Losing patience with your patients?

My skillset in the workplace doesn't involve decontamination, writing medical histories, oral health education or even photography. My strength lies in the written word – in grammar and in spelling – and I baulk when I spot an erroneous apostrophe or the words ‘practice and ‘practise’ used interchangeably, ‘defiantly’ used where ‘definitely’ should be – and so on.

But, the challenges that my job entails do not impact negatively on the nation's health – except for my own stress levels, of course.

For dental nurses, however, I suspect (as illustrated in some of your Facebook posts) that it is oral health education that can sometimes feel a bit of an uphill struggle – pushing the boundaries of your patience and frustrating your efforts to simply ‘do your job’ and make a difference.