Originally from Hampshire, Vickie’s Mum was a dental nurse and in 1997, aged just 17 and seeking an opportunity with practical on-the-job training, Vickie decided to follow suit and successfully applied for a local trainee dental nurse position.

After qualifying in 2000 she attended Guys Hospital Dental School who were piloting a 2-year NVQ Dental Nursing scheme, and this gave her experience across a range of dental clinical environments from A&E, minor oral surgery and GA through to periodontics, paediatrics and technical laboratory dental services. Upon completion of this course Vickie returned home, joining North Hampshire Community Dental Service which included the delivery of outreach dental services including domiciliary patient care, something she found especially rewarding.

Upon moving with her family to Cornwall in 2005, Vickie joined an independent dental practice in Bude which delivered a range of routine NHS and private dental care services, although her heart remained in community dentistry. In 2021, as the practice became more corporately focused on private dental care, Vickie began looking for a new career opportunity.

She saw that Smile Together were recruiting dental nurses and immediately applied, liking the company’s ethos of tackling oral health inequality and making a difference to local people, as well as the breadth of dentistry delivered across the county. She joined the Bodmin team, initially travelling from Bude each day, but in Spring 2023 moved her family to live closer to the practice where she worked in the surgery environment.

When Smile Together’s dedicated Outreach Team promoted a dental nursing opportunity, based in Bodmin but covering the whole county, Vickie jumped at the chance! She already held her oral health education certificate and soon complemented this with a fluoride varnishing qualification early in 2023.

As Outreach Dental Nurse, Vickie finds herself working mainly in primary schools, nurseries and family hubs, delivering prevention programmes to help children and families improve their oral health. Her role also sees her supporting Kernow Homestart Summer Picnics, Health for Homeless pop-ups and the Smiles at Sea project treating fishermen and their families at the harboursides, working in a mobile dental unit. She undertakes dental screenings in school environments and special care residential homes, attends careers fairs to inspire the next generation of clinicians, supports initiatives like Mouth Cancer Action Month, and has helped to make up and donate literally hundreds of oral health packs to foodbanks, homelessness and other charities. She also works in surgery when required, and when time allows!

In recognition of her dedication, impact and potential, Vickie was given the opportunity to step into the Outreach Lead (Developmental Role) at Smile Together. This role enabled her to build on her extensive outreach experience while developing her leadership capabilities through structured mentoring, coaching and a tailored Personal Development Plan.

Through the developmental role, Vickie took on increasing responsibility across the Outreach Team, building her experience in coordinating initiatives, supporting colleagues, evaluating outreach activity and developing community partnerships. This progression has now led to her moving into the role of Outreach Practice Manager, marking another exciting step in her career with Smile Together.

As Outreach Practice Manager, Vickie now combines her wealth of hands-on outreach experience with her growing leadership and management skills, helping to coordinate the team and support the delivery and development of Smile Together’s outreach services across Cornwall.

Her journey from dental nurse, to Outreach Dental Nurse, to Outreach Lead in a developmental capacity and now Outreach Practice Manager is a great example of the career development and progression opportunities available at Smile Together.

Vickie says: “It is honestly so rewarding working at Smile Together. It’s a fantastic company with such a great ethos which is all about helping our patients and local communities. There’s amazing variety in the dentistry we deliver here with plenty of career development and progression opportunities. I’m especially grateful for the support I’ve received throughout my progression into leadership. The Outreach Lead developmental role gave me the opportunity to build my confidence and experience, and I’m really excited to now be an Outreach Practice Manager. It’s been a fantastic journey so far and I’m looking forward to continuing to develop while supporting our amazing outreach team and the communities we work with.”

Outside of work Vickie enjoys spending time with her partner and family, walking the dogs and generally making the most of Cornwall together. On ‘take your child to work day’ 2023 Vickie’s daughter joined us harbourside at Newquay helping with Smiles at Sea and the associated beach clean that we did whilst there, learning all about what it means to be a certified B Corporation and dental social enterprise!