How to prepare for a dental nurse interview
Dental nursing is a brilliant career to get into. If you have secured an interview for a position, whether it’s first time or moving from one practise to another, well done! This blog will break down how to prepare for a dental nurse interview, what questions to expect, and how to answer them.
How to answer: “Why do you want to be a dental nurse?”
The best way to answer why you want to be a dental nurse is to highlight your passion for helping people:
- Emphasize that you enjoy working in a healthcare field and improving patient well-being.
- Mention that you find oral health to be an important aspect of overall health and you want to contribute to positive outcomes for patients.
- Try to find an example of a time in your life when you helped someone, and it made you realise that you would like to be a dental nurse
*Example: “I’m passionate about healthcare and helping people achieve their wellness goals. I have always believed in healthcare being an important part of communities. Last year I volunteered at a care home and enjoyed building relationships with the patients, and saw how important health and wellness is. I would love to explore that further in this role.”
Other Common Dental Nurse Interview Questions
What skills does a dental nurse need?
Skills for a dental nurse generally include working under pressure, good time keeping, good fine motor skills and patience. Think of any jobs you have had in the past that equired you to be patient, have good communication skills, good fine motor, patience and to cope with working in stressful conditions.
Why are you interested in working in this particular practise?
Research the practise and look at the type of patients they work with, their professional development opportunities, and the types of care that they offer. Explain why it is that you are interested in these things.
What professional development opportunities are you interested in?
There are so many professional development opportunities in dental nursing, so make sure that you emphasise how excited you are to get stuck in with them. Some common ones include dental radiography, oral health education, dental implant nursing, or dental sedation nursing.
Do you work well in a team?
Always answer yes. A good answer to this question would give an example of a time that you worked well with others to solve a problem.
Do you have any questions about this role?
Always ask questions! A good one is normally ‘what does success look like within the first three months of this role?’ This showcases a keen attitude and willingness to do well.
Be prepared to give some real life examples too, to showcase your transferable skills that you can bring to the role. This may include questions such as:
-Tell me about a time you put a nervous person at ease
-Tell me about how you contributed to your last organisation
With these questions, don’t lie and make up an elaborate story about rescuing a lady from a burning building, be honest, and talk about real experiences, with a family member, while volunteering, or even maybe a loyal customer from a cafe you used to work in. The important thing is that you explain what you learned from the experience, and how it made you sure that dental nursing is the right career for you.
Tell me about your hobbies and interests outside of work
This is a good opportunity to present yourself as a well-rounded person. However, try and tailor them to work skills, such as doing a first aid certificate. If you play in a sports team, bring it back to the role by saying that you love working alongside other people, and would love the opportunity to do this at work also.
Are NHS dental nurse interview questions different to private jobs?
There will be some overlap in interview questions for NHS and private dental nurse positions, but there can also be some key differences. Here’s a breakdown:
Similarities
- Both will likely ask about your teamwork, communication, problem-solving, time management, and ability to work under pressure.
- You’ll probably be asked about your understanding of dental procedures, instruments, and sterilization protocols.
- Demonstrating a genuine interest in dentistry and patient care is important for both.
Differences
- An NHS interview might place more emphasis on your understanding of the NHS system, working with a diverse patient population, and dealing with limited resources.
- Private practices might delve deeper into customer service skills, experience with specific treatments offered by the practice, and potentially sales experience (e.g., promoting dental hygiene products).
Understanding the differences is important, but the key thing is to prepare well with the generic questions, and make sure that you have researched the practise thoroughly.
What to wear to a dental nurse interview & how to prepare yourself
Unlike some trendy office jobs these days, dental nursing is a role which requires dressing smart, with hair, makeup and hair accessories kept to a minimum. Think simple, clean, and professional, with business casual clothes that are clean in appearance.
To prepare, write down your answers to the questions that we provided above, and practise saying them out loud. Make sure that you have organised your outfit and travel the night before so that you aren’t running late or feeling stressed in the morning, and get a good night’s sleep, as downing coffee before your evening will only stress your nerves.