Dr Tom Booth FCGDent, a general dental practitioner based in Cumbria, describes his professional journey and how his knowledge, skills and experience led to College Fellowship.
Q. Can you tell us about yourself and your career?
A. I am a general dentist, working in the private sector for 21 years. I have always strived to stay educated and up to date. Early in my career I completed a Master’s in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, followed by a Diploma in Dental Implantology, Certificate in Periodontology, Diploma in Orthodontics and most recently a Master’s in Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics.
I work 3.5 days providing general dentistry and more specialist work, mainly oral surgery, implantology and complex restorative cases. I also teach one day a week on the Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics Master’s course at the University of Manchester.
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and have a mentoring qualification too. I am currently halfway through a six-year part-time Law degree, studying with the Open University, with the aim of helping dentists in medicolegal trouble, offering independent legal advice.
Outside of dentistry, I am a keen road cyclist, runner and car enthusiast, which I hope I can pursue into old age!
Q. Why did you decide to apply for College Fellowship?
A. I applied to become a College Fellow, as it provides a pathway which recognises my commitment to education in dentistry, as well as the high standards I aim to achieve for my patients. It also now represents an avenue in which clinical and academic credentials can be recognised in the Certified Practitioner Scheme, which is currently being rolled out. This will hopefully help me become even more referral based and carry out more of the advanced procedures I am trained to do.
Q. Which three of the five fellowship domains does your professional experience meet?
A. My professional experience fits in with the Clinical & Technical, Teaching & Assessment and Research & Publications domains.
Having obtained a Master’s of Science in both Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics, I met the Clinical & Technical domain. These qualifications also satisfied the Research & Publications domain via a written dissertation for both qualifications.
I managed to satisfy the Teaching & Assessment domain, as whilst working at the University of Manchester I was lucky enough to complete the Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, an eligible teaching qualification.
Q. What would you say to others who are considering applying for Fellowship through the experience route?
A. I would advise anyone considering applying for Fellowship through the experience route to give it a try! The process is fair and allows a wide range of evidence to be used across all domains and recognises years, sometimes decades, of hard work!
Collating all your evidence and checking and organising your curriculum vitae is essential to a successful application, with all criteria clearly stated on the College of General Dentistry website.
Fellowship of the College
Fellowship of the College is the mark of accomplishment in dentistry, celebrating achievement across the different dimensions of your career.
All dental professionals can apply for admission to Fellowship by providing evidence to show how your knowledge, skills and experience meet the criteria of our fellowship domains.