An exciting new educational opportunity for dental nurses – Introducing the Janet Goodwin Educational Grant
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 10th July 2023
The Oral Health Foundation in collaboration with the British Association of Dental Nurses, are very excited to introduce the Janet Goodwin Educational Grant. This is a financial award, to assist your dental nurses to achieve their full potential and become a further asset to your practice, from their dental nursing diploma through to upskilling via post-qualification education to extend their day-to-day duties.
So, if you have any trainee dental nurses and they are funding their own dental nursing diploma examinations themselves, they can apply for the bursary to help them cover course and examination fees. They can apply for funding of up to £500.
Or maybe all of your nurses are already qualified and registered with the General Dental Council, never underestimate the value of ‘upskilling’. Many dental nurses and would love to further their dental careers and with these extra qualifications, they will become a much more valuable member of your dental team. Post-qualification courses and education will aways increase job satisfaction, aid your practices’ staff retention level, and add value to the overall patient experience.
Working with a dental nurse that is qualified to carry out extra duties, will also help you to work in a more effective way, you can delegate more of your simpler treatments and save your valuable treatment time.
Why not encourage your nurses to have a look at extended duties courses, such as:
- Oral health education
- Dental radiography
- Dental implant nursing
- Orthodontic dental nursing
- Dental sedation nursing
- Fluoride varnish application
- Special care dental nursing
- Impression taking
Maybe one of the reasons that your dental nurses have not explored further education could be the associated costs. If they were to be awarded one of these grants, this would help to lessen the financial burden.
This grant is in honour of the late Janet Goodwin, former President of the Oral Health Foundation, and a pioneering dental nurse, who tragically passed away from breast cancer in 2020. Janet began working in dentistry as a dental nurse in 1971, and worked in general practice, community, dental hospitals and further education.
An influential figure within oral health, Janet held roles at Leeds Dental Hospital, The National Examining Board for Dental Nurses and the General Dental Council.
As well as her work with the Oral Health Foundation, Janet was a member of several oral health bodies. She carried out management and educational projects on an independent basis with various organisations including the Faculty of General Dental Practice, where she was Chair of the DCP committee, City & Guilds as Chief Examiner, and Dental Team Qualification in the development and delivery of DCP programmes.
In 2015, Janet became the very first dental nurse to be elected President of the Oral Health Foundation in the charity’s 52-year history, becoming a real voice for dental nurses all over the country. From the minute she became President she was already breaking barriers. Janet brought a unique and vibrant personality which was what also allowed her to bring talented fresh faces to the Board of Trustees.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, believes that Janet was true ambassador for oral health, and she leaves behind a lasting legacy for the dental health of the nation and was a stalwart supporter of all dental nurses.
Encouraging dental nurses to seek education and relevant dental qualifications to enhance their dental careers, was always very high on Janet’s agenda, so these educational bursaries in her name, seemed to be the most appropriate use of these funds.
We want this grant to be a lasting legacy for the dental nurses that are successful, allowing them further their dental journey. You could be instrumental in encouraging one of them to apply!
As a bonus, successful applicants will each receive a signed copy of Tits Up – a wonderful and insightful book by a great friend of Janet’s, and ex-employee of the NEBDN, Carol Patterson. The book documents Carol’s own breast cancer journey – the disease that ultimately took Janet Goodwin’s life.
Everybody at the Oral Health Foundation and British Association of Dental Nurses are very proud to continue Janet’s legacy by offering educational grants to dental nurses to help them achieve their dreams and furthering their careers.
Visit www.dentalhealth.org/janetgoodwingrant to find out more about the grant, the criteria, and to complete the application form.
Applications close on 17 August 2023.
