DENTISTRY IN THE ROYAL ARMY DENTAL CORPS
LOOKING TO TAKE YOUR CAREER IN A NEW DIRECTION? TIRED OF BEING TIED TO THE PRACTICE? CAPTAIN GEORGINA PADGETT, DENTAL OFFICER AT THE ROYAL ARMY DENTAL CORPS, MERVILLE BARRACKS, COLCHESTER, SPEAKS TO PDJ ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH THE BRITISH ARMY
What attracted you to work for the Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC)? I was brought up in a military family, so I have always had an awareness of army dentistry. Growing up, I lived in many interesting places, including Northern Ireland, Germany and the USA. There is a defined rank structure in the army, giving opportunities for promotion and career development. Having known RADC officers prior to joining, I looked forward to maintaining high clinical and professional standards while enjoying the military lifestyle. The RADC is the army component of the Defence Dental Services, the umbrella organisation which also includes the RAF and Royal Navy dental branches. How long have you been working as a dental officer at the RADC? I graduated in 2010 from Bristol University and then went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to carry out my officer training. I completed my Dental Foundation Training in 2011 as part of the Armed Forces scheme with other Army, RAF and Royal Navy colleagues, while I was based in Germany. Are any additional qualifications required to work as dental officer at the RADC? To work as a dental officer in the army, applicants need to pass a medical and several selection boards. The Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB) lasts two days and assesses your suitability for officer
70
training, and the Arms Selection Board assesses your suitability as an army dentist. Dental officers spend 10 weeks at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to gain basic military and leadership skills with other professionally qualified officers. On passing out (graduating) from Sandhurst, dental officers complete phase two medical services specific training along with officers from other parts of the Army Medical Services. What is a typical work day for you? A day in a military dental centre is fairly typical for any dental practice. We have a ‘sick parade’ to treat pain patients at 0800 hrs followed by routine treatment until 1630 hrs. We have a part-time civilian dental hygienist and military and civilian dental nurses working at our practice. We are also required to do certain military training throughout the year. What are the benefits of working at the RADC? The opportunity for travel is an attraction for many. There are many postings available including Cyprus, Germany and Brunei, and RADC dental officers also support military exercises and operations abroad. Not only did I spend my deployment for training year in Germany, I also deployed last summer with 16 medical regiment to Kenya to provide dental treatment to the local communities we visited. It is challenging and fun to be carrying out dental treatment ‘in the field’.
P R I M A R Y D E N TA L J O U R N A L
For dental students, there is a bursary scheme available. Under the scheme, annual lump sum bursary payments of £10,000 may be awarded for up to three years before graduation. Once you have completed your Phase 1 training at Sandhurst, you will be paid a final lump sum which equates to your university fees, currently £45,000.
We have a great deal of variety in our role – in the four years since joining the RADC, I have carried out routine dentistry, provided dental cover for the troops supporting the Op Olympic effort, been on exercise in Kenya and represented the RADC at the Army Medical Services skiing championships. We do not work on a Units of Dental Activity system. Our focus is on maintaining a high proportion of soldiers who are dentally fit in order to deploy on exercises and operations. Dental problems for one individual soldier can have a huge negative impact on the wider unit, particularly if they need to be evacuated due to dental pain. This means that we are able to provide the best possible care to our patients regardless of income. Postgraduate training is encouraged within the RADC and all dental officers are eligible for reimbursement of MJDF and RCS Ed Diploma in Membership of Primary Dental Care examination fees. There are also opportunities for fully funded MSc courses relevant to service requirements.
RADC dental officers enjoy a competitive salary, and the armed forces pension scheme remains amongst the best in the public services. Food and accommodation are subsidised and serving dentists are entitled to 30 days leave a year, plus eight days public holiday. In the UK-setting, we only treat the serving members of the armed forces, but when posted abroad, where there is no NHS dentistry available, we also treat families, dependants and MOD civilians. Other than the setting, how does your role as a dental officer differ from high street practice? Dental officers in the RADC are expected to be army officers as well as dentists, maintaining military skills and fitness and showing leadership. Officers are members of the Officers’ Mess, with its unique social life and the opportunity to interact with other army officers. RADC dentists also deploy on exercise and operations with other military units. What are the main challenges of being a dental officer in the RADC? Although the needs of the individual come a close second, the needs of the army come first, so dental officers may be posted to locations that are not convenient to their personal wishes or circumstances.
