Across dental practices, salaries can often vary. Although many practices will and do pay their dental nurses a fair and acceptable salary, there are also many that do not.
Wages for dental nurses have always been known to be just average or low – some dental practices try to pay minimum wage constantly and some dental nurses may feel that they won’t really get any better offers. And as there are many dentists that don’t always make complete use of all the skills or potential of dental nurses, they don’t pay for those ‘unused’ skills.
As an organisation that gives HR advice to employers, we are putting out this article for dentists and dental practice managers to understand what a fair wage may look like for a dental nurse.
What Dental Nurses Do
Dental nurses support the dentists in all aspects of the patients’ dental care. Anything from reception work to helping out members of the dental team – dentists, clinical dental technicians, hygienists, therapists – with patients of all ages.
In a dental practice, the maintenance of the operating equipment and ensuring all instruments and materials are in place will be done by dental nurses.
This profession actually allows you to work as a trainee dental nurse without academic qualifications. However, anyone that wants to become a qualified dental nurse has to study a dental nursing course that is approved by the General Dental Council.
What Is The Average Wage For Dental Nurses?
Previous surveys (2013) that have been conducted had found an average wage for qualified dental nurses to be around £9.98. There was some variations depending on NHS commitment. And compared to the rest of the UK, the highest pay rates were found in London and in southeast England. For a 37-hour week, £9.98 would equal to an annual salary of £19,201.
Dental nurses, though, are a pretty important part of a dental team and with their skills, should be offered adequate and fair pay rates. Especially as dental nurses are essential for carrying out numerous responsibilities, helping the dental team, and being the primary team member to provide patient care.
Unfortunately, most of the time, the salary of a dental nurse tends to stagnate once they’ve been in the position for a few years. It is only when they’ve acquired up to and over 10 years of experience, in most cases, where the pay rate seems to increase.
What Would A Fair Wage Look Like?
One of the problems with the dental nursing career is that despite the thousands of student dental nurses qualifying each year, similar numbers are found leaving the profession, also. The issue with dental nursing is that those who become dental nurses employed in NHS practices aren’t always considered NHS employees. So they don’t reap any of the benefits or experience the same conditions, including salary, as the NHS employees.
A fair wage would, first of all, recognise dental nurses as registered care professionals because it’s what they are. Likewise, their salary should recognise their contribution to a dental team which is most times invaluable, as well as acknowledging their personal skill. Professionalism, knowledge, training, for instance. The BADN are calling for recognition of such contribution made by dental nurses to dentistry.
The British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN) is a professional association for dental nurses across the UK which supports the BSDHT campaign for dental nursing support.
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