DentaltownUK April 2018 - 19

each year of training.
For anyone interested in research, presenting at conferences or even getting published
in a scientific journal, DCT is an excellent
way to get involved.
Whilst there certainly are other ways
to achieve this, working in a dental/general
hospital setting exposes you to opportunities
to collaborate with other members of the
team, and most people who work hard will
get what they're looking for out of the job.
There are study days and conferences targeted
at DCTs, with the possibility of presenting
orally or taking a poster.
The job is salaried; depending on the level
of core training and on-call requirements, this
can be anything between around £30k,000
(DCT1 with no on-call) and £57k (DCT3
with a high proportion of on-call). There are
no specific totals to achieve and there isn't
a UDA in sight! This can be great in terms
of financial planning, and it does take away
some of the uncertainty for young dentists
who are unsure how quickly they'll be able
to meet targets in general practice.

Team experiences teach more
Another advantage is working as part
of a large team.
Whilst some jobs have only one DCT
position available, it's still likely you'll be
working with more people than if you had
stayed in general practice for the year. This
allows you to learn from others, and to
become aware of other available options in
terms of career pathways.
I enjoy being part of a team and working
together to achieve an end goal. This can
test your communication skills and there is
a need to prioritise tasks and delegate, which
are valuable attributes that can be developed,
preparing you for a career as a dentist.
In oral and maxillofacial surgery posts,
you're likely to be expected to work some
weekends and nights. I think this is a positive
of the job-most of the time!-and with fewer
people around to help in terms of senior staff,
it increases the amount of work being done

independently, improving your confidence
and decision-making skills.
Another specific advantage of oral and
maxillofacial DCT in a hospital with oncology
patients is improved diagnostic ability and
awareness. I believe this job gave me insight
into different presentations of cancer and
conditions of the oral environment. Oral
cancer is rarely seen in practice, but the DCT
job increases exposure to these conditions,
making dentists better informed as to what
needs an urgent referral and how to better
support these patients in general practice.
Time in theatre also improved my knowledge of head and neck anatomy, because there's
nothing like seeing it firsthand and being
quizzed about it by a senior in the process!

Now for the downsides ...
I believe there are three main negatives
to the job.
1. Long hours. This may not apply
to other specialties, but oral and
maxillofacial surgery core trainees
work days of 12 hours or more about
half the time, and then often have
work to do in the evenings-projects,
papers, audits, etc. This can be tiring
and makes it difficult to have much
of a social life. It can make having a
routine difficult, too, when you keep
switching between weekend shifts and
night shifts, or days with longer or
shorter hours. This isn't a big issue-
and you do get used to it!-but for
those who would have a long commute
or have children, for example, it's
something to consider when deciding
which specialty to do core training in.
* You do a lot of administration and
'box-ticking'. The requirements vary
dependent on region, but this can
involve: observed clinical exercises;
case-based discussions which you
reflect on via an online portfolio;
mandatory study days; essays and
presentations; compulsory audits;
educational supervisor meetings; and

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DentaltownUK April 2018
