The Educational Supervisor: After I qualified at Sheffield University in 1997 I worked as an associate in General Practice for 5 years treating both NHS and private patients. In 2002, I started work for the Salaried Dental Service and after more than 15 years I'm still loving it!  I particularly enjoy the challenge of treating very anxious patients in my sedation clinic, and working with patients with additional needs. It is really rewarding to  be able to engage with and to be able to help marginalised and vulnerable groups of patients.
 I thoroughly enjoy my role of Educational Supervisor and try to make the experience equally enjoyable for my FDs. I operate an open-door, no blame policy. I like to make my tutorials as interactive as possible and centred around the individual needs of the trainee - I usually learn just as much as the FD.  

The Practice: Our long standing Bury St Edmunds dental practice relocated last year and opened in April 2018 with 6 brand new, fully equipped modern dental suites which are fully HTM01-05 compliant. There is an OPG and ceph machine on site with digital x-ray system. We also have an orthodontist on site who is happy to engage with foundation dentists with an interest in this specialty. We have had a foundation dentist at our Bury St Edmunds clinic since 2012 so there is an established list of patients for the new FD.

Hillside clinic is part of a county-wide Salaried Dental Service operating from 9 locations across Suffolk. The dental team consists of an Operational Director, 2 Senior Dentists, a Specialist in Special Care Dentistry, 9 Dentists and a Dental Therapist. They are supported by an Operations Manager, an Oral Health Improvement team and administrative staff. Our Dental Nurses are some of the best in the business and we actively promote whole team participation. Foundation training in this environment is really well supported - the team is close knit, friendly and helpful to each other.

Inhalation sedation is offered at all our sites and we also run an IV sedation service and a hospital based General Anaesthetic service at which we would welcome any FD to gain experience if they were interested. Our excellent service has been recognised by the BDA Quality in Dental Services award consistently since 2012.

The Area: Bury St Edmunds is a thriving market town in Suffolk. We have an on site car park at the dental practice. Great shopping is near by as well as a wealth of options for eating out and entertainment. Bury St Edmunds has good transport links including to nearby Cambridge and it's just under an hour to Norwich by car.

Other Points of Interest:  If you enjoy good food and socialising, this could be the job for you. Working as part of such a big team, there are always social activities organised within the workplace from regular eating out to book groups - it is always good fun and a great way to let off steam at the end of a busy week. 
All clinicians meet quarterly as a peer review group, which provides a great opportunity for FDs to practice case presentations, get second, third, and fourth opinions and to discuss clinical matters in a convivial atmosphere.

If you are looking for a rewarding, satisfying job with great team working, we're listening!