Between February and March 2023, stakeholders of the GDC conducted the Dental Nurse Retention Survey to try and gain an understanding of the current ‘recruitment crisis’, which is linked to the drop in dental nurse registrations in recent years. The survey aimed to establish knowledge of the current state of the registered dental nurse workforce and gain insights into the reasons for its condition.
The survey invited dental nurses to submit their thoughts and opinions on their role within the dental community and the reasons why they wished to remain in, or leave, the industry. In November 2023, Dr Debbie Reed published the survey’s findings in a report on ResearchGate, which can be found here. Dr Reed also wrote this blog post in January 2024, which summarises the findings and provides an overview of their meaning. It also encourages employers to utilise the data to improve working conditions for dental nurses.
As noted in the blog, the survey found that:
- Of the 114,595 dental professionals registered, dental nurses made up approximately 50% or 61,000 nurses. Of this 50%, 3,100 responded to the survey.
- The main survey findings showed that dental nurses are leaving the profession mainly due to lack of appreciation and being valued, restricted growth and progression, and minimal job satisfaction and enjoyment. Other factors included dissatisfaction with pay, lack of meaning to their work, and missing benefits and incentives.
- Of the respondents, 34% were not sure if they wanted to remain in the profession, and 46% of this group could be persuaded to stay if the above issues were addressed and rectified.
Dr Reed’s blog includes the statement: “there are things that employers can do to keep these professionals and the report offers ideas to use as a starting point for discussions and negotiations”. It also states that: “unsurprisingly, so far, the report has had 1,300 readers”. Dr Reed is encouraging employers to start taking the steps necessary to repair the dental nurse crisis through addressing the concerns raised in the survey, and is also noting that employers are reading the results and taking on board the suggested changes.
According to Dr Reed’s blog on the GDC website (linked above), this year will see a more detailed analysis of these results through sources such as journals, papers, and speaker events. Such actions will enable the discussion to continue to grow and gain traction, which could result in a positive, and perhaps permanent, change, as employers begin to listen to, and utilise, the data collected. This could be a crucial turning point for the dental nurse community, where concerns and dissatisfaction are listened to and taken on board, with effective change coming into place over the next year.
With this encouragement for the doors of communication to be opened, dental nurses could soon find that they are in a position to fight for better conditions and the recognition that they deserve. The dental nurse crisis could be on its way towards ending as the data is used to effectively improve working conditions across the dental industry.
By Natasha Garthwaite BSc, RDN
References:
Dr D. Reed., October 2023, Dental Nurse Retention Survey Report, ResearchGate Publication, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374919034_Dental_Nurse_UK_Retention_Survey_2023
Dr D. Reed, January 2024, Dental Nurse Retention Survey Blog, GDC Publication,
https://www.gdc-uk.org/news-blogs/blog/detail/blogs/2024/01/04/what-encourages-dental-nurses-to-remain-within-the-dental-sector