Around 100 trainee dentists will be left without a job in the NHS as a result of a shortage of training places in the UK.
It has been revealed that there are too few training places available in the NHS and this will mean that around 100 graduates will be forced to join private practices or train abroad.
Postgraduate training is essential to be able to work in the NHS in the future, but 100 trainees will be forced to undertake private training or complete a course abroad in order to fulfil the requirement. There has been concern that competition for places has increased due to a rise in the number of foreign students applying for places on courses in the UK.
Talking to the Telegraph a dental student, who wished to remain anonymous, said that it was a waste of money opening new dental schools if there are no training jobs for dentists once they graduate.
Dr Susie Sanderson, chairman of the British Dental Association’s Executive Board, said that the current system is letting both students and taxpayers down, as there is an obvious mismatch between the number of graduates and the number of training places. She added that the issue should be considered carefully by the government.
Dr Barry Cockcroft, Chief Dental Officer, said that the vast majority of candidates were successful in getting a place but added that he expects more places to become available in the near future to cater for the increase in the number of dental graduates.
Source: Cosmeticdentistryguide.co.uk, Wednesday 4th January 2012
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Showing posts with label NHS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NHS. Show all posts
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Saturday, 24 December 2011
Trainee dentists 'left with no job' in NHS
Around 100 dentists will be left without jobs in the NHS and forced into private work or abroad due to a shortage of training places.
Despite spending more than £30m on two new dental schools to increase the numbers of dental graduates and boost access to NHS dentistry there are too few training places for them to ensure they can work in the health service, it has emerged.
Despite spending more than £30m on two new dental schools to increase the numbers of dental graduates and boost access to NHS dentistry there are too few training places for them to ensure they can work in the health service, it has emerged.
It costs £250,000 to put each graduate through dental school and around 100 have been left without a place on the postgraduate training course which is compulsory for them to work in the NHS.
Their only option is to enrol in a private postgraduate course which means they will not be able to work in the NHS or leave the country and practice elsewhere.
Competition from overseas graduates has made entry into the postgraduate course even tougher.
A dentist involved in training, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "The cost of setting these dental schools up and of training the students is completely wasted if there are not vocational places for all the UK students who need them.
"It is the fact UK students have to do vocational training, that other EU students do not have to but are eligible to apply to vocational training and have in some cases had offers which has displaced graduates in England and Wales from the system."
The problem mirrors that of junior doctors in the shake-up of medical training in 2007 which left thousands without training posts and choosing to either reapply the following year or go abroad.
A dental undergraduate told the Daily Telegraph: "The NHS system insists on an vocational training course, and it could even be said that without such a course, a graduate dentist will be lacking in fundamental skills to practice as a dentist.
"The fact that the Department of Health approved the opening of new dental schools five years ago in order to counteract the deficit of NHS dentists, but then does not provision for any more dentists to join the compulsory foundation training shows incredible lack of foresight, and just seems to totally go against any kind of common sense."
He added: "As I will be barred from working for the NHS in the UK next year (and most likely throughout my dental career as vocational training is compulsory if you want to work for the NHS, and must be completed within 18 months of graduating), I will be beginning my dental career in Australia.
"I think it is obvious that the current system is flawed and failing to help to alleviate the shortage of NHS dentists."
Dr Susie Sanderson, chairman of the British Dental Association's Executive Board, said: "While we do not have an accurate picture about the unsuccessful candidates who have completely failed to get placements, what is clear is that a number of applicants have been informed, in an extremely insensitive way, that they have been unsuccessful before it is even clear how many training places will be released during the rest of the year. That is appalling.
“While the development of a new system for applying for training places is a positive development, because it seeks to replace a flawed predecessor, it is clear that one of the critical issues continues, as in years previously, to be the mismatch between numbers of candidates and training places made available.
“Taxpayers and the students themselves have invested heavily in the education and development of these individuals. To squander that investment by now denying them the opportunity to work in the NHS is ludicrous. Government needs to look very carefully at this situation, ascertain the full facts, and deal with it.”
Barry Cockcroft, Chief Dental Officer, said: "There is no statutory time limit within which dental graduates must start their vocational training. In 2011, only 21 out of around 900 applicants were unsuccessful in getting vocational training places. Most of these dentists were found temporary posts in which to keep their clinical skills up to date and should get vocational training places at a later date.
