Sara Revelo-Saltos shares her journey and acknowledges those who were there to see all the tears and smiles.

Originally from Romania, locum dental nurse Sara Revelo-Saltos arrived in England with minimal spoken English. Having navigated her way through an alien education system and often beset by several hurdles, she is now studying to become a dentist at the University of Dundee.

Her work is flexible which means she isable to give her availability to her manager and organise shifts in advance, often working weekends. Here, she shares her impressive career path.

Why did you choose dentistry as a career?

Dentistry combines my favourite things in a job – helping people, health sciences, fixing things using my hands and continuous learning. I can vividly remember at the beginning of my dental nursing training helping a terrified patient come into the surgery. By speaking to her and offering reassurance, I was able to encourage her to at least have a chat with the dentist. Seeing her so happy at the end of the appointment was an amazing feeling – and this has remained with me. Since then I have continued to help patients wherever I can in the dental practice, as well during my placements in the community, or whilst volunteering. There is something special about hearing patients say: “You were so caring!”, “This has been the nicest dental visit I’ve had in my life” or “Thank you for having so much patience with me!’’ Feedback like that makes it all worth it and motivates me to help others feel comfortable, too.

I’ve always enjoyed fixing things and I like doing different crafts in my free time. I like that dentistry offers this and the opportunity to continually learn about the human body. Health sciences have always been my favourite subjects and, in this profession, there is so much we need to know – not only about the mouth, but about the whole body.

Why the leap from dental nurse to dentist?

In high school, I duelled with the idea of whether I should study medicine or dentistry, but at that time I didn’t know enough about either. In my native country, Romania, there are no shadowing opportunities prior to entry into university. When I came to England, I was a bit lost because everything was different and there were so many additional steps. Dental nursing seemed like it was the furthest I’d be able to get. I loved what I was doing and, throughout the years, I progressed through various specialties and even trained other dental nurses. This gave me the confidence that I could start thinking of dentistry again. I would spend my lunches discussing cases, understanding reasoning for treatment solutions and use of different materials. I remember making teeth out of expired composite to practise tooth morphology and reading specialist letters to understand how they’d come to a treatment plan. I’ve always been quite hands on and as I became more involved in the treatment it felt natural for me to want to go onto further training.

What have been the challenges?

Getting used to the educational system in the UK whilst also learning English was challenging. Our way of studying back home is very theory based and I struggled a lot writing assignments and undertaking practical work during my studies. At the beginning, I was told that my writing style was too wordy and that I needed to think more outside the box. It has taken me years to adapt and there has also been a big shift in my way of thinking.

When it came to applying to dentistry, I realised I was short of an A-level so I had to either go to college or university. I chose a degree in medical sciences. I thought it would help refresh my high school knowledge, which was three years old by then. I also liked the various sciences and the practical component of the course. Despite delaying me three years, it has been the best decision I took because I gained a huge bank of knowledge, which I’m using in work every day as well as in my dentistry studies.

The worst news came in my final year of university when I found out I was unsuccessful with my dentistry application. I had applied to only one university and that put too much pressure on me. The news hit hard especially after being predicted a first class honours in my degree. I struggled to keep focused on my final exams and my dissertation. I was lost, tired of studying and now I had a sad summer ahead. I decided to reapply, but this time to several universities. I used that year to gain more experience as a dental nurse and shadowed a few weeks in the maxillofacial department. Seeing what surgeons do in hospitals was so interesting and it only strengthened my desire to pursue dentistry. When I had my second interview, I was more confident and relaxed and managed to get three offers. This time I was actually spoilt for choice!

What did you have to do to get into dental school?

1. Complete a UK degree in a biomedical discipline (2:1 honours as a minimum). I studied Medical sciences at University of Central Lancashire (UCLan)

2. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) English test

3. University clinical aptitude test (UCAT).

4. Interview

5. Volunteering and work experience in various dental settings.

Who has supported you – and how important has this been?

My wonderful family has always been there and given me their love, time, advice and money to undertake various courses to better myself. I’m very fortunate to have an amazing boyfriend who has encouraged me to follow my dreams and has the patience to see me through all the courses and endless hours of preparation to get here. They were there to see all the tears, all the smiles and the times when I was lost. Without their encouragement, I wouldn’t have been able to make this possible.

I would like address a special thank you to the team at Beauchamp House Dental Practice in Romsey, Hampshire, and especially to Dr Euan Stocker for giving more support than I could ask for. I will always be grateful for the time taken to answer questions, discuss cases, review my personal statement and make dentistry so interesting.

Top tips for dental nurses considering going back to study as a dentist Contact universities as they will be your best assessors of your current qualifications. Start your application early. Be organised. Create a table where you can put all the information together. It’ll be much easier to compare places and help the decision process. Expect several drafts to construct a well-written statement. Give it to as many people at work and at home as possible. Apply to more than one university. It will help ease up those nerves at the interview, especially if one of them doesn’t go so well. Don’t compare yourself to others. Focus on your story and don’t get distracted by little things. Don’t underestimate the interview and don’t take a back seat. Practise out loud with family and friends. Be patient. it’s not a sprint, but a marathon. I think of it as a mini test to your future career, which will be based on daily organisation and patience in your work. Good luck!

Author: Sara Revelo-Saltos