DNS

FAQs from dentists

FAQ's from nurses

Q. If I register with DNS, can I be guaranteed work?
A. It would be unfair of us to guarantee work, especially if you intend leaving a permanent position to join us, but what we will say to you is that we are an extremely busy business and the majority of our nurses do have as much work as they want.

Q. Do I need my own transport?
A. Obviously this is preferable; however, we do have a number of nurses on our register who rely purely on public transport. In this situation we try our best to find local work for them or if the assignment is further a field we often find the best route via public transport for them to take prior to offering the assignment. If you are prepared to travel occasionally, the work can be there.

Q. Do I have to work when I am offered it?
A. No, the choice is yours, which is what attracts so many nurses to this type of work.

Q. If I joined DNS when would I be paid?
A. All our nurses are salaried with monies being paid into your account on the last Friday each month but we must receive all outstanding timesheets by the previous Monday in order to catch the payroll on time.

Q. I am a qualified and registered dental nurse with 7 years experience and I am looking for a new permanent position. Can you help me?
A. Yes. We are in constant touch with dentists throughout the region and quite often their first point of call when looking to fill a vacancy is DNS. We know therefore who is looking for a nurse. We have two pages on our website, one which shows all new vacancies and one in which we place all potential employees particulars. Once you successfully register with us we can begin marketing you.

Q. I am a qualified dental nurse but I haven't worked for 20 years, having taken a break to bring up my family. I am now in a position where I would like to rejoin the workforce and wondered whether I could still use my qualification?
A. Yes, no matter how long ago you qualified, you can still register with the GDC up until July 2008. You must however still be able to produce the certificate. Should you wish to register after this time or if the certificate is lost, you must re-sit the exam. Those who hold the DSA certificate from the National Examining Board for Dental Surgery Assistants must register prior to July 2008 or it will be necessary to re-qualify.

Q. I have had 6 years experience as a dental nurse in the past 15 years, would I qualify to register under the grand-parenting clause?
A. Yes, however 4 of those 6 years must be in the last 8 years. For a concise explanation please go to the GDC website on gdc-uk.org and select 'potential registrant.'

Q. I am 17 years old and a school leaver. I would like to make dental nursing my career, how do I go about it?
A. Call us and discuss your options with Jo Russell.

Q. So, whether I am looking for training or a temporary or permanent position we can contact you for advice.
A. That's what we are good at.

FAQs from nurses

FAQ's from dentists

Q. How much notice do you require from us when booking a dental nurse?
A. Obviously the more notice we receive, the more likely it is we will be able to help, however we frequently place dental nurses within practices at very short notice to cover sickness.

Q. What do you mean 'very short notice'?
A. We are often able to help you with only 1-2 hours notification.

Q. What criteria do you look for when registering a dental nurse?
A. Our registration process is very stringent. We ensure that all nurses meet the protocols as laid down by the GDC. If our nurses are not qualified they must satisfy us that the have sufficient experience to become registered under the grand-parenting clause.

Q. I understand that you place trainee dental nurses in practices. Can you explain how this works?
A. We advertise, interview and take up references to satisfy ourselves that the candidate is suitable for both training and placement within a dental surgery. Once we have satisfied ourselves as to the candidate's suitability we then market that potential trainee to practices. Once a placement has been found a further interview is arranged with the tutor of Wessex Dental Training Ltd who makes the final decision upon suitability for a place on the National Certificate course.

Q. There seems to be a lot of time and effort involved. Why can't I just interview a school leaver and let her arrange her own qualification?
A. At present there is nothing to stop you doing this, however courses are not guaranteed for the prospective trainee and we are pre-empting the situation which will arise in July 2008, when legislation will decree that an individual will not be able to be employed as a dental nurse unless he/she can be seen to be enrolled on a course and working towards registration.

Q. What would happen if I did not want to go down the route of Trainee Dental Nurse and I wanted a registered dental nurse instead?
A. We can save you the time and cost of advertising and cut your selection process into the bargain. We have a number of nurses on our register who are looking for a permanent position. All our nurses have been interviewed and thoroughly vetted by way of taking up CV's, two references, identification clarification, copies of certificates and so forth.

Q. So whether it's a temporary, a permanent or a trainee nurse that I am looking for, DNS can help?
A. We very often do!!