Self development

Although you'll all be familiar with the GDC Standards, I'll begin by quoting 7.1.1 as it's one of the reasons for this article. It states: ‘You must find out about current evidence and best practice which affect your work, premises, equipment and business and follow them.’

It could, arguably, be open to wide interpretation – how much do you, as a dental nurse, really need to know about best practice concerning your practice premises? Setting that question aside, the second reason for this article is that keeping up to date with developments in dentistry generally, in dental nursing, in healthcare, in the NHS, your local CCG, local Healthwatch and so on can be interesting. It gives you knowledge to share with colleagues and (sometimes) patients and may lead to ideas to put into practice in your practice. It can also help progress along your career pathway.