Category: Uncategorized

All March Post-Registration examination results were sent by email 30 April to course providers only – not sent to home addresses as per our normal procedure due to remote working. To avoid delays, the email from us also included individual result letters for distribution to candidates. Candidates can receive their results by calling or emailing their course provider directly, but please allow up to 5 working days (Friday 8 May) to receive your results letter by email, due to the capacity of candidates in each class.

For those who have passed:
We have included information in the pass letter that your qualification certificate will follow as soon as we are able to safely return to head office. We have also included information of how to order the qualification badge, via downloading the order form on our website.

For those who have failed:
We have included information in the fail letter of how to apply for a clerical check via downloading the form on our website. Candidates will automatically be entered for the next exam, as long as their Record of Competence is still valid.

We appreciate that some course providers may not have received candidate results yet due to an ICT error. If you have not received candidate results, please contact us via assessmentandawards@nebdn.org 

We understand your frustrations and we are working continuously to rectify this. We kindly ask you to be patient and bear with us whilst we work to support our course providers and candidates, as these are unprecedented circumstances we are working in.

To support our stakeholders during these unprecedented times, we’ve made some changes to our examination timetable 2020/21. Our key focus is to provide candidates and course providers with as much stability as possible and provide a solution with minimal disruption to the services we can provide.

New dates:

National Diploma written exam:

7 November 2020 (was 4 April 2020)

National Diploma OSCE exam:

22-23 January 2021 (was 12-13 June 2020)

electronic Record of Experience (eRoE):

For those currently completing an eRoE for the November examination, we have already extended the deadline to 7 November.

To accommodate the amount of candidates sitting an exam and to avoid further delays, we have made the decision to upscale on the above dates which were already booked with our exam centres and suppliers. Please bear in mind we only know as much as you do, and all dates are subject to change based on the government guidance.

Post-Registration written exam:

11 September 2020 – this remains the same

Record of Competence (RoC):

Completion of the RoC will be extended to the 28 February 2021 (this is a revised date for the candidates sitting September 2020). Candidates will therefore still be expected to pass their written exam and complete an RoC. Qualification achievement will only be issued at the point of successfully completing both. For those redeployed across the NHS, we will be working alongside your course providers to monitor the situation directly affecting you.

We are liaising with the General Dental Council to ensure that standards are not compromised and that candidates meet all the learning outcomes. Our QA team will continue to work closely with course providers to understand challenges, provide support where possible and ensure candidates work isn’t compromised and is completed to a satisfactory standard.

We are hopeful that postponing to the above dates provides you with reassurance that our exams are still going ahead and provides candidates with additional time to revise and prepare.

We understand that course providers, candidates and employers will have a wide range of queries at the moment in regards to upcoming exams. We appreciate that these are unprecedented times and are trying to support our stakeholders as much as possible.

In regards to the September Post-Registration examinations and the associated closing dates, please be assured that we are actively reviewing these and will be in touch with you as soon as we have a further update.

As our head office team are working out of the office and are trying to deal with calls as quickly as possible, we would ask that you refrain from calling in regarding the closing dates.

We will be in touch with you shortly in regards to these.

In response to the challenge of Coronavirus (COVID-19), the National Examining Board for Dental Nurses is continuing to operate and provide you with guidance on our exam processes and operational duties via our website, social media pages, newsletters and email where applicable. We have a continuity plan in place for these types of scenarios, and our staff can work from home with access to applications and phone lines needed for the business to run.

The health and wellbeing of our staff and stakeholders is our main priority, so we can continue to support course providers and their students.

For face to face meetings and audits which involve customers and our suppliers, we will follow the guidance of the government and hold these via conference calls or video calls.

We are currently reviewing upcoming events and exams we have planned for 2020/21, and with this in mind, we are postponing the upcoming National Diploma written exam 4 April and the 12-13 June OSCE practical exam. These exams are estimated to be taking place on the below dates.

Proposed dates:
National Diploma written exam estimated late July/August 2020
National Diploma OSCE practical exam estimated late September/October 2020

More information will be published as part of our continued updates.

If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to your course provider directly.

We are monitoring guidance daily from the World Health Organisation, NHS and the Government, and will update you accordingly should anything change. Please stay safe.

