The Educational Supervisor: My name is Jill Geaney.  I am the practice owner and Educational Supervisor at Wedgwood House Dental Surgery, a spacious four-surgery practice near the town centre of Stowmarket in mid Suffolk. I have been a Educational Supervisor since 2004 and more than half of my FD's have gone on to take further qualifications to build their careers.  

I have recently completed my MSc in Medical and Healthcare Education which for me was a struggle.  It has made me appreciate the challenges faced in acquiring knowledge and qualifications once again.  My ambition this year is to get part of the dissertation published.  

I have particular interests in occlusion and implants but enjoy all aspects of dentistry.  I have traveled widely helping a colleague teach these disciplines in Canada, Egypt, India and Nepal.  I am a course demonstrator at Applied Anatomy courses held in Bristol University and on the Las Vegas Maxi Course in the USA.  I teach suture removal (part of GDC scope) and periodontology (OHE course) to dental nurses throughout East Anglia. 

I worked as a volunteer dentist for the Paralympics in 2012 and was proud to represent my profession at such an event.  My practice is one of few practices in Suffolk who host work experience students who are searching for their chosen career and I represent dentists at careers events at Ipswich School and Ipswich High School for girls. 

The Practice: Wedgwood House Dental Practice is a family practice with many patients attending since I opened in April 1999.  We have an open door policy.  A diverse range of patients awaits you with all manner of presenting problems and I guarantee my support for you as a new dentist to meet the everyday challenges that practising dentistry in the NHS presents.  I have very pleasant support staff who will help you all the way and the support of an excellent part-time hygienist and dental therapist.

Our present FD is seeing a wide variety of cases including crowns, bridges and denture work.  

The Area: Stowmarket is a rural town with 20,000 inhabitants in the town and surrounding area. It is possible to rent premises at a reasonable price or to share rooms close by.  There is a leisure centre, tennis club and a cinema in the town and several nearby golf courses.  The town will never compare with the bright lights of London but it is possible to walk, cycle or drive easily around town and the inhabitants are friendly and keen to have NHS dentistry in the town.

Nearby cities and towns include Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge, Norwich and Colchester all of which are in easy reach. 

Other Points of Interest: The Dental Foundation Training schemes local to me are Ipswich and Norwich, both of which hold their training days mostly on a Friday. Former FDs have assisted with Chernobyl Day: a day spent restoring the teeth of visiting children affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Three weeks in the UK gives the childrens' immune systems time to recover and each link organisation has to have a dentist and optician to treat the group.  We are the practice for the mid-Suffolk link group.

Six of my twelve former FDs have stayed on with the practice which has given the patients much needed continuity.