As a dental nurse, maintaining high professional standards helps to ensure that your patients continually receive the very best care possible. That’s why you are required to keep your knowledge and skills up to date by meeting CPD requirements.
What is CPD for dental nurses?
CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. The CPD process is designed to aid your professional development and learning as a dental nurse.
As healthcare is continually evolving, ongoing professional development is essential to ensure you remain effective in your role. CPD requirements call for you to focus on your past experiences and reflect on how you can improve in your practice. The process also allows you to set yourself development goals and objectives.
CPD for dental nurses is a documented process and must be driven by you.
What are the requirements?
General Dental Council registered dental nurses must undertake a minimum of 50 hours of verifiable CPD every five years. It is highly recommended that you include medical emergencies, radiology and radiation protection and disinfection and decontamination as core topics during each five-year cycle.
Additional topics, such as legal and ethical issues, safeguarding children and young people and complaints handling, are also recommended. However, unlike core topics, these can be non-verifiable.
If you are looking to progress your career, be aware that rules regarding CPD are different. If you opt to explore the dental hygienist, dental therapist or orthodontic therapist route, CPD requirements rise to a minimum of 75 hours every five years and at least 10 hours every two years.
What is verifiable CPD?
Verifiable CPD can be achieved through conferences, seminars, training courses and online tests. It is verifiable because the activity is measurable, and has well-defined objectives and outcomes. You also receive proof of attendance and completion.
Non-verifiable CPD includes reading books and keeping up-to-date with journal articles that benefit your ongoing learning and development.
CPD courses for dental nurses
There are plenty of CPD courses for dental nurses. These courses can help you achieve your verifiable CPD requirements. The list below includes some of the available CDP courses.
Unfortunately, CPD hours cannot be obtained through the GDC.
CPD courses for Medacs Healthcare dental nurses
If you are a dental nurse who is registered with Medacs Healthcare, you automatically receive six hours of free training to count towards your verifiable CPD hours.
Our training covers the following topics:
- Equality and Diversity
- Health and Safety at Work
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
- Caldicott Principles
- Fire Safety Awareness
- Infection Control
- Food Hygiene
- Manual Handling (includes practical session)
- Basic Life Support including CPR (with practical session)
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults
- Safeguarding Children
- Conflict Management
- Lone Working
What if I don’t achieve my CPD requirements?
As CPD is a compulsory part of the GDC registration process, failing to comply will result in your name being removed from the register. Once you have been removed from the register, you will no longer be able to legally operate as a dental nurse in the UK.
You must meet CPD requirements before you can apply for restoration to the GDC register.
If you are planning a career break or maternity leave, you must continue to document your CPD to remain on the register. If you opt to leave the register at any point, you must maintain a valid CPD record should you wish to restore your registration at any time.
If you fail to submit your CPD requirements before your given deadline, you can apply for a grace period of 56 days. You can apply for this no earlier than six months before the end of your cycle, however, it is worth noting that a grace period will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
Find out more
If you require further information regarding your CPD requirements, or if you’d like to learn more about the wide range of opportunities we have for dental nurses, please browse our latest dental nursing jobs or call our team on 01785 256 605 during office hours.
