Dental Nurse Apprenticeship

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Dental Nurse Apprenticeship within the Special Care Dental Service. If you are looking for a new challenge and a chance to develop further within the Special Care Dental Service, this could be the ideal opportunity for you. The apprenticeship will enable you to gain the skills and knowledge to be able to register with the GDC as a Band 3 Dental Nurse once qualified.

The successful candidate will need to be motivated to be a self-directed learner, supported through the apprenticeship programme with one day a week study on the programme. You will need English and Maths at GCSE (A-C or 4-9) or Functional skills Level 2 as a minimum to be considered for this opportunity.

The service culture is one where learning and reflective practice are valued with regular group and individual supervision in place to support this. You will be fully supported to make the transition to this role and to develop your knowledge and skills in this exciting opportunity.

Main duties of the job

• Participate in clinical and surgical procedures, providing support to Dental Officer and Dental Therapist, including where there are high infection risk procedures and exposure to body fluids. Ensure smooth running of clinics and provide cover for clinics in case of staff leave or absence, often at short notice.
• Provide advice on oral hygiene and peri-operative care; and provide personal care associated with surgical procedures.
• Operate specialist dental equipment as prescribed by Dental Officer and Dental Therapist. Assist in radiography and process radiographs.
• Maintain emergency equipment for use.
• Participate in General Anaesthetic, Conscious Sedation procedures and special care clinics as required.
• Ensure safe storage of materials and equipment and ensure safe disposal of materials and hazardous materials / chemicals; and manage spillages, including dental mercury.DecontaminationDecontaminate, prepare, and store equipment and instruments in accordance with the HTM01-05 and Trust Infection Prevention and Control Standards. Responsible for completing user checks to include daily/weekly maintenance of specialist decontamination and sterilising equipment, completing, and retaining accurate records. Maintain treatment area to high standard ensuring self and other staff follow laid down infection control procedures

About us

Make a difference with us

If you are looking for somewhere you can make a real difference and are passionate about keeping people safe, well and out of hospital, a career with us may be just what you're looking for. At Solent NHS Trust, we strive to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of our communities.

We are proud to be an organisation which is focused on our people and we welcome people who share our values to come and work with us.

To deliver great care that is safe, simple and easy to access

To be a caring, flexible and supportive place to work

To deliver the best value for money

Our shared values support the development of a strong working culture. They breathe life into our organisation -- guiding and inspiring all of our actions and decisions. They enable us to be better at what we do and create a great place for our staff to work, whilst ensuring we provide the highest quality of care to our patients.

In creating our values, we spent time listening to our employees and members. Based on what people told us, we created our HEART values to reflect the deep belief that we are caring organisation at the centre of our community: Honesty, Everyone counts, Accountable, Respectful, Teamwork.

We are an accredited Real Living Wage employer.

We encourage and support our staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against Covid-19.