Page 87 - RADC Bulletin 2021

DEVELOPMENT
Ex COMPACT DRAGON 13 Mar 21
Lt Col I McIntyre
The annual training weekend for the RADC Reserves has grown into a very popular and valuable fixture in the calendar. Originally the brainchild of Col Peter Jackson, the weekend brings together CPD opportunities, updates on Corps matters and a strong social element.
In March 2020 the final face to face event before the shutters dropped down was the RADC Reserves weekend at St George’s Barracks, North Luffenham. For reservists, the coming months brought great uncertainty and disruption as they worked hard to
make care for their patients as effective as possible in a world of changing expectations. Training for reserve units moved online for
a period and this brought an increased risk of isolation, particularly for the dental nurse or dental officer who might be the only RADC-capbadged individual in a unit. With this in mind, it was particularly important for cohesion that we could deliver some of the elements of the March weekend, albeit on a screen. To that end, Ex COMPACT DRAGON was developed as a virtual training event.
CDO(A) Col Tim Davies gave an update on RADC activity during the pandemic up to that time, with particular emphasis on the
success of the Dental Readiness Preparation Teams (DRPT). He also spoke on the subject of future RADC Reserve attachments to DPHC Dental Centres. Further presentations brought all attending up to speed on current corps matters, heritage and future planning.
Col Irene Amberton, Rep Col Comdt RADC, spoke with authority on the current status of the Corps and on the opportunities and challenges ahead. Col Quentin Anderson, Col Comdt RADC, reviewed
the planned events for the centenary year, including the revisions required as a result of the pandemic. He also gave an update on the Museum of Military Medicine. Major (Retd) John Sharp, Reg Sec RADC, was on hand to describe activities at HQ over this difficult time and to encourage all present in their support of current and former members. WO1 Liz Humphreys, the RADC Representative Sergeant Major, very succinctly described the role of the Corps Rep SM.
For the main part of the CPD delivery there were two different strands. Maj (Retd) Neil Heath presented for DOs on “Human Factors & Bias in Dental Imaging and Reporting”. Concurrently, there were two presentations for DNs; Maj Dave Edwards
on “The Role of the DN on Ops and The Role of the Forensic Dental Team.”, followed by Lt Col Jacqui Sinclair on “A Day in the Life of a Military Dentist.”
Following lunch, Maj Nick Gibbs gave an update on the AD Corps/RADC War Graves Project, his initiative which has developed so very well over the centenary year. Lt Col Glenn Sutton then talked on MS and Career Planning. As ever, he was able to do this in the clearest and most precise of terms.
The final part of the day was given over
to an entirely different type of topic as Maj Robin Dickson told us about “The Most Decorated Soldier of the 20th Century”. Following a summing up by myself on priorities for the RADC Reserves over the next 12 months the day was drawn to a close.
This was a worthwhile exercise and
we were all very grateful for the quality of presentations throughout the day. However, much more is to be gained from the additional peer review and social aspects of joint training in one location. We can look forward to a return to that style of event at Edinburgh in March 2022.
Training Pathway during COVID 19
LCpl A Hynes
As COVID 19 appeared I was midway through my training pathway to become qualified with the GDC as a dental nurse. I had only completed 1 PER (personal record of experience) and was still not competent to be in surgery alone before the national lockdown hit on 23/03/2020.
As military personnel, the PM, SDO and I continued to go into the dental centre during the lockdown to keep on top of duties, such as bio clear, equipment checks, and to keep everything in date. Even though I wasn’t 100% sure how-to dental nurse properly at this point, this quiet time in the dental centre was very beneficial. During this time, I became very familiar with the different types of checks and how to conduct them. I also became very familiar with DMICP, as it was one
of my weaker areas when training. If I wasn’t undergoing training from the PM, the 3 of us were putting together a plan to move forward for when the remaining staff returned to work.
We organised a new “one-way system”
and ensured all the signs were visible and made sense. We also made donning and doffing videos for staff to show them the correct order to put on and take off all the new PPE. I assisted in rearranging the storeroom so we could accommodate all our new PPE tidily. We also put together a plan including “fallow time” and gave
all staff members lessons and tutorials
on how to do these new procedures. We organised the building with many new posters/signs. But aside from this I also used the quiet time in the building very wisely and managed to get a lot of revision done in prep for my NEBDN exam and prepare PER templates ready for the return to “normal”.
As the staff slowly returned to work around May time 2020, I began to feel nervous for the return of patients as I knew I would be nursing alone, but it was all okay, despite the new PPE, fallow time and limited patients/ staff I managed to complete all PERS within good time and proceeded to be successful in my exam. I
feel that having been in the middle of the pandemic during my training has shaped me into a better nurse as I have had more time to really study procedures and protocols before diving straight in.
It was great to be able to watch the dental centre get to grips with our
“new normal” and over time all the new procedures became second nature to us at Dental Centre Catterick.
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