My DM wanted to do A levels and go to uni to study medicine but her family prioritised the education of her younger brothers, neither of whom went on to higher education. She left school at 16 and became a nurse then midwife. After having children an a spell as a SAHM ( had 3 children in 4 yrs), she returned to work initially as a TA to accommodate family life, then returned to nursing, specialising in diabetes ( specialist nurse practitioner in today’s system).
She was determined that if she had daughters , she had 3, that they would not be denied an education. We didn’t disappoint and two of us are HCP, the third had 2 degrees and a PhD.
I chose a career in dentistry because it involved practical skills and was more 9-5 than medicine. I’d done my homework and realised, back in the early 80s, that was very difficult to have both a family and a career in medicine as a women. Obviously it’s different now.
I entered the profession just as things were improving, a decent maternity scheme meant that having a family and career was much easier. I had my own practice, although that wasn’t my ambition, more a case of it being an opportunity presented early in my career.
I stuck with the NHS and was able to retire at 60 with a decent pension in addition to selling my business. I worked part time when DC was young only returning to full time when he was in his teens.
We have always been comfortable financially but not overly wealthy. Life work balance was more important than material wealth. But it does mean that as a result we are probably now more comfortable now I have retired than when I was working. I still work one day a week, DS is at uni so it covers the cost. I now work on the private side, I’ve paid my dues to the NHS, and one day a week more or less doubles our household income.
I sometimes wonder if I should have moved to the private side earlier, but have always been a supporter of NHS dentistry. However, some nice our contract changed in 2006 NHS dentistry is no longer fit for purpose and I could no longer support it. I feel I am providing a much better standard of care privately, I can spend time with patients and it allows me to work at a more realistic rate. I suspect that this is the same across the NHS. The system of targets in place within NHS is damaging and it’s becoming a massive problem. It’s not about how much we are paid but much more about no longer feeling safe in our provision of health care. So much money is wasted on litigation when it could be used to give those vital few minutes more with a patient to avoid it in the first few lace.
I do nt remember my generation of dentists being motivated by money. The training was brutal and certainly weeded out those who didn’t have a fundamental vocation or practical skills. However, the massive competition to enter the profession has seen a big change. It does seem to be a career focused on material gain rather than patients. It is obvious from the huge increase in service cases ( dentists in serious trouble with the GDC) that money is now the driving force in the profession.
I did, and still do wave fees when I think they are disproportionate to the service I provide. For example charging someone extra to remove a single fragment of tartar and calling it a scale and polish is difficult to justify. I know plenty of younger dentists who are happy to do this. Maybe this is why I’m not super rich. However, it’s upsetting when I’ve spent an hour restoring a tooth with top quality materials, and achieving amazing cosmetic results for the patient to moan about the cost.