Making the formal informal

When first approached to write an article for Dental Nursing, we were all quite daunted at the prospect of being that one person to actually do the writing. So, as we do most duties as a collective, we decided to do this together. We do not have a head nurse here at the practice; instead, we all have individual responsibilities that work to our individual strengths – whether it be ordering stock and sundries, apprentice training, decontamination lead to archiving testing the fire bell or even topping up the tea urn with water, the list goes on and all are vital to the practice running smoothly. We are a very busy NHS/PVT dental practice, with five surgeries and a total of eight dentists. We work on a rota system, and can be working with a different dentist in a different surgery every day of the week, or even travelling to our sister practice in Kempston to help with cover. As you can imagine, it's never boring and it is so important we work together as a team – otherwise things don't run smoothly. We are blessed with very dedicated and caring dentists who are lovely to work with and make every day a joy, not a chore. We have a very close professional working relationship with them and also go out on a regular basis socially, which is always fun, and it's so nice to let our hair down a little. Social events are great for team building. As a practice, we are passionate about training and are all actively involved. Whether it's supporting apprentices through their coursework and their day-to-day role in the surgery, our own CPD or supporting our foundation dentist (FD).