was inspired by how she took her new skills and developed the role within her practice. Results were almost instant, the practice profited and so did she with a pay rise and more.
As it is time for the annual registration fee to be paid, there are many nurses who are not happy about it. Personally, I am delighted dental nurses are registered professionals and that the GDC are protecting patients by ensuring dental nurses meet and follow standards. Now, I totally see there is a massive problem with salary in the UK compared to other countries but we as empowered nurses can change this. You have the choice to not accept low wages and to expect to be paid fairly. Are you happy in your job but not paid enough? Ask your employer for a pay rise. If you do not ask, you do not get. It really is time for you to take control of your career.
Some nurses are on £8.00 an hour and some are on £15.00 per hour. You’ll usually find that the nurses who are on the higher salaries have not settled for less and are very sure and confident in their positions, knowing they are simply irreplaceable and the dentist could not cope without them. I want you to take 10 minutes to yourself and consider the following questions?
“ Am I responsible for the fact that I work in this practice?”
“ If I was employing me, how much would I think I would be worth”
“ What are my daily duties and skills which match that salary?”
“ What do I need to do to change my circumstances?”
So the question is, do you want a job or a career?
Written by Marama Millar RDN