1. Supervised practice, not a solo clinic
This course
1 hour of verifiable CPD. Part of PrismCPD’s Foundation and PLVE dentist set. All four courses stay open — there is no lock between them. GDC Development Outcomes A and D.
Suggested study time
- Supervision and competence — 18 min
- Asking for help in time — 20 min
- Records, portfolio and the GDC — 17 min
- Knowledge check — 5 min
What Foundation Training is for
Dental Foundation Training (the name and organisation can change; use your current scheme title) exists so a new graduate can treat real patients with a named educational supervisor close enough to help. It is not a year of proving you never need anyone. Patients have not signed up to be your exam.
PLVE is a different door, same professional rules
Performers List Validation by Experience (PLVE) is a separate NHS England pathway for dentists — often internationally qualified — who need a named clinical supervisor while they demonstrate they can work safely on the performers list. The scheme paperwork differs from Foundation Training. The GDC rule does not: work within your competence, use your supervisor, and do not improvise on patients.
Competence is today, not your degree certificate
A university prize in oral surgery does not mean you should attempt a buried 38 with a hooked root at 17:40 with no backup. GDC Standards expect you to work within your knowledge, skills and experience. Foundation year is when that sentence is tested every day.
Your educational supervisor
They are not a guest lecturer. They should know what is on your list, what you have not done much of, and when you will call them in. If you do not know how to get them in the room during a session, fix that on day one — not after a root is in the sinus.
The rest of the team
Nurses, hygienists, therapists, reception and the practice manager will often see risk before you do: a medical history you skimmed, a child who is not coping, a prescription that looks odd. Treat that as clinical information, not as undermining.
Indemnity and title
You must be registered for the work you do and indemnified for it. “I am only an FD” is not a defence if you work beyond what you can retrieve. Check what your scheme and provider actually cover.