Page 33 - RADC Bulletin 2022

Life as a Phase 2 Instructor
Cpl Eccleston
I have been working at the Dental Training School at DMS Whittington since January and am really enjoying my time here. Working alongside the other trainers and with students is such a dream.
We have two courses a year, which start in March and September. The courses run for 10 weeks before the students go on Clinical Acquaint Module (CAM) placement for 4 weeks and then they return for an additional week before going back to their placements to complete their NEBDN portfolio. At
the end of the year, they sit two exams consisting of a written exam and an OSCE. Once they have successfully passed, they can then register with the GDC and become a registered dental professional.
The focus for us as trainers is to ensure they learn all aspects of Dental Nursing, such as setting up the surgery to more complex procedures for example assisting in a root canal treatment. It is an intense course for the students with a written assessment every 3 weeks and practice OSCE’s. This shows the students they are progressing
and gives them confidence for when they arrive at their placement.
The role of the instructor entails planning, preparing, teaching lessons, mentoring the students, weekly room inspections and parades. We are there for all around support and to be the best role models we can be. Once the students have finished their time at the school, we continue to mentor the students and ensure their NEBDN portfolio is maintained by marking their work and observing their progression.
Before I undertook the role of Dental Nurse Trainer, I encouraged my Dental Centre to see if it was possible to have
a trainee Dental Nurse for whom I could mentor so I could gain experience. Being
a Phase 2 Trainer has always been high
on my lists of jobs. I really enjoy teaching and seeing the progression of the students from the beginning to their progression after their 4 weeks CAM placement, to being competent in surgery on their own and finally completing their portfolio. It is extremely rewarding, but it does come with
its challenges.
Some challenges for me since my time
here have been my course to enable me
to teach. It was a two-week course which consisted of classroom-based work and then giving lessons in front of the group. I really enjoyed the practical side but when it came to the written portfolio work, I felt a little
out of my depth. I would advise any Dental Nurse who hasn’t yet completed the course to try and gain a place. It has developed
me more than I thought it would and I have gained experience in lesson planning and gained confidence with public speaking. The qualification you get is transferable to civilian life, so it is well worth all of the late nights studying.
I have really enjoyed working within the Tri-service environment. From working with the permanent staff to the students it’s nice to all be integrated and see how different Services work. For anybody wanting to be a Phase 2 Trainer I cannot recommend it more.
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