Why is delegating work important in the dental team?

Delegation is an integral part of a functioning dental team; it prevents overload and increases efficiency. You don't want to be a patient in a practise where the dentist is rushing to reach for their instruments while your mouth is wide open.

You may have seen in you work experience how nurses and dentists work together to provide patient care. This requires a good relationship with your nurse and a good foundation of trust and respect.

Here are some good points you can mention in your answer:

• Helps ease workload
• Ensures patient safety- the dentist can focus on the patient while other tasks are completed by the nurse
• Uses everyone's skills
• The GDC requires you to work with other people in a way that is beneficial for the patient's health

You may also include your own experiences of when you had to delegate tasks, or had tasks delegated to you and reflect on how this was useful for the overall project.

Suggested structure for this answer:

• Explain briefly what delegating is and give an example of how this can be used in the dental practise
• Mention how this is beneficial for the patient and for members of the team
• Relate this to a time where you thought delegating was useful
• Link this to the GDC principle- 'You must work effectively with colleagues in the interest of patients'