Trainee dental nurse induction programme
- Professionalism
- Health & Safety
- Infection control and decontamination
- Medical emergencies
- Safeguarding – Child Protection and Adults at Risk
This programme is intended to give an initial overview within the practice and does not replace existing policies in place at the time. Reference will be made to the policies that should also be looked at in due course.
Training on an accredited qualification programme according to the GDC is to commence within 2 years of starting work. Your starting work will be dependent upon you receiving your Hepatitis B vaccination and also a suitable EDBS check.
1. Professionalism
The GDC gives us standards for the dental team http://standards.gdc-uk.org/ it is advisable that all personnel working within dentistry read these standards and comply with them.
Confidentiality – Anything that is heard, talked about, written in patients notes or generally disclosed by the patient, their families or representatives should be treated as confidential. This means it must not be disclosed or discussed to or with anyone outside of the practice team which may include the patient’s family. If you are unsure what this means, please double check with the Principal or the Manager. Failure to adhere to this could constitute gross misconduct. Concerns must be raised with the manager at the earliest opportunity if there is anything that the employee is uncertain of.
2. Health and Safety
You are responsible for you own health and safety and that of those around you at all times while at work. You work with a lot of expensive and sometimes dangerous equipment and also exposed to body fluids on a daily basis. If you are unsure as to how to use a piece of equipment, please ask a senior nurse or the principal on its correct use.
You will be shown the COSHH folder – this has information regarding the safe handling and disposal of any dangerous chemicals or substances we use in the practice. If you are at all unsure, you must ask.
Safe handling of sharps – we use contaminated sharps such as used needles, burs, scaler tips, probes etc during our working day. You will be shown the correct way of handling these pieces of equipment and this must be followed at ALL times to prevent unnecessary sharps injury. If you were to receive a puncture wound to your skin, please follow the inoculation injury protocol which will be displayed in each room and tell a member of senior staff immediately.
Clinical waste is collected in each surgery daily. There will be a bin under each sink where you will place any waste that has been produced in the clinical environment which is potentially contaminated with body fluids. This will not include boxes or bulky waste. You will be shown how to effectively segregate your waste into clinical, sharps, non-clinical and study models. You will also be shown what to do with extracted teeth safely.
You will be shown where the fire exits are and what to do in the event of an emergency, when the fire alarms are to be tested and where to assemble once you have left the building.
3. Infection Control and Decontamination
You will initially be shown the infection control policy and procedures. Initially you will be shown how to effectively wash your hands and use alcohol gel. Guidance is here http://www.oracle-pbs.co.uk/courses.html (scroll down to disinfection and decontamination for hand hygiene training). This is one of the most important aspects of any clinical role, observe it at all times.
PPE – personal protective equipment – this is supplied in the form of uniform, gloves, mask, goggles, visor and apron and must be used as appropriate. During any clinical session you should wear gloves, mask, goggles/visor. This protects the portals of entry for any microorganism into the system thus:
You will be shown how to don, remove & dispose of PPE safely and effectively.
Decontamination of instruments – when any instrument has been used for the patient or has potentially come into contact with the patient and their body fluids it must be cleaned and sterilised. This is done by removing all instruments into the dirty zone and placing them into the dirty box ready to go to the decon room.
Change your gloves and take the wipes and wipe down:
Chair, unit, light handles, spittoon, sides, drawer fronts, outside of the dirty box, patient glasses and anything that has been touched with dirty gloves.
Remove your gloves and use alcohol gel on your hands.
Take the dirty box to the decon room and return to the surgery.
Don new gloves and lay out everything for the next patient.
Remove gloves and call the patient through.
GLOVES & MASK MUST NOT BE WORN OUTSIDE OF THE SURGERY
Further instruction regarding the decon room procedures will be covered separately.
Your uniform will form part of your PPE and must be clean and worn at all times in the surgery. You must not wear this to and from work but get changed at work.
4. Medical Emergencies
It is vital to know how to deal calmly with any medical emergency as they arise. You will be informed as to the location of the oxygen and medical emergency kit. The most common ME that we face is a faint, or syncope. Recognise the signs and symptoms of a faint – the pt will possibly already be nervous when they attend and, commonly, following an injection they may become very pale, maybe disorientated, clammy skin, sweating with a rapid pulse. It is important to remain calm, talk to them reassuringly and alert the dentist with whom you are working. The dentist will lay the chair back so that the head is lower than the heart and the legs are raised. They may ask you to get the oxygen kit and a biscuit or glucose drink for the pt.
Each year we must undergo medical emergencies training which includes CPR training too. You will be booked on the next available course.
You will be informed as to the location of the first aid box, emergency eyewash and the accident book. Should you discover anything that is likely to cause harm or an accident in the practice, it is your duty to inform either the manager or the principal immediately please.
5. Safeguarding – Child Protection and Adults at Risk
Both the CQC and the GDC require us to have training on both types of safeguarding, a small amount of guidance is here - https://www.gdc-uk.org/professionals/standards/team
it is imperative that you read the child protection policy and the safeguarding vulnerable adults policy to know what the procedures are in the practice. You will undergo 3 hours of training every 3 years at level 2 and each year we will discuss our policy and reporting procedures in the practice. You will be informed as to who the safeguarding lead is within the practice and any concerns should be discussed with them initially. Any concerns should result in a report to the safeguarding lead to deal with.
Evidence
Date / Induction item / Who carried out induction:Any comments / Trainee signed off /
GDC standards shown
Confidentiality policy shown and explained
Health & Safety policy shown
COSHH folder shown
Equipment use manuals shown
Safe handling of sharps shown
Inoculation injury protocol shown and explained
Emergency eyewash location shown
Accident book shown
Shown the fire exits and assembly point
Segregation of clinical waste shown
Where clinical waste goes each day shown
What to do with extracted teeth explained
Shown infection control policy and procedures
Shown how to wash hands and then observed
Shown the PPE and how to don remove & dispose of safely
Chain of infection diagram explained
Disinfection between patients demonstrated
Shadowed in the decon room for procedures
Shown medical emergencies policy
Shown location of O2 and emergency drugs
Completion of the accident book explained
Safeguarding policies shown
Told who the safeguarding lead is
Explained what might constitute an internal report
Booked on earliest training or undertake initial online training
Signed by inductor: Signed by Inductee:
Name: Name:
Date: Date:
Any comments: Any comments:
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