The Educational Supervisor: I qualified from Cardiff Dental School in 1994 and have been an Educational Supervisor with Dental Foundation Training since 2003. Over the years I have worked with both the Norwich and the Ipswich schemes. For 2019-2020 I will be working once more with the excellent team of colleagues at the Norwich Scheme. Probably the most fun I've ever had with dentistry has been working in remote locations with limited resources while I was a dental officer in Queensland. This seems a long time ago now but it taught me a lot about being resourceful, adaptable and sensitive to working with different cultures.
I have spent most of my life in general practice and have benefited greatly from the skill and wisdom of the many colleagues I have worked with along the way, starting with my (then) Vocational Trainer. Even all this way down the road, I can still remember his friendly and cool manner with everyone at the Practice and his readiness to help out when something didn't go to plan for me. Foundation Training has become somewhat more formal in recent years but at the core of the journey, is your day to day work with your patients and your trainer and this (fortunately) hasn't really changed. I enjoy surgery, implants and endo. I like prevention, the health promotion side of dentistry and the philosophy behind minimally invasive procedures. After many years of not doing any postgraduate exams I decided to do the MJDF (2017). In 2008 I got my Certificate in postgraduate medical education.
Outside dentistry, I enjoy experiencing the mountains, nature and the oceans in as many ways as possible.
The Practice: The Practice was purpose built in 2001 and then subsequently expanded in 2009. We now have 4 surgeries over two floors. All the surgeries are equipped to a similarly high standard with Belmont Cleo II chairs, LED overhead lights, fibre-optic handpieces, micro-motors etc. We switched to computers and digital x-rays throughout in 2009. We also have two dedicated decontamination rooms (one in each floor). We have excellent, friendly nursing and reception staff. Most of our nurses are qualified and have several years experience at the Practice and have worked with previous FDs. We currently have two nurses reaching the end of their training (about to qualify & register with the GDC). We are all involved with education and team development.
You will work side by side with our experienced associates (Jo,Nick,Rebecca and Alex) so there is always someone nearby to discuss cases etc. Elaine and Clare (hygienists) help us look after the perio side of things with a high level of skill,competence. and cheerfulness. They have been with the Practice for many years.
Sycamore House is located in a small business park next to a large GP surgery. The town centre is a short 5 min walk away.
The Area: Bury St Edmunds is a proper market town with all the usual facilities. It has really grown over the past decade and has all the services you could possibly need for your day to day. I travel from just outside Cambridge (35 min drive down the A14). Ipswich is 40 minutes and Norwich about 1 hour away. Most importantly, you can now get a decent espresso from several places, which really wasn't the case in 1997.