There are many sporting and adventurous training opportunities. The Royal Army Dental Corps enters a team into the Army Medical Services skiing championships each year and we have four members of the corps representing the army and the Army Medical Services in many sports, from tennis to horse-riding to triathlon. The army athletics captain is currently a dentist!
VOL 3 NO 4 NOVEMBER 2014
Are there opportunities for career progression in the RADC? Dental bursars and direct entrants entering Phase 1 military training will attend Sandhurst as officer cadets on the Professionally Qualified Officer commissioning course and commission as lieutenants. The initial commitment will be four years from start of Phase 1 training, with the ability for the individual or the army to opt out at the end of this period. After their initial military training, dental officers will normally be employed as part of a team in a dental centre in order to gain experience of dentistry in the Army. Their second appointment may be as a single dentist in a small dental centre or field medical unit. Most will remain in the clinical field, developing their managerial and leadership skills to become senior dental officers but some may widen their military skills to undertake wider management or ‘staff’ roles in the Army Medical Services. Promotion is on merit and certain military courses have to be completed in order to progress. What are your future career aspirations? I am going to work in a dental centre in Germany for the next two years. I am keen on further study, which is encouraged by the chain of command. I am currently doing the Bristol University Open Learning for Dentists’ Diploma in Postgraduate Dental Studies, and next year I am undertaking the Diploma in Forensic Human Identification and aspire to complete the RCS Ed Diploma in Membership of Primary Dental Care. In the future I would like to work as a dental officer in a medical regiment and I would ultimately like to be the senior dental officer in a large centre.
Want to be in the next Career Focus? If you fancy having your dental career in the spotlight of the next Primary Dental Journal, write to us! We would love to hear from anyone working outside of general dental practice. Email Tracy Tran on [email protected].
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LOOKING TO TAKE YOUR CAREER IN A NEW DIRECTION? TIRED OF BEING TIED TO THE PRACTICE? CAPTAIN GEORGINA PADGETT, DENTAL OFFICER AT THE ROYAL ARMY DENTAL CORPS, MERVILLE BARRACKS, COLCHESTER, SPEAKS TO PDJ ABOUT HER EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH THE BRITISH ARMY
What attracted you to work for the Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC)? I was brought up in a military family, so I have always had an awareness of army dentistry. Growing up, I lived in many interesting places, including Northern Ireland, Germany and the USA. There is a defined rank structure in the army, giving opportunities for promotion and career development. Having known RADC officers prior to joining, I looked forward to maintaining high clinical and professional standards while enjoying the military lifestyle. The RADC is the army component of the Defence Dental Services, the umbrella organisation which also includes the RAF and Royal Navy dental branches. How long have you been working as a dental officer at the RADC? I graduated in 2010 from Bristol University and then went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to carry out my officer training. I completed my Dental Foundation Training in 2011 as part of the Armed Forces scheme with other Army, RAF and Royal Navy colleagues, while I was based in Germany. Are any additional qualifications required to work as dental officer at the RADC? To work as a dental officer in the army, applicants need to pass a medical and several selection boards. The Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB) lasts two days and assesses your suitability for officer
70
training, and the Arms Selection Board assesses your suitability as an army dentist. Dental officers spend 10 weeks at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to gain basic military and leadership skills with other professionally qualified officers. On passing out (graduating) from Sandhurst, dental officers complete phase two medical services specific training along with officers from other parts of the Army Medical Services. What is a typical work day for you? A day in a military dental centre is fairly typical for any dental practice. We have a ‘sick parade’ to treat pain patients at 0800 hrs followed by routine treatment until 1630 hrs. We have a part-time civilian dental hygienist and military and civilian dental nurses working at our practice. We are also required to do certain military training throughout the year. What are the benefits of working at the RADC? The opportunity for travel is an attraction for many. There are many postings available including Cyprus, Germany and Brunei, and RADC dental officers also support military exercises and operations abroad. Not only did I spend my deployment for training year in Germany, I also deployed last summer with 16 medical regiment to Kenya to provide dental treatment to the local communities we visited. It is challenging and fun to be carrying out dental treatment ‘in the field’.
