Cairns QLD - Dr Jackie Davidson BDS (Glasgow)

Age

32

From

UK

Graduating university

Glasgow University 2001- Scotland

Previous job in the UK:

I started my dental career as a Vocational Trainee in Fort William in the highlands of Scotland. It was a beautiful, remote and idyllic area, and a very enjoyable practice to work in. Twice during my training year, we visited the small islands of Eigg and Rhum, just off the West coast of Scotland. Here we set up a mobile dental unit to treat the patients there. Each island had only about 30 - 40 residents.

After a year, I went back to the city and worked for 2 years in a busy NHS practice in the west end of Glasgow, followed by 5 years in another private and NHS practice in the city centre. It was also very busy and had an emphasis on cosmetic dentistry.

How long have you been in Australia

I have been in Australia for about 7 months.

What made you take the plunge and move to Australia

My husband and I have come to Australia on holiday twice before and have always really enjoyed it. We always knew we would want to live in Australia at some point, so we took the bull by the horns and moved over here to practice dentistry.

Where have you worked in Australia?

I initially volunteered to work at Wuchopperen Dental Service, through Filling the Gap (- a charity aimed at helping provide dental services to Indigenous people in and around Cairns). After a week, I enjoyed it so much, I asked for a full time position and stayed there for about 6 months. It was very enjoyable and very busy. There are lots of treatment needs with many patients having chronic medical conditions. This made the work very challenging. The patients were great and very accepting of what was required for treatment. Some weeks we would go further out in a dental van and work in communities like Innisfail. Most of the treatment carried out was basic such as extractions, fillings and dentures.

I am currently working in Cairns (in far north Queensland) in a private practice. I have only been here for about a month and find that I am settling in well.

Describe your current role:

I am a general dentist undertaking all aspects of cosmetic and general dentistry. It is actually quite similar to the work I would do in the UK, but without the extra pressure because I am seeing only about 10-12 patients daily, instead of 15-20. I am able to provide a much better service as a result.

What are the advantages of working where you do?

The main advantages of working here are that everyone works extremely well as a team and communication is very good. There are weekly full staff meetings where we discuss any issues from the past week, and weekly dentist meetings where we discuss any current treatment plans that we are working on. All staff are very responsive to new ideas and embrace changes with enthusiasm, which, I feel, is paramount to having a stress free working environment.

Also, living next to the Great Barrier Reef is great. It's so easy to hop on a boat and explore, whether it be the reef or one of the islands. My husband, Michael, likes to dive but I prefer to snorkel. There's something for everyone.

Probably one of the things that I enjoy best about living here is the outdoor lifestyle. Today we had breakfast with friends at the beach. The weather was perfect with a lovely breeze to keep cool. We even had some champagne! We are just getting into the dry season here in Cairns which will bring with it some really lovely weather.

What does your average day consist of?

I work from 8am to 5pm, Wednesday to Friday. I treat patients of all ages and backgrounds for anything from toothache to planning for an implant.

How did you go about finding a job in Australia?

Friends who had already worked for DJS recommended them to me. We met with Simon Palmer in Glasgow when he was visiting for a conference.