Meet our School of Dentistry Student taking her skills to the Army

Posted on: 19 January 2024 by Philip Middleton-Smith in Blog

A student from the School of Dentistry, Libby Moor, has recently been successful in securing a prestigious Dental bursary for a 2026 entry as an Army Dentist. She began the process in August last year and has taken the time to share with us her experience of the application process and her career ambitions.

What was the application experience like?

“I started my Army application in August 2022; 15 months later I have had my final interview and secured a Dental bursary for 2026 entry as an Army Dentist.  The application process begins with numerous medical tests, a lengthy CV, personal statement, academic and personal references, familiarisation visits and briefings followed by a phone call interview about your motivations, qualifications, and military knowledge.

The pinnacle of the application process is the ‘Main Board Short’ - a three-day interview consisting of physical and mental testing. If deemed to be up to the standard, you then have an opportunity to be selected by the Army Medical Services (AMS) to have a final interview specific to your corps (for me this is the Royal Army Dental Corps). If you are selected to be invited to a final interview, you have to not only meet and exceed the quality line but outperform the other individuals throughout the UK who are going for the Dental bursary. An Army Officer dental bursary is funding for your final 3 years at university, a foundation year within the military, followed by a place at Sandhurst for Officer training. Once completing this you are required to serve for 4 years minimum in order to see out the terms and conditions of the bursary.”

What was the highlight of the process?

“Although the application process was long and challenging at times, the highlight of my journey was Main Board Short - working alongside individuals who I had never met before, being able to transform into a cohesive team to overcome physical challenges and obstacles will always be a positive memory of mine! 

My main memory of the whole application process is enjoyment! I relished in trying new things and being pushed out of my comfort zone; I know that if I wasn’t successful, I had grown so much during the application process alone.”   

Could you give three tips to anyone thinking of working towards the Army Dental Bursary?

“1. Know what you are getting into – an understanding of the army’s structure, particularly the Army Medical Services and the Dental Corps, is crucial. Therefore, familiarising yourself with the values, standards and challenges the army face is important. This will not only enhance your application but also prepare you for what lies ahead and can help you decide whether it is for you! 

1. Seek guidance – whether it is speaking to others in the application pipeline at in-person medicals, familiarisation visits or main board, everyone in the application process is going through similar things, it can be refreshing to be able to speak about how others are finding the process. In addition, insights from others who have gone through the process before you is invaluable. This can be hard to come by due to the small number of Army Dental bursars, but knowing what lies ahead/what you are yet to face can help settle the uncertainty.
2. Be yourself – the biggest piece of advice I could give is to let your genuine passion for dentistry and military be shown. Particularly at Main Board, they can see straight through a show, so being yourself throughout the whole application process is the best thing you can do.

To conclude, the entire application process was a huge development process and opportunity which is well worth the effort if it is a career you wish to follow!”

We hope you join us in congratulating Libby on her success and wishing her all the best in serving our country’s armed forces.