We have been reviewing guidance from gov.uk, Public Health England and NHS in regard to any implications relating to NEBDN’s activities from the COVID-19.

At this point the exams will continue as the Government have not recommended cancelling such events, and the guidance that applies to the general public will also apply in this case. In order to support at the Spring Conference on Saturday and the coming examinations, we will be displaying the attached guidance from Public Health England and ensuring that hand sanitiser gel is available.

We will of course be reviewing any updates on guidance and implementing any further actions where required.

Any questions please contact us on info@NEBDN.org

A look ahead to NEBDN’s Spring Conference designed to help you prepare for future practice

The National Examining Board for Dental Nurses (NEBDN) is hosting a new event at the Hilton Hotel, Manchester Airport on Saturday 7 March 2020. The conference, in collaboration with the General Dental Council (GDC), is aimed at qualified dental nurses or those training towards a dental qualification interested in GDC developments, new qualifications and career opportunities.

NEBDN has organised the event to continue to support dental nurses through their candidate journey and provide guidance on the many career choices available once qualified. The conference is also dedicated to course providers interested in new ways of working to grow their business and make them a ‘provider of choice’.

The morning session includes keynote speaker Rebecca Cooper, head of GDC Policy and Research, alongside Debra Worthington and Clare Gross, who will discuss the Mouth Care Matters programme. The afternoon sessions will be split into two different workshops to allow delegates to get the most out of the day. Trainee and qualified dental nurses will hear from guest speakers from the Royal Navy, the British Army and Dentaid, for the ‘Crowning Careers’ special. Each presenter will provide information about their career journey and the job opportunities available. Following this, Guy Rubin, Research Manager at the GDC, will present a talk on the scope of practice and why this is so important moving forward as a dental nurse. The scope of practice also describes additional skills that can be developed after registration, as a dental nurse’s scope of practice is likely to expand over the course of their career.

Simultaneously, NEBDN’s course providers will receive a business update from NEBDN’s senior management team, based around its future aims and objectives and in collaboration with the charity’s vision and values. The afternoon session will also provide an update about recruitment and retention to cover elements, such as growing a business and how to successfully retain new cohorts.

Kate Kerslake, CEO at NEBDN commented: ‘Our vision and values shape who we are as a charity and, by hosting this conference, we can collaboratively bring practitioners, trainees and dental nurses together to share good practice. We will also talk about our exciting plans for the future when it comes to progressing our qualifications and streamlining our processes. Our vision is to be the leading provider, supporting excellence in dental nurse education and development in the UK, and we hope that this conference brings us one step closer to achieving that.’

As part of the event, Kate and the board of trustees will present awards to acknowledge individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding service or commitment to NEBDN – in the education and training of dental nurses, patient oral healthcare and/or NEBDN’s work. The Special Recognition Awards will congratulate the winners who were nominated earlier this year
and who will be announced at the event. The conference will also provide five hours of verifiable CPD with a certificate issued after the event. Tickets are available to purchase at £8.00 per person through Eventbrite up until 28 February 2020 and includes conference access, five hours CPD, refreshments and a hot buffet lunch.

Book tickets here

Article published in the Dental Nursing Journal

Do you know someone who has made a major impact on:
▪ The education and training of dental nurses
▪ Patient oral healthcare and/or
▪ NEBDN’s work

If you do, then please join us in nominating someone for a Special Recognition Award!

What is a Special Recognition Award?
A Special Recognition Award is for individuals who have demonstrated dedication, outstanding service and commitment to NEBDN and/or the education and training of dental nurses through involvement and achievement at a national or UK level.

The award may recognise a specific single achievement (e.g. for a specific project) or achievements over a significant period of time (e.g. a significant contribution for a number of years).

Criteria
To be considered for a Special Recognition Award, an individual will need to have achieved one of the following roles, being or having been actively involved:
▪ In oral health
▪ In patient care
▪ As a member of the NEBDN examination team
▪ As an NEBDN Board or Committee member
Or
Given more than five years’ service to the NEBDN as an examiner, committee member or Board member.

How to nominate?
Nominations can be made by any anyone via email to SRA@nebdn.org

Click here for nomination form

The closing date for nominations is 27 September 2019.