"926 applicants have been offered places to start in August 2012 already. There has been greater competition for training places in 2012, however, the final outcome of the recruitment round is dependent on examinations in June, so additional places are expected to become available."
Source: Rebecca Smith, Telegraph.co.uk, Friday 23rd December 2011
Their only option is to enrol in a private postgraduate course which means they will not be able to work in the NHS or leave the country and practice elsewhere.
Competition from overseas graduates has made entry into the postgraduate course even tougher.
A dentist involved in training, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "The cost of setting these dental schools up and of training the students is completely wasted if there are not vocational places for all the UK students who need them.
"It is the fact UK students have to do vocational training, that other EU students do not have to but are eligible to apply to vocational training and have in some cases had offers which has displaced graduates in England and Wales from the system."
The problem mirrors that of junior doctors in the shake-up of medical training in 2007 which left thousands without training posts and choosing to either reapply the following year or go abroad.
A dental undergraduate told the Daily Telegraph: "The NHS system insists on an vocational training course, and it could even be said that without such a course, a graduate dentist will be lacking in fundamental skills to practice as a dentist.
"The fact that the Department of Health approved the opening of new dental schools five years ago in order to counteract the deficit of NHS dentists, but then does not provision for any more dentists to join the compulsory foundation training shows incredible lack of foresight, and just seems to totally go against any kind of common sense."
He added: "As I will be barred from working for the NHS in the UK next year (and most likely throughout my dental career as vocational training is compulsory if you want to work for the NHS, and must be completed within 18 months of graduating), I will be beginning my dental career in Australia.
"I think it is obvious that the current system is flawed and failing to help to alleviate the shortage of NHS dentists."
Dr Susie Sanderson, chairman of the British Dental Association's Executive Board, said: "While we do not have an accurate picture about the unsuccessful candidates who have completely failed to get placements, what is clear is that a number of applicants have been informed, in an extremely insensitive way, that they have been unsuccessful before it is even clear how many training places will be released during the rest of the year. That is appalling.
“While the development of a new system for applying for training places is a positive development, because it seeks to replace a flawed predecessor, it is clear that one of the critical issues continues, as in years previously, to be the mismatch between numbers of candidates and training places made available.
“Taxpayers and the students themselves have invested heavily in the education and development of these individuals. To squander that investment by now denying them the opportunity to work in the NHS is ludicrous. Government needs to look very carefully at this situation, ascertain the full facts, and deal with it.”
Barry Cockcroft, Chief Dental Officer, said: "There is no statutory time limit within which dental graduates must start their vocational training. In 2011, only 21 out of around 900 applicants were unsuccessful in getting vocational training places. Most of these dentists were found temporary posts in which to keep their clinical skills up to date and should get vocational training places at a later date.
"926 applicants have been offered places to start in August 2012 already. There has been greater competition for training places in 2012, however, the final outcome of the recruitment round is dependent on examinations in June, so additional places are expected to become available."
Source: Rebecca Smith, Telegraph.co.uk, Friday 23rd December 2011
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Award scheme gives students a head start in the job market
A successful award scheme to help improve students’ chances in an increasingly competitive job market has been re-launched.
The Bristol PLuS Awards have already seen hundreds of students at Bristol University complete the scheme, which is a formal way to recognise the achievements of those who devote time to activities outside their studies.
It is seen as a valuable addition to a graduate’s CV and is endorsed by 17 top graduate employers, including the NHS, Airbus, Rolls Royce and Cancer Research UK.
Students who sign up for the award are expected to complete 50 hours of work experience, either as a volunteer, in a part-time job or an internship.
They must also attend four workshops on employability skills, including interview techniques, take part in an intensive skills-related activity and write a summary of the skills they have gained.
Exceptional efforts will gain a Bristol PLuS Outstanding Award, which involves a presentation to a panel of employers, academics and Careers Service staff. Students must be able to demonstrate high level skills including managing people and resources, project management and commercial awareness in order to achieve this.
Those who perform best on the sports field can take the Sporting PLuS Award which fosters employer-friendly sports accomplishments.
This year sees the addition of the Bristol PLuS Sustainability Award, which encourage participants to devote 25 of the required 50 hours to activities with a positive environmental, social or ethical impact.
