by Ann-Marie C. DePalma, RDH, MEd, FAADH
The past several years have seen a vast increase in the ways we can obtain continuing education. Traditional, local meetings and larger convention venues are now being augmented with new technology. The technological advances include webinars and podcasts. Many hygienists and dental team members have never experienced a webinar and may have concerns or doubts about the actual programs. Many even wonder, what is a webinar?
A webinar is a conference or presentation given over the Internet. A Web conference is conducted with each participant sitting at his or her own computer at home or office, or even while traveling. With today's economy and the high price of gas and travel, webinars provide an excellent opportunity to learn without having to spend enormous amounts of money. You can even join a program in your jammies and fuzzy slippers!
A new program — www.DentalSuccess.biz — is now available to provide dental hygienists and team members with webinar programs set on their schedules and meeting their needs. www.DentalSuccess.biz is the innovative brainchild of Cindy McKane, RDH, MBA. Cindy feels that there is a need for webinars that are live rather than taped. Many webinar programs are well planned and executed but offer no direct interaction with the presenter. Participants in the program view the continuing education on their own time and schedule, but do not have access to other participants or the presenter. The programs may be effective for lifelong learning but lack the social interaction and camaraderie that is felt in a physical continuing-education environment. That is where www.DentalSuccess.biz is different.
The new webinar series provides participants with the stay-at-home ease of Web programs, but also the interaction that is lacking in other webinar programs. The variety of presenters will be with you "live" as the presentation is occurring so that you will be able to interact as if you were at a true continuing-education event. www.DentalSuccess.biz will be repeating courses over a period of time, so if you can't make the originally scheduled program, you are sure to find a date and time that suits your needs.
Continuing-education programs will focus on the entire dental team — hygienists, assistants, business professionals, and dentists. From the recent graduate to the most experienced of today's dental professionals, the portfolio of advanced CE educational seminars and workshops is designed for those who have a sincere desire to achieve the highest pinnacle of practice success. www.DentalSuccess.biz is an approved PACE provider by the Academy of General Dentistry, with many of the courses emphasizing empowering the people and building the processes to achieve practice profitability and personal fulfillment.
The core mission of www.DentalSuccess.biz is to provide Web-based continuing-education courses to all team members of a dental practice, thereby enhancing all levels of spirit, engagement, and morale. Through the CE courses, team members will reach unlimited levels of motivation and empowerment to create a master team practice. The goal of the company is to offer an outstanding list of products and courses, which provide an excellent return on investment.
Dental team members spend both time and money attending courses and want the most from their CE presentations. www.DentalSuccess.biz, in combination with several strategic partners, provides that high-quality ROI. www.DentalSuccess.biz promises to provide excellence to the patients its participants treat and colleagues with whom they collaborate within the professions of dentistry and dental hygiene.
The vision of www.DentalSuccess.biz is to be the