Guidance

How to get the most out of your placement

Pay attention

Make sure to observe your surroundings as best you can. Note the sorts of behaviours professionals display, any health and safety procedures and how patients are treated. Remember to protect patient confidentiality, to dress appropriately and to act professionally at all times.

Don't be afraid to ask questions

Your placements will be invaluable in helping you to gain an insight into what each member of the team does, how they trained to get into their position and what they enjoy the most about their job.

Try to prepare a list of questions to ask staff. This could include questions such as what they enjoy about their roles, and how they cope with stressful situations or distressed patients.

Reflect on what you've learned

To get the most out of your placement, you should try your best to be analytical of your experiences.

Make time after each day to reflect on what you have learned, putting these thoughts into the reflective workbook that we have provided. This will be important for any future applications.

Think about what surprised you, or something new that you hadn't seen before, and why it felt significant to you.

• Did you notice any changes in their behaviour?
• Did they enter feeling anxious, and leave feeling more relaxed?
• What did the dentist do to achieve this?

---

Key rules to follow

The below guidance from Sheffield Trust will give you an idea of how you are expected to dress and behave on your work placements. Anyone who cannot conform to these guidelines will not be allowed in the clinic.

Dress code

Your overall general appearance should be smart, clean and tidy. 

If you are unsure of what to wear, don't hesitate to get in touch.

• You must be bare below the elbow. This means no rings, bracelets, nail polish, false nails, etc.
• Wear appropriate footwear: this means shoes that cover the whole foot (no trainers, sandals or canvas shoes).
• Jeans, leggings or short skirts are not allowed.
• Headscarves must not be patterned.
• No facial piercings are allowed. Only one pair of studs are allowed in your ears.
• No false eyelashes.
• No necklaces.
• If you have long hair, you should ensure that it's tied up (ie in a bun) and not loose.
• If you have any tattoos, you may be asked to cover them up.

Other rules

• Mobile phones are not allowed to be used in clinical areas.
• You must arrive and leave on time.
• If you have to leave the clinic (ie for health and safety visits), let a member of staff know.
• Keep hands out of your pockets for cross-infection reasons.
• No food or drink (including chewing gum) is allowed in clinical areas.