P R I M A R Y D E N TA L J O U R N A L
For dental students, there is a bursary scheme available. Under the scheme, annual lump sum bursary payments of £10,000 may be awarded for up to three years before graduation. Once you have completed your Phase 1 training at Sandhurst, you will be paid a final lump sum which equates to your university fees, currently £45,000.
We have a great deal of variety in our role – in the four years since joining the RADC, I have carried out routine dentistry, provided dental cover for the troops supporting the Op Olympic effort, been on exercise in Kenya and represented the RADC at the Army Medical Services skiing championships. We do not work on a Units of Dental Activity system. Our focus is on maintaining a high proportion of soldiers who are dentally fit in order to deploy on exercises and operations. Dental problems for one individual soldier can have a huge negative impact on the wider unit, particularly if they need to be evacuated due to dental pain. This means that we are able to provide the best possible care to our patients regardless of income. Postgraduate training is encouraged within the RADC and all dental officers are eligible for reimbursement of MJDF and RCS Ed Diploma in Membership of Primary Dental Care examination fees. There are also opportunities for fully funded MSc courses relevant to service requirements.
RADC dental officers enjoy a competitive salary, and the armed forces pension scheme remains amongst the best in the public services. Food and accommodation are subsidised and serving dentists are entitled to 30 days leave a year, plus eight days public holiday. In the UK-setting, we only treat the serving members of the armed forces, but when posted abroad, where there is no NHS dentistry available, we also treat families, dependants and MOD civilians. Other than the setting, how does your role as a dental officer differ from high street practice? Dental officers in the RADC are expected to be army officers as well as dentists, maintaining military skills and fitness and showing leadership. Officers are members of the Officers’ Mess, with its unique social life and the opportunity to interact with other army officers. RADC dentists also deploy on exercise and operations with other military units. What are the main challenges of being a dental officer in the RADC? Although the needs of the individual come a close second, the needs of the army come first, so dental officers may be posted to locations that are not convenient to their personal wishes or circumstances.
There are many sporting and adventurous training opportunities. The Royal Army Dental Corps enters a team into the Army Medical Services skiing championships each year and we have four members of the corps representing the army and the Army Medical Services in many sports, from tennis to horse-riding to triathlon. The army athletics captain is currently a dentist!
VOL 3 NO 4 NOVEMBER 2014
Are there opportunities for career progression in the RADC? Dental bursars and direct entrants entering Phase 1 military training will attend Sandhurst as officer cadets on the Professionally Qualified Officer commissioning course and commission as lieutenants. The initial commitment will be four years from start of Phase 1 training, with the ability for the individual or the army to opt out at the end of this period. After their initial military training, dental officers will normally be employed as part of a team in a dental centre in order to gain experience of dentistry in the Army. Their second appointment may be as a single dentist in a small dental centre or field medical unit. Most will remain in the clinical field, developing their managerial and leadership skills to become senior dental officers but some may widen their military skills to undertake wider management or ‘staff’ roles in the Army Medical Services. Promotion is on merit and certain military courses have to be completed in order to progress. What are your future career aspirations? I am going to work in a dental centre in Germany for the next two years. I am keen on further study, which is encouraged by the chain of command. I am currently doing the Bristol University Open Learning for Dentists’ Diploma in Postgraduate Dental Studies, and next year I am undertaking the Diploma in Forensic Human Identification and aspire to complete the RCS Ed Diploma in Membership of Primary Dental Care. In the future I would like to work as a dental officer in a medical regiment and I would ultimately like to be the senior dental officer in a large centre.
Want to be in the next Career Focus? If you fancy having your dental career in the spotlight of the next Primary Dental Journal, write to us! We would love to hear from anyone working outside of general dental practice. Email Tracy Tran on [email protected].
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