The first step is usually the most important one—and this is definitely true when it comes to building up your dental career. Getting your first of what will hopefully be many dentistry jobs is key to opening up even more opportunities later on.
In every industry, everyone wants to excel—and for a good reason, as this is what marks your experience as worthy of your future career. When it comes to the medical field, a career in medicine takes years of education and training. As such, it’s crucial for a dentist to be able to feel fulfilled and that all the time they spent was not for nothing!
Here are some of the best tips on how you can excel in your dental career:
Know What Your Career Goals Are
It would be difficult to make it to your final destination during a long drive if you don’t know where you’re headed in the first place, right? The same goes for your dental career! The most effective dental practitioners have a good idea of what they’re looking to achieve as they push forward in their career path. While setting long term goals is good, setting up those smaller goals can provide you with the concrete steps to take to achieve your long term success.
Make The Move
Seriously look into basing yourself from a new location. You can improve your job prospects by simply moving to a different city! You can assert yourself in a setting that’s all-new by doing things like going farther and looking into jobs like dental nursing. You’ll also be able to expose yourself to new cultures, experiences, and even new ways of overall living. Taking the extra step to live abroad will also be a clear indicator of just how committed you are to doing whatever it takes for your career to go further.
Not really into travelling too far from your home? You can still move—to another practice, that is! That still counts for something, as not all dental practices will have the same feel and environment. By broadening your experience, you become exposed to more information—making you a better practitioner in the long run!
Take Initiative and Be Responsible
It goes without saying that being responsible should be the default for anyone entering the medical field. Pairing this with being proactive makes for a killer combination!
When you take on a proactive role, you will be able to take on more responsibilities, utilise your leadership skills and have them on full display, and even make crucial decisions. Initiative is valued highly by employers—and aside from the usual advice and guidance, being able to mostly work independently helps your team see that you have what’s necessary for advancement from your role.
Work With A Private Practice
The NHS has been undergoing a lot of cuts, and overall well-being is rather low these days. Some dentists then choose to just work in a private practice for their career prospects’ improvement.
The British Dental Association conducted a study wherein nearly half of the respondents had low happiness levels with high anxiety levels during the day. On the other hand, higher levels of satisfaction were reported by practitioners that engage in private work compared to those who work in NHS. Moreover, the NHS’ promotion scheme—which is quite rigid—does not apply to private practices. Since private practices are generally much smaller than the NHS, the opportunities for advancement are far better.
Conclusion
There are several ways you can excel in your dental career. Getting your first dental job is the first step—and it’s always a good idea to put your best foot forward. Set your goals and do what you can to progress from there!
Are you looking for associate dentist jobs in the UK to further along with your career in the dental industry? Dental Talent is a recruitment platform for dental practitioners in the UK. Check out our job postings today!