Popular graduate recruiters Ernst and Young and Price Waterhouse Coopers have been involved in delivering Intensive Skills Days to give students guidance in leadership, communication and teamwork.
The scheme, launched two years ago, has seen students clock up their 50 hours through a variety of activities – work experience, charity fundraising, organising sporting events or voluntary work in the community.
Caring for a friend or relative is also recognised as a means of gaining valuable employability skills which ensures that part-time or mature students can also get recognition for their efforts outside of their academic commitments.
Last year, 812 students registered for the award – an increase of 75 per cent on the first year.
History student Laura Webster achieved the Bristol PLuS Award last year because she wanted her CV to stand out from the crowd.
She said: “For me, the PLuS Award provided motivation to look into some of the extra-curricular opportunities Bristol has to offer and it was as a result of this that I found an interest in coaching and leading sport. I would definitely recommend applying to anyone.”
Laura completed the Level 2 Sports Leader Award, which involved learning to run activities sessions for children aged between seven and nine-years-old, and complemented this by volunteering at events such as the Bristol Festival of Sport, a three-day event to encourage wider participation in sport among secondary school pupils.
She is currently setting up the University’s first rounders society and will be working towards her Bristol PLuS Outstanding Award this year.
Sarah Whittam, Careers Advisor at the University, said: “It’s been really encouraging to see the rise in the number of students taking part. They see it as a worthwhile scheme to complement their studies and help them to get on the career ladder.
“Employers are much more demanding than they used to be. They want more than a degree, they want evidence of life and work experience and the Bristol PLuS Awards are designed to formalise these extra-curricular achievements.”
Source: Bristol.ac.uk, Monday 10th October 2011
It is seen as a valuable addition to a graduate’s CV and is endorsed by 17 top graduate employers, including the NHS, Airbus, Rolls Royce and Cancer Research UK.
Students who sign up for the award are expected to complete 50 hours of work experience, either as a volunteer, in a part-time job or an internship.
They must also attend four workshops on employability skills, including interview techniques, take part in an intensive skills-related activity and write a summary of the skills they have gained.
Exceptional efforts will gain a Bristol PLuS Outstanding Award, which involves a presentation to a panel of employers, academics and Careers Service staff. Students must be able to demonstrate high level skills including managing people and resources, project management and commercial awareness in order to achieve this.
Those who perform best on the sports field can take the Sporting PLuS Award which fosters employer-friendly sports accomplishments.
This year sees the addition of the Bristol PLuS Sustainability Award, which encourage participants to devote 25 of the required 50 hours to activities with a positive environmental, social or ethical impact.
Popular graduate recruiters Ernst and Young and Price Waterhouse Coopers have been involved in delivering Intensive Skills Days to give students guidance in leadership, communication and teamwork.
The scheme, launched two years ago, has seen students clock up their 50 hours through a variety of activities – work experience, charity fundraising, organising sporting events or voluntary work in the community.
Caring for a friend or relative is also recognised as a means of gaining valuable employability skills which ensures that part-time or mature students can also get recognition for their efforts outside of their academic commitments.
Last year, 812 students registered for the award – an increase of 75 per cent on the first year.
History student Laura Webster achieved the Bristol PLuS Award last year because she wanted her CV to stand out from the crowd.
She said: “For me, the PLuS Award provided motivation to look into some of the extra-curricular opportunities Bristol has to offer and it was as a result of this that I found an interest in coaching and leading sport. I would definitely recommend applying to anyone.”
Laura completed the Level 2 Sports Leader Award, which involved learning to run activities sessions for children aged between seven and nine-years-old, and complemented this by volunteering at events such as the Bristol Festival of Sport, a three-day event to encourage wider participation in sport among secondary school pupils.
She is currently setting up the University’s first rounders society and will be working towards her Bristol PLuS Outstanding Award this year.
Sarah Whittam, Careers Advisor at the University, said: “It’s been really encouraging to see the rise in the number of students taking part. They see it as a worthwhile scheme to complement their studies and help them to get on the career ladder.
“Employers are much more demanding than they used to be. They want more than a degree, they want evidence of life and work experience and the Bristol PLuS Awards are designed to formalise these extra-curricular achievements.”
Source: Bristol.ac.uk, Monday 10th October 2011
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