Level 3 Diploma in Dental Nursing (4238-03)

This qualification has been designed specifically as a standalone qualification for trainee dental nurses wishing to apply to the General Dental Council (GDC) professional register as dental nurses once they have achieved the qualification.

This qualification allows trainee dental nurses to gain knowledge, skills and behaviours required for employment and career progression in the dental field. The content covers and is mapped to the GDC Learning Outcomes for Dental Nurses and relevant National Occupational Standards.

This qualification was developed by City & Guilds and approved by the GDC and Skills for Health.

• The programme is delivered, part time over 18 months, you will be expected to undertake the academic component of the programme by attending a study session for one morning per week (9.30am to 12.30pm).
• The programme is delivered via a blended learning approach, this is through MS Teams and face to face at the School.
• You will be assigned and supported by a designated Assessor/Mentor and Dental Nurse Tutor who are occupationally competent, have a wide range of experience in the profession, are GDC registrants and committed to your success.
• You will be allocated a workplace Mentor to provide onsite support and guidance.
• Throughout the programme and dental clinical practice/setting, you will gain the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to complete a portfolio of evidence.

Courses are delivered throughout the duration of the year. If you are currently employed as a trainee dental nurse and wish to apply to undertake our next training programme the school can issue you with a covering letter as per GDC requirements to state that you are ‘in training’ and are employed in the workplace as per standard 6.6.2 of ‘Standards for the Dental Team’ (2013).

To be eligible for the course you must:

• undertake an informal interview to ensure you can meet the requirements of the course. This qualification is not approved for use by trainee dental nurses under the age of 16, there is no upper age limit.
• be working in a clinical setting for a minimum of 3 days per week or a minimum of 22.5 hours per week, this does not include the study session.
• attend all academic study sessions per week via the blended learning approach (you must be able to commit to attending the school for the face-to-face sessions and also have access to a suitable electronic device to access the remote Microsoft Teams sessions.)
• have the full support of your employer, both for the attendance of the timetabled sessions and within the clinical environment.
• carry out a variety of dental procedures and treatments to meet the requirements of the qualification.
• be able to commit to 100% attendance on the given study sessions for the 18-month duration of programme.

A significant amount of training to become a qualified dental nurse is undertaken in the dental clinical practice/setting, it is here that you will develop your skills as a trainee dental nurse. The School will work closely with your employer whilst you are undertaking all aspects of your training during the 18-month duration.

To achieve the qualification, the trainee dental nurse must achieve all the evidence requirements in all the units plus be successful in the Synoptic Knowledge Test. There must be evidence of a minimum of six observations in the dental clinical practice/setting, which can be holistic in nature and cover several units across the qualification. At least three of these must be carried out by the Assessor, the remaining three may be carried out by an Expert Witness.

All Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria in each unit must be evidenced to reflect the unit evidence requirements, except for those identified as being assessed in the Synoptic Test. The Assessment Criteria assessed in the Synoptic Test are clearly identified in each unit. The content of these will be delivered during the academic blended learning sessions. Trainee dental nurses will be advised to provide evidence of their learning for these Assessment Criteria which can then be used as revision materials to help prepare for the Synoptic Tests.

NHS Practices/NHS employees that operate within the NHS England catchment areas of Cumbria/Lancashire, Cheshire/Merseyside, Greater Manchester will receive full funding for the course. Private Practice employers and/or NHS practices that operate outside of the NHS England catchment areas; are unfortunately not eligible for funding. A fee of £1,500 will be required, the discussion of payment will be carried out at your interview.

Full details of course content, course structure and assessment grading available in the course Factsheet [PDF, 244KB]

Learners are entitled to earn the national minimum wage according to their age through the duration of the course. Current national minimum wage rates can be found here: www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

The team delivering the qualification are occupationally competent have a wide range of experience in the profession, are GDC registrants and committed to your success.

The successful outcome to this qualification allows the individual to make an application to enter the General Dental Council professional register as a Dental Nurse. This will then enable the individual to practice within a dental clinical setting.
After being accepted onto the register, the candidate is then recognised as a qualified and competent dental nurse and may also take the opportunity to career progress within the dental field.

Opportunities for consideration may include, but are not limited to:

• Specialist dental nursing roles, for example dental sedation nursing, orthodontics, radiography, oral health
• Dental hygiene or therapy
• Dental technology
• Dental decontamination
• Teaching/mentoring/coaching
• Practice management

If you are interested in applying, please complete the attached application form and return it either by post or email to admin.dcp@mft.nhs.uk If you would like to discuss the programme with a member of the team, please telephone; 0161 272 5670.