In June, the Society attended the Scottish Dental Show. Some members of the Scottish Branch of the Society were on stand HO8, where they welcomed a number of our members and those visiting the stand for the first time. The team yielded a number of questions, mainly about the MyGDC pending changes and Continuous Professional Development and some relating to the Scope of Practice.
The Society is a 4 Nation organisation and we are always delighted to have the Scottish Team leading the way when it comes to the Scottish Show. Whilst there are often differences in local rules and guidance positions, fundamentally, dental nurses across all of the nations are all registered with the same General Dental Council and must adhere to their standards and guiding principles.
Coming together at such events creates an opportunity to share good practice, to iron out challenges and misunderstandings and to work collectively on national matters. We recognise the challenges that many of our colleagues face in accessing specific courses and training, as well as the geographical spread and the opportunities in this beautiful nation. Amazing conversations always come to light in Scotland, and many focus on how dental nurses working in some settings are truly embracing the concept of skill mix and working in specialist fields, where they can work to their full scope of practice. It is vital that we come together as a profession and can inform decisions. Working within each nation is important too, but for the wider good of the professional group, we have to come together.
We were delighted that our Patron was able to stand in at the last minute, taking on the fascinating talk on the challenges and the positives of social media. You would be surprised at your digital footprint and just how much can be found out about you online, and Elaine always delivers an incredible presentation that shows you just that and of course, points out the obligations that we all have as dental professionals when it comes to Social Media.
The Society would like to extend our thanks to Will Peakin and Ann Craib for their support at the show, and we hope to return next year.