A new course offered by Scotland’s largest dental group to train new dental nurses is set to expand after early successes – going some way to tackle a national staff shortage within the sector.

Clyde Munro Dental Group’s Glasgow practice is working alongside dental nurse training specialist Ident to offer a new 12-month dental nurse trainee programme that will give them all the qualifications they need to qualify to practice with the General Dental Council.

The course comes as a response to a nationwide shortage of dental nurses, which has seen – according to the BDA – nearly two-thirds of practice owners across the UK needing to recruit a dental nurse between April-September 2021, and of those 80% experiencing difficulties doing so.

Clyde Munro Dental Group says a further 311 nurses in Scotland have dropped off the register since its Strive Programme began at the end of last year.

The Group – which has 54 practices across Scotland serving more than 430,000 patients – says more than 20 individuals are now enrolled on the course – and the success of the programme has allowed a second programme to run from April 2022.

Nicola Logan, Head of Human Resources at Clyde Munro, said: “It’s great to get the trainee programme underway in what is a crucial step to addressing the shortage in qualified dental nurses whilst supporting nurses through training and into their dream career. It is so important for the group to promote the opportunities we can offer within dentistry and promote it has a career. It is important to me that we continue to invest in our teams.

“A dentist cannot operate without their nurse, and we believe we should focus on showing how we can support qualified nurses throughout their career development.”

Clyde Munro’s full-time programme has placed its 20 trainees in practices all across the country, to gain experience working alongside current professionals. They will also gather monthly for practical tuition.

After the 12-month programme, the newly qualified nurses will have the opportunity to continue their development with the chance to progress within the dental group.

A current trainee, Charlie McGill, stationed in a Kilwinning practice enthused about the opportunity to reskill after completing a degree in history and politics:

“The whole programme so far has been fantastic. I’ve learnt so much and the senior team at my practice could not have been more helpful and supportive.

“While I’m the only trainee in my practice, all the trainees on the programme meet up once a month and we’re able to stay connected to other practices through Clyde Munro’s Beekeeper app. It’s so helpful to be able to speak with people who are in the same position as myself.

“I can definitely see this as being my career for the rest of my life and I’m really grateful for Clyde Munro for giving me such a great opportunity.”

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