Locum work is not a stopgap
Some people still see locuming as something you do between permanent roles. For a lot of our nurses, it is the opposite. It is a deliberate choice that gives them flexibility, variety and a fast way to grow.
Think about what a locum does in a typical week. You walk into a surgery you may never have seen before, learn where everything is, adapt to a new dentist’s preferences and look after patients from the very first appointment. Then you do it again somewhere else.
That takes skill, and it builds skill quickly.
The skills locum work builds
Adaptability. Every practice works slightly differently. Locums become comfortable with change, which is valuable in any senior role.
Clinical breadth. Working across NHS and private practices, hospitals, specialist clinics, prisons and military settings exposes you to procedures and patient groups many nurses never see.
Systems knowledge. Different practice software, different decontamination routines, different ways of working. You learn what good looks like by seeing lots of versions of it.
Communication. Building trust with a new team and new patients in minutes is a skill that serves you well as a leader.
Confidence. Each new placement you handle well adds to it.
We have written more about this in how locum dental nursing can boost your skills and confidence.
Where it can take you
Locum experience can open plenty of doors. Some nurses go on to take post registration qualifications, such as dental radiography, oral health education or sedation nursing. Others move into lead nurse or practice manager roles. Some, like several of our own office team, bring their chairside knowledge into recruitment and workforce management.
Our National Workforce Managers, Lisa and Lizzy, both started out as dental nurses. They know what a long day in surgery feels like, which is exactly why they are so good at matching the right nurse to the right practice.
How Cavity supports your growth
We want every nurse who works with us to keep growing, so we give you:
- free CPD modules, open to every dental professional
- a National Workforce Manager who knows you by name
- a Health and Wellbeing hub and trained Mental Health First Aiders
- flexible working, so you choose the days that suit you
- transparent, banded pay, paid travel and parking, and holiday pay
What Janine’s story shows
Janine knows exactly what it’s like to arrive at a new practice at 8am and make a team of strangers feel like they’ve known you for years. Her story shows that the qualities that make a great locum (reliability, kindness and the willingness to learn) are the same ones that make a great leader.
Start your own story
Whether you want variety, flexibility or a clear path to grow, locum dental nursing could be the start of something big. Who knows where it could take you?
Start your own Cavity story. Join our team.
