Joseph Hughes, BDJ Classified Advertising Manager for the BDJ Portfolio, presents his perspective on dental nurse recruitment.

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From my experience managing the BDJ Jobs board over the last four years, it has never been tougher to recruit a dental nurse.

Analysing the recruitment data on BDJ Jobs it is not initially obvious that there is a dental nurse recruitment crisis. The number of dental nurse positions posted has increased by 27% year on year (October-October, 2019/2020 compared to 2020/2021), the number of job views has increased by 58%, and the number of dental nurse CVs uploaded to the site has increased by 13%.

Although we have seen a much bigger increase in number of page views for nursing positions versus number of jobs being advertised, this hasn't materialised into applications; the response rate per job for dental nurse positions has actually decreased by 19% year on year.

Having spoken to many dental nurses looking for a new job over the years, I have always been aware of their frustration with low pay and think the lack of support during the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated their feelings of being undervalued.

I believe the increase in job page views for dental nurse positions is an indication that many dental nurses are unhappier than ever in their current roles and are looking for better opportunities. Unfortunately, as the data suggest, if they don't find anything they'll leave the profession, putting practices at risk of being consistently understaffed.

Advice for dental nurses and practice owners

My advice for dental nurses currently looking for a new position is to shop around. Many practices are in urgent need of support staff, meaning the hourly rate being offered by some practices can be significantly higher than the regional average. I'd also recommend uploading your CV to our CV Library, which allows recruiters to contact you with opportunities. You can also find career advice and hints and tips on how to make yourself more attractive to an employer on our BDJ Jobs site (www.bdjjobs.com).

Practice owners have a very short window of opportunity to re-evaluate the importance and value of dental nurses and their contribution to a practice before the recruitment crisis deepens and some dental nurses leave the industry for good. I would advise recruiting practices to think carefully about their recruitment strategy:

  • How do they plan to attract dental nurses to their practice?

  • Can they afford to offer a more attractive employment package?

  • Are there any perks or benefits they could offer?

  • How do they intend to make their existing staff feel valued and supported in their current roles?

  • What opportunities are there for career development?

The BDJ Jobs team can help support practices with their recruitment efforts and BDA members receive free adverts for dental nurses on www.bdjjobs.com. Get in touch with us and we'd be happy to offer more advice.

Visit: www.bdjjobs.com

Email: bdj@nature.com

Telephone: 020 7843 4729