Dental therapy foundation training: a game-changer for graduates
After a lonely and disheartening start to her career as a dental therapist, Lydia Austin shares how dental therapy foundation training gave her renewed confidence, skills and job satisfaction.
During my 13 years in dentistry, I have been fortunate to have worked in dental hospitals, community, private and NHS general practices, as well as locum work. I first qualified as a dental nurse and then a dental therapist.
Despite being confident with how dental practices ‘worked’ behind the scenes and being comfortable with meeting new people and adapting to change, I found that, when I qualified and started my first jobs as a dental therapist, it was very daunting and quite a lonely experience.
I found my first eight months challenging for various work-related reasons. I was becoming disillusioned with my new role and did not feel like a valued member of the team. After a particularly difficult week, I was ready to throw in the towel.
Despite working so incredibly hard to achieve my dental therapy qualification with a newborn baby and a toddler, and the sacrifices my husband made to support our family through three years of studying, these bad experiences made me think that perhaps I would be better off leaving dentistry.
I faced a crossroads. I could leave dentistry or I could make changes to better my situation. I wanted to do more restorative work and not only be utilised for hygiene. I refused to believe that my first experience of working life post-graduation was a fair reflection of my chosen career field (especially after I had so much good experience in my dental nursing roles).
What is dental therapy foundation training?
I had heard about dental therapy foundation training (DTFT) from my undergraduate course and the tutors had spoken very highly of it, so I decided to look into it a bit more.
DTFT programmes are there to support you as a newly qualified, safe beginner to transition into the primary care workforce, with an emphasis of support and education within a clinical setting.
Funded by the NHS, the schemes are located in the North West, East of England, North East and North Cumbria, South West and Thames Valley. Besides the North East and North Cumbria, all of them are three days per week, working in an NHS practice under the supervision of an educational supervisor (ES). You will receive weekly tutorials from your ES and study days with your cohort of peers, which cover a vast range of topics specific to dental therapy.
You are employed by the practice, so get the benefit of a salaried role with holiday entitlement, paid time off for the study days and possible entry to their workplace pension scheme.
The training programmes are structured with an e-portfolio to complete to help assess your progression and identify areas for improvement or confidence building. It is an interactive tool, and the more you put into your reflections and engage with the portfolio, the easier it is to track your development and see confidence levels rising.
Your ES will watch you treat a patient as part of an assessment and give you specific, detailed feedback to help you improve. There are also case-based discussions in which you prepare and present, which are a valuable opportunity to talk through specific things with your ES.
Support and encouragement
One of the most valuable aspects of DTFT is the peer support you have with other dental therapists in your cohort. Undergoing any training can feel intense with highs and lows, and sharing these with your peers and having their support and encouragement, along with shared experiences can really foster strong relationships, which could last beyond your training programme. Being able to talk to someone who is going through the same thing as you, and who understands, is invaluable.
The programmes are overseen by a training programme director (TPD). In most regions, this is a dental therapist who is employed by NHSE to run and support the programme. Your TPD is also someone you can reach out to for additional support, and as a fellow dental therapist they will be able to relate to you.
The scheme gave me the fire in my belly to keep learning and bettering myself, not only for my own job satisfaction, but also for the benefit of my patients
I chose to undergo my training in the North East and North Cumbria region. I had family connections to the area and was familiar with its natural beauty and charm. I was also attracted to the enhanced scheme offered in this region, meaning it was three days in clinical practice and two days on a placement in a dental related field, such as research, public health, community dental practice, paediatrics at the dental hospital, or oral health education. I applied for one day of research and one day of public health. You can also state your preference of practice from those available in the programme, and I opted for a smaller mixed NHS practice.
What was dental therapy foundation training so valuable for me?
Prior to starting, my ES asked me to log down my clinical skill confidence and ability levels, so from day one we could make the most of our time together. I worked in my own room with a designated DTFT nurse, and if I needed support treating a patient, I could call my ES in, who would give me as much (hands-on) or as little support as was needed.
We had a very open relationship, and I was very honest with my clinical struggles so my ES could really target the best ways to help me to make the most of the year. My ES gave me the best support for my needs, whether it was confidence with ID blocks, detecting caries or managing a paediatric extraction. I regularly wrote reflections, and I could see for myself that within only a few months my skills had developed so much – I was no longer the same dental therapist who had started in September.
By the time we were nearly at the end of the training year, I had received so much valuable advice, wisdom, tricks and tips, and unwavering support from my ES that I felt I was working at a speed where I could hit the ground running when I moved into my first job role post DTFT. I still reach out to her with questions, and I know she’ll respond and be an ongoing mentor for me.
I learnt a lot from the study days, and although I was nervous doing the assessments, the feedback afterwards was so constructive that each time I was improving, developing new skills and seeing success with my clinical work.
I also loved doing my research and public health placements. I chose them as I thought I may never get the chance again, as these career diversity opportunities do not come around as often for dental therapists as they do for dentists. I worked on a research project for water fluoridation with Newcastle University School of Research and Public Health England, and presented a research poster at a national conference.
Invaluable experience
I am very proud of my accomplishments during my DTFT year, and I strongly believe it was an invaluable experience that has shaped me into the clinician I am today. The dental therapist who entered the workforce as a nervous, safe beginner no longer exists, and undergoing this training programme has helped transition me into a confident and competent dental therapist.
The scheme gave me the fire in my belly to keep learning and bettering myself, not only for my own job satisfaction, but also for the benefit of my patients.
I understand my first experiences as a newly qualified dental therapist could be isolated incidents, and I sincerely hope there are not new graduates undergoing the same difficulties. But I would strongly recommend all undergraduates and new graduates to look at the DTFT programmes available in your region. They are suitable for up to two years post qualification, and being salaried helps to take the financial stresses away while you become more confident navigating the world of work as a qualified dental therapist.
I really believe that ‘you don’t know what you don’t know, until you don’t know it’, and having a year of further learning and clinical support is such a blessing in that hard transition between student and clinician.
The BADT (British Association of Dental Therapists) is run by working dental therapists to represent all dental therapists and hygienists. It continues to lead for the rights of dental therapists and represent them at all levels, including parliamentary to raise awareness of their skills and assets and to continue fighting to expand the scope of practice and develop their skills. Find out more at badt.org.uk.
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