Dental CE is nothing new to dental professionals. It varies state by state, but for a long time now we’ve needed to annually complete a certain amount of dental CE courses in order to retain our licensure. While it can save a lot of time to scrape by and get the bare minimum amount of dental CE credits, taking just a few extra classes can help you to grow exponentially as a professional.
For many, going above and beyond with their dental CE requirements sounds like a bad idea. Being cooped up in some rented out auditorium for hours on end, in a classroom environment, sounds dreary. But if you go on a Smiles at Sea cruise, going “above and beyond” with your dental CE is just another excuse for going on vacation.
If getting a vacation doesn’t sound like enough to persuade you to go “above and beyond,” by coming aboard the next Smiles at Sea cruise, then maybe these three reasons will be enough to convince you.
1. Get social with your peers and colleagues.
Improving your social skills, in general, is good for your personal and professional life. And there’s no better way to improve your social skills than by going to a dental CE event. Attending any CE event means surrounding yourself with a large number of dental professionals who aren’t just there to learn but want to network with folks like you. You’ll find plenty of business opportunities readily available to explore as you interact with other dental professionals, make connections, and forge friendships. And, on a Smiles at Sea cruise, the pleasant atmosphere will help everyone get along swimmingly (pun intended).
Being in the practice and working side by side isn’t always the best environment for bonding. Things get hectic and the stress can really wear on the relationships between colleagues. Entire dental teams come aboard, together, on many of our Smiles at Sea cruises for this very reason. An island breeze, some tropical sunshine, and a pleasant vista of the sea can do wonders for anyone’s temperament. There’s no better place to bond with people, and you can spend some much-needed leisure time with your peers and colleagues. When you all go back to the office, your experiences together in somewhere like the Caribbean will make your chemistry all the stronger.
2. Stay on the cutting edge of dentistry.
In dental school, dentists learn a lot about providing patients with life-changing treatment but they aren’t taught much about how to manage a dental practice. So, understandably, many dentists find themselves struggling when handling the marketing, finances, and other managerial aspects that come with running a business. Attending dental CE courses revolved around practice management can equip them with effective business strategies they can use to grow their practice. And when their practice has increased productivity and scale, they can provide cutting-edge treatment for more patients and improve more lives.
And while becoming a more competent business owner is important, performing top-quality dentistry is the priority of any dental professional. Our patients deserve the best, and it’s up to us to know the latest methods in order to provide them with state-of-the-art treatment. However—thanks to the bureaucratic nature of healthcare and its need for case studies—it takes a while for the latest methods to trickle down and be widely accepted by general dental CE curriculums. So, the methods that are taught in dental school and basic dental CE courses are typically a bit outdated. That’s why it’s important to go above and beyond taking the bare minimum amount of courses need to retain licensure; taking classes that are more up-to-date can put us on the cutting edge of dentistry and allow us to provide our patients with the high-quality treatment they deserve.
3. Take the break you need to refresh your skills.
Dentistry is a fast-paced profession. Seeing patients from day to day can be really overwhelming. It makes sense that a lot of dental professionals get stressed and feel burnt out at some point or another. Going on a trip for some dental CE offers a hiatus, however, and can be the break from the practice they’ve needed.
Many dental professionals escape the hustle and bustle of the office by going to a traditional dental CE conference in a city. That can definitely be exciting, especially if that city is a place as fun as Miami. But an even better alternative is to embark on a cruise with Smiles at Sea to receive dental CE somewhere beautiful in the tropics. Smiles at Sea is an unconventional dental convention that offers an experience way more entertaining than a boring, traditional dental convention would.
A Smiles at Sea cruise wouldn’t just give you a much-needed break from the demanding life of dentistry — you’d enjoy an actual vacation rather than some visiting a city for some mundane dental education. Get rejuvenated, feel less burnt out after spending some time in the Caribbean, and get back to the practice with a tan on your skin and amiability sparkling in your smile. You’ll surely sharpen your brain after completing all those CE courses on the cruise, and your social skills will be more refined than ever after spending so much time chit-chatting with other dental professionals.
How many hours are you putting into your dental CE?
Going above and beyond in getting your dental CE is the key to becoming the best dental professional that you can be. But it’s also a way of getting the break you need from the fast-paced life of dentistry, and it can help you to bond with your peers and colleagues. So, if you need dental CE, then come aboard the next Smiles at Sea cruise where your CE will be accompanied by a vacation.
From April 18-23, 2021, we’re going to be exploring the seas for a 5-night cruise from Miami, Florida to Labadee, Haiti. If you get onboard with us, you’ll have the time of your life, and you can be sure to look forward to an educational vacation rather than some ordinary dental convention.
