Australasian Dentist Magazine May June 2021

Category 140 Australasian Dentist C ovid has changed a great many things for all of us over recent times. Dentistry has obviously not been immune to these changes, with one of the main alterations being the delivery of continuing education to the dental community. With the difficulty in travelling and social distancing, the vast majority of dental events have morphed into virtual events. Whilst like a great many of you, I too have subscribed to the countless on-line offerings, having missed the real-world interactions with my dental colleagues. I was eager and really craving interaction and learning during the Covid shut-down period. This period provided the opportunity of time, whilst I did investigate a great many new ideas and theories I really did miss the personal interactions with my dental colleagues. Real learning can occur via interactions with our dental colleagues, conversations whilst attending conferences and networking or brainstorming together. This incidental learning is often not recognised as a valuable tool, although I would argue the value in talking to real-world practicing clinicians is immeasurable. The very many online learning opportunities have delivered content to a thirsty crowd of dental clinicians. Dentistry though, is a professional that relies on technical excellence with a heavy emphasis on dexterity. These online, virtual course offerings whilst often affordable, may not offer the practicing clinician with the quality of practical experience required to maintain a high level of clinical competence. It has been heartening to see some optimism returning to the CPD space in recent months, with CPD providers now moving to mobilise their course offerings. As CPD is a mandatory requirement to maintain AHPRA registration recent years, has seen a rise in the amount of CPD course providers. Many of these courses are delivered by career academics who often do not have a significant amount of real world chairside clinical experience. CPD is also often delivered by dental companies who engage in the endeavour to sell their materials or equipment. Whilst this is all part of the deal for those of us in the dental and medical field, the difficulty for clinicians can be choosing the correct CPD. The transactional costs of CPD are significant and cannot be overlooked. Current literature outlines three barriers: the course fee itself, the time away from the practice and the attitude of the practitioner. Practitioners often struggle to find time to participate in CPD and may have to travel to attend. The costs of leaving the practice to participate are real too and can have knock-on effects to the team as a whole if your absence also requires team members to have time off. Many practitioners also report the relevance or lack of choice in CPD content can be a barrier to participation. There does seem to be a limited amount of CPD for those seeking real-world, hands-on and technically instructive education. We all participate in very practically intense training programs in order to become qualified in the dental field, although once we leave the confines of these educational faculties the ongoing educational offerings seem to be less so. The challenge lies in finding quality CPD opportunities offered by real- world practicing clinicians who have mastered their craft and are willing to impart their valuable skill onto others. The pursuit of clinical ability must be at the forefront of any decision making when choosing to invest time, money and effort into CPD. Choosing to extend and push your clinical skillset can offer ultimate career satisfaction. Intentionally setting professional goals for continual development and devising both a plan and budget for such endeavours may ensure that you reach great heights. u Continuing Professional Development – quality Vs quantity By Robyn Russell Robyn Russell Intentional Pr ctitioner C M Y CM MY CY CMY K ¼ Banner Advert – Clinicare Suction Cleaner DW MR Final.pdf 1 9/4/2564 10:20:18