During the last year, the landscape for completing your continuing education as a dentist changed significantly. The COVID-19 pandemic altered how people gathered, especially during the first few months. Because so many events were canceled, dental CE providers tried new, creative ways to help dentists reach their requirements.
Now, amid the new landscape, a dentist has several options for dental CE. When evaluating these options, it’s best to keep three main criteria in mind: Value, enjoyability, and safety.
For one, you want value for yourself and your dental practice. This value could come in the form of knowledge gained about operating a business, or about dentistry itself. Or, the value could come in the form of networking, meeting similar people who could help you with expertise and opportunities. The best CE provides both networking and knowledge.
Second, you want enjoyability. Believe it or not, dental CE can be fun! Enjoyable and memorable events also boost the morale of any staff you bring with you. With the right event, dental CE can become something that you and your team look forward to on an annual basis!
Three, you want safety. These days, sanitation and safety are paramount concerns in dental CE. You want to make sure that you aren’t risking infection for you or your patients whatsoever. Obviously, web-based dental CE is a clear option for safety. But with the right event and planners, even physical gatherings can be safe for you and your team.
Here are some of the best ways to take care of dental CE in 2021. Note: Always make sure that the provider has some form of certification so that your credits count!
1. Go through a web-based course.
Going through a course means purchasing and completing web-based learning. Some courses are videos with response questions, while some are text-only.
Thanks to our digital world, and the necessities of the pandemic, there are a plethora of options. In the past, you had to go to a physical location in order to take a class, but not anymore. There are a tremendous amount of learning opportunities available at the click of a mouse.
This is a safe option due to its virtual nature, but it presents fewer opportunities for networking. It’s also possibly less enjoyable than the other ideas on this list. One strength of courses is the amount of choice you have. You can find a solid course for just about anything, so if you have a specific question or curiosity, this can be a wonderful option.
If you’re sick of virtual, web-based courses might be convenient but they won’t offer much beyond the convenience.
2. Attend a webinar.
A webinar attempts to recreate the in-person seminar experience through the internet. Most webinars consist of scheduled video and audio presentations, live question-and-answer sessions, and sometimes opportunities to chat with other attendees. Some webinars even have the option to start conversations with others outside of the official event hours.
The strength of webinars is that they are a safe way to get some of the conference experience. Obviously, it isn’t a perfect replication of a live conference, but it is the next best thing. There are also times where you can get value by meeting new people and having your questions answered live.
The weakness of attending a webinar is that you can’t always go back to content after the event is over. Some webinars offer video-on-demand after each session, though. Additionally, not many webinars are designed with your staff in mind, so they may experience limited enjoyment if you register them.
While webinars are generally more interesting than web-based courses because they are live, they won’t offer much value beyond the basic CE credits and virtual interaction.
3. Go to a conference.
With some parts of the nation opening back up, it’s possible to attend certain conferences again. This experience isn’t too different from previous years but requires more care to keep everyone healthy.
Going to a conference serves as a fantastic way to learn new things and meet new people. Some conferences are really for dentists only, while others encourage you to bring your entire staff.
The limitation of conferences is that they are only as good as the event planner. They can be interesting. They can have fun moments. But many of them can be mostly quiet or boring. It’s important to select a conference that takes precautions tremendously seriously while creating a comfortable, enjoyable environment that helps you network with dental professionals and experts.
4. Attend a dental festival.
A Dental Festival is like a conference, vacation, and party all thrown into one! It couples learning with fun, and education with relaxation. Plus, it gives you an amazing opportunity to meet new people and even elevate your own position in the dental industry..
Remember the original criteria of value, fun, and safety? Our event in April 2021 was designed with those in mind.
For value, dentists can get up to 24CE, learning from some of the nation’s foremost dental speakers. Included in this, attendees get their choice of workshops to attend. For networking, there are specialty workshops, parties, a bar crawl, and more!
There isn’t a more enjoyable way to get your CE requirements on the planet. Some offices make this festival an annual tradition for their team because they look forward to it all year! We even offer opportunities to network for new jobs and mingle with experts, colleagues, and others, all in a fun, safe environment.
We pride ourselves on being one of the safest dental conferences in the United States. Great care has gone into every detail of the event to make sure sanitation and physical distancing are in place everywhere, at all times.
There’s no better way to do dental CE. For more information, visit our event page!
