With the Dental Nursing examination results coming through this month we spoke to newly qualified Dental Nurse Sarah Law to get an insight into what it’s like to face a career change after your formative years.
Harriet Ellis(HE): “What was your job prior to joining the course?”
Sarah: “I was a horse riding instructor! ”
HE: “What concerns did you have about changing career?”
Sarah: “I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to adapt to a completely different job, what if I didn’t enjoy it and if it wasn’t for me. ”
HE: “How quickly did you find a placement?”
Sarah: “Within a month of looking I found one!”
HE: “How did you find your tutor support and the support from Customer service?”
Sarah: “My tutor was great, very supportive and helpful at anytime I needed her. Customer service always answered any questions I needed answering straight away.”
HE: “Is there any part of the profession that you found difficult to cope with?”
Sarah: “At first, I found the speed of the job quite demanding but as my confidence and competence of the job grew this wasn’t a problem at all! I also struggled working with lots of different dentists at first as they all work so differently.”
HE: “How did you overcome the difficulty?”
Sarah: “Just through working with different dentists and working in a bigger practice where I could gain a lot of experience!”
HE: “How do you feel looking back on your previous career now that you’ve passed?”
Sarah: “I still enjoy doing it every now and again but I love my job now and can’t wait to progress further and see where it takes me! ”
HE: “Where are you looking to take your career in the future?”
Sarah: “I would like to do some post qualification courses e.g. Oral health and possibly progress to hygiene therapy when I have built up more experience.”
We think Sarah is fantastic inspiration for anyone looking to retrain and those already working through a training course.
