Australasian Dentist Magazine Nov Dec 2021

32 AustrAlAsiAn Dentist t his is an exciting opportunity for Australian & Kiwi dentists to advance their learning with accredited and regulated qualifications in dental implantology at three levels: PGCert (Dent imp), PGDip (Dent imp), or Msc (Adv Dent imp). the award programs are a collaboration between the Cambridge Academy of Dental implantology, delivered in Australia through educational partnership with the implant institute, and Aston university, recently named by the Guardian as the uK’s university of the Year. All programs are offered fully from Australia. the Msc is an official university degree. the PGCert & PGDip are official postgraduate awards accredited by the regulated, globally recognised awarding body, eduQual, as formal level 7 (Masters level) postgraduate qualifications. this allows use of the academic postnominals after the name of successful graduates, for any of the three awards. the standard of the education providers is well established. Aston university is in the russell Group, an ivy league equivalent of universities, and one of only eight in the group ranked gold in the tertiary excellence Framework, a prestigious list including Cambridge and Oxford universities. Cambridge Academy of Dental implantology has over a decade’s proven track record of educating over 100 dentists globally per annum. Academy Director/Chief examiner Dr stuart ellis, former Chief examiner at the royal College of surgeons of england, and Deputy Chief examiner/Australian Program Director Dr Misagh Habibi play key roles in the course delivery. “this is an unmatched opportunity for dentists in Australasia who wish to remain in private practice whilst studying part-time in a flexible delivery format, to achieve a very high standard of education and a postgraduate degree,” says Dr Misagh Habibi. “the course is structured to provide optimal learning outcomes with the flexibility of exit and entry at various points depending on the student’s learning goals, pending meeting our academic requirements.” the part-time PGCert is the foundation of the program featuring 60 credits spread across three theory modules (all online) and one intensive practical skills week module (face-to-face), plus assessed clinical cases. these are focussed on achieving basic clinical competency. students have up to a maximum of two years to complete their requirements to achieve the award. the higher PGDip award can be achieved in the same period, by studying a further two online modules totalling 30 credits, focussed on scientific theory and evidence based critical appraisal. students who achieve a minimum merit level grade on all modules in the PGDip within 2 years, can progress to the Msc qualification program (a research-based 1 year extension). Current PGCert holders who have already done the course, can apply for Msc entry with Approved Prior learning exemptions from 4 of the 6 modules of Year 1. All theory and research components are conducted via remote learning on online platforms, whilst clinical cases are conducted in the student’s own region under supervision of an institute tutor or an accredited local mentor. this makes advanced learning and a postgraduate award more accessible, especially in today’s unpredictable and challenging climate, minimising travel especially in a large country like Australia. Academy director Dr stuart ellis believes it is crucial to deliver postgraduate accredited programs designed for the busy life of a dentist. “After all, there is no point in providing education if it is too difficult for dentists to access. the beauty of providing the theory as an online learning program is that dentists can continue to earn whilst they learn.” Dr Habibi adds comment on the inclusive culture of the institute. “tutors on our academy have been selected not just for qualifications and clinical experience, but for accessible and generous personalities in teaching that students enjoy interacting with. When i embarked on this venture, the culture and ‘people factor’ of our academy was equally important as its expertise,” says Dr Habibi. “My passion is to lead by way of a new and open dental community culture, taking the ego and bureaucracy out of high-level education and making it more accessible. it is encouraging to work with like-minded colleagues and build Dental implant education with The Implant Institute now a Master’s degree opportunity PGCert (Dent Imp) & PGDip (Dent Imp) January 2022 intake With option to progress to MSc in Advanced Oral Implantology events