Career progression: getting to the top of your game
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 3rd July 2018
Even when you’ve found a career you love, it’s likely you won’t want to stay in the same position forever. Progressing in your field of work offers new challenges and rewards and can help rejuvenate your passion for your chosen career path. This is why you should always examine the opportunities available for career progression in your workplace – don’t be among the 33% of UK employees across all professions who are disappointed in their career progression.[i]
The importance of training
The Employee Outlook survey found that there were a number of reasons why people weren’t progressing within their chosen field. Poor line management and negative workplace politics were identified to be particularly significant factors, but one of the highest responses (34 per cent) was that people thought their workplace didn’t offer enough effective training programmes.
Training programmes allow professionals to strengthen the skills they need to improve within the workplace. Taking tailored courses helps you to develop specific skills and knowledge and can help you move into a different area or specialise in something more niche. This is especially true in the dental profession. If you want to develop the niche skills necessary to specialise or focus on a specific area, finding the relevant training courses is a key way to take the first step.
Set yourself career goals
It’s likely that no matter what your level of experience is, you already have career goals in mind. Having goals helps you set targets to achieve, and fulfilling these can encourage greater job satisfaction as you feel like you’re constantly making progress.
Studies have found that achieving job satisfaction can lead to all manner of benefits for the individual. One university study found that increased job satisfaction lead to a 6.6 per cent increase in productivity per hour.[ii]If this is indeed the case, it then follows that with better job satisfaction you will be able to finish your work in normal hours, get the satisfaction of treating more patients and achieve a better work/home balance.
Another study found that job satisfaction resulted in high levels of patient/customer care.[iii]These results make it clear that higher satisfaction results in better work practises for the professional, in turn benefitting the patient through more focused attention and care.
Goals you can set yourself include anything from learning more about a certain discipline – such as dental implants or prosthodontics – to working towards a change in responsibilities. They are completely individual and should form the basis for finding the relevant training, support and advice that you need to succeed.
Focused allocation of your CPD
As dentistry is a constantly evolving field of work, keeping on top of your CPD is a key way of finding the knowledge and skills to move forward. Numerous training centres around the country offer courses tailored towards compliance with CPD requirements, and finding those relevant to the areas which you may be interested in can help you discover whether you want to pursue those ambitions or not.
Under new GDC guidelines, enhanced CPD has been introduced as the new standard this year.[iv]As part of the new scheme, professionals will be required to have a personal development plan (PDP) to better organise and focus their CPD. It will demonstrate how and why your CPD is relevant to you and how it will help you progress in the future. Example PDPs show that these steps can help you focus your CPD over the five year period, ensuring that you have an even spread with continual evolution.[v]
Effective allocation of your CPD hours in this manner will help you to develop your knowledge in relevant areas of dentistry and remain up-to-date with all of the latest innovations and scientific advancements. Ultimately, this ensures you provide your patients with the most effective treatment.
Find a practice that suits your needs
A good working environment is conducive to finding satisfaction, especially if it can offer you the training, support and advice that you need to help your career progress.
Rodericks Dental holds these aspects at the core of its ethos, helping its professional teams reach their full potential. Training is provided to all staff, and a variety of internal and external courses can help you gain the specialist knowledge you may require. Rodericks also host a number of CPD events throughout the year, ensuring that all professionals are armed with up-to-date knowledge and can continue to evolve within their roles.No one wants to stagnate within a career, so identifying the training, skills, support and advice you need is an important step you should take in order to flourish. After all, dentistry is a unique and diverse field so it’s important for you to find an area you enjoy so that you can always provide the very best care whilst achieving optimum job satisfaction.
For more information please visit www.rodericksdental.co.uk/careers, email opportunity@rodericksdental.co.uk or call 01604 602491 (option 1) and ask for Christina Regan in our Dental Recruitment Team.
Twitter @rodericksdental and LinkedIn
[i]CIPD. Employee Outlook survey: Focus on Skills and Careers. (2016). Link: https://www.cipd.co.uk/about/media/press/150316-eo-skills-careers[Last accessed Feb18].
[ii]Böckerman, P., Ilmakunnas, P. (2012). The Job Satisfaction-Productivity Nexus: A Study Using Matched Survey and Register Data. Cornell University ILR school, Industrial & Labour relations review, Volume 65 (2) page 3.
[iii]Bin Shmailan, A. (2016). The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction, Job Performance and Employee Engagement: An Explorative Study. Business Management and Economics Volume 4(1), pages 1-8.
[iv] The General Dental Council. (2018). Enhanced CPD. Link: https://www.gdc-uk.org/professionals/cpd/enhanced-cpd[Last accessed Feb18].
[v]The General Dental Council. (2018). Link: file:///Users/writer/Downloads/PDP%20examples%20FINAL.pdf[Last accessed Feb18].
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