Ensure your CV format is structured to best highlight your unique experience and life situation.
Dental Nurse CV Template (Text Format)
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Passionate dental nurse with 7+ years of experience in providing compassion-based, patient-focused optimal care in general dental practice. Graduated with distinction in my class. Registered with the General Dental Council. Possess NEBDN certificates in dental radiography, dental hygiene, and oral health care education. Seeking to leverage the wide spectrum of certified dental nursing skills to bring value to the practice and bright smiles to patients.
EDUCATION
Kings Hospital College, London
- Diploma in Dental Nursing (distinction) (2013-2015)
- NEBDN certificate in Dental Radiography (2012
- NEBDN certificate in Dental Hygiene (2012)
- NEBDN certificate in Oral Health Care Education (2011)
WORK EXPERIENCE
Bakers General Dental Practice NHS, London
Dental Nurse and Practice Manager, July 2018–Present
- Manage a dental practice for 3+ years by training 10 dental nurses and receptionists
- Oversee infection control and adherence to COVID-19 prevention protocols
- Supervise 3+ junior dental nurses in a fast-paced dental clinic by efficiently delegating surgery preparation tasks and administrative functions
- Manage the dentist diary by updating and maintaining 250+ patient record logs per week
- Complete 50+ patient X-rays per week to diagnose patients’ dental conditions with 100% accuracy
Landon’s Dental Clinic, London
Dental Nurse, Dec 2016–July 2018
- Served in a busy general health dental practice assisting with 20+ paediatric patients daily
- Coordinated 8+ dentists’ schedules to assist in optimal delivery of best patient care
- Drove up customer satisfaction reviews to an A rating from 90% of patients with our follow-up care and service
- Conducted swift patient follow-up to ensure satisfaction and resolved 100% of complaints
KEY SKILLS
- National Examining Board for Dental Nurses (NEDBN) certification as IR (ME)R (radiography) operator
- Safe operation of intra-oral and extra-oral radiographs to prevent accidental exposure
- Compassionate patient-centred care
- Sterilisation and infection control
- Operating software for patient electronic medical records (EMR) and health information systems (HIS)
- Management skills
HOBBIES AND INTERESTS
- Hiking and mountain climbing
- Going to classical music concerts
- Amateur skiing
- Volunteering at homeless shelters
How to write your dental nurse CV
Before you begin writing, make sure you know how to write a CV in a way that best emphasises your strengths.
Dental nurses assist dentists with treatment procedures and provide excellent service to patients. Read on for some key CV writing tips on how to write a winning dental nurse CV that captures an employer’s attention.
1. Demonstrate your achievements with hard numbers and specific details
A dental nurse CV with a vague personal statement or work experience descriptions may be immediately binned by employers because it doesn’t explain what the applicant can accomplish.
So list your past dental responsibilities and accomplishments on your CV using hard numbers and details. Besides providing helpful context for employers, hard numbers show you’re a top dental nurse applicant. Examples of hard numbers for your dental nurse CV include:
- percentages
- number of patients you treated
- time worked
- amount of pounds generated
So use hard numbers and detailed descriptions that showcase your abilities.
Here are two examples to help you stand out as a dental nursing job candidate:
1. If you’re a recently graduated dental nurse trainee, your dental nurse CV should emphasise your education and relevant internships to compensate for your lack of experience, like in this example:
Work experience section for an entry-level dental nurse CV
- Served in a busy general health dental practice during my internship by assisting 10+ paediatric patients daily
- Drove up customer satisfaction reviews to an A rating from 90% of patients with follow-up care and service
- Conducted swift patient follow-up to ensure satisfaction and resolved 100% of complaints
2. For a dental nurse with a few years of experience in one or two work settings, specify your duties using key details throughout your work experience section:
Work experience section for an experienced dental nurse CV
- Supervise 3+ junior dental nurses in a fast-paced dental clinic by efficiently delegating surgery preparation tasks and administrative functions
- Manage the dentist diary by updating and maintaining 250+ patient record logs per week
- Complete 50+ patient X-rays a day to diagnose a patient’s dental condition with 100% accuracy
2. Tailor your CV to the job advert
Your dental nurse CV should contain relevant information for the role you’re applying for, so don’t forget to read each job description carefully before sending out your dental nursing CV.
For instance, match any relevant keywords that an employer uses in their job advert to show that you meet the job requirements.
An effective method to finding the appropriate keywords is to look for a job advert’s skill-related criteria. So after studying the job advert, match your key CV skills with their requirements throughout your dental nursing CV.
Hard skills are learnt from training, educational, or practical experience. Dental nurses are trained professionals, so include relevant hard skills that a dental surgeon seeks. Here are some examples of hard skills for a dental nursing CV:
- Operating X-ray and sterilisation equipment
- Patient electronic medical record (EMR) or health information systems (HIS) software
- Evidence-based patient care
- Customer service
- Disinfection and sterilisation
- First aid training
- Language skills
- Teeth cleaning
- Infection control
- High level of manual dexterity
- Receptionist work
- Computer skills
- Preparing dental instruments
By contrast, soft skills show how you relate to patients and your dental colleagues in a professional setting. You shouldn’t list these in your skills section. Instead, show that you have these skills by including them in your work experience bullet points, like this:
- Provided empathetic support to anxious patients, using active listening and reassurance techniques to create a calming and comfortable environment
Here are some great soft skills to include in your work experience section:
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Empathy
- Interpersonal skills
- Working with minimum supervision
- Compassion-based care
- Patience
3. Write an effective personal statement
Writing an attention-grabbing CV personal statement for your dental nurse CV introduces the employer to your professional goals and dental nurse qualifications — and makes them interested in reading the rest of your CV.
Your CV personal statement sits underneath your CV header and consists of a 2–4 sentence summary of your:
- relevant work experience
- transferable skills
- educational background
- reasons for applying to a company
Listing your relevant dental nursing experience clearly in your CV personal statement communicates that you have the appropriate credentials to work in a dental setting and provide health-related advice to patients.
Here’s an example of an entry-level dental nurse’s CV personal statement:
Passionate dental nurse with 1.5 years of experience in providing empathic and detail-oriented dental care for patients of all ages. Graduated with distinction in my class. Registered with the General Dental Council. Possess NEBDN certificates in oral health care education, dental sedation, and fluoride varnish application. Seeking to leverage my dental knowledge and skills to provide excellent customer service at All Smiles Dental Healthcare.
Have a look at this example of a CV personal statement for an experienced dental nurse:
Dental nurse with 7+ years of diverse experience in different care settings. Registered with the General Dental Council. Certified as an oral health educator and practice manager with NEBDN. Served in a community health care setting for 3 years overseeing the practice management. Assisted in maintaining exceptional ratings for the practice with superb patient service. Seeking to bring skills that will be an asset to the practice.
Dental nurses belong to the General Dental Council (GDC), so list your speciality certifications such as oral health education, orthodontic nursing, dental sedation, or hygienist education that sets you above the competition.
Dental Nurse job outlook in 2024 — things to know
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), dental nurses in the UK earn an average annual salary of £18,468.
You can find information about the gender pay gap for dental nurses on the ONS’ website.
Data source
This data was collected by the Office for National Statistics, an agency of HM Government.
The information contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and reflects the ONS’s most recent salary (1/11/2023), gender pay gap (4/2023), and skills shortage data (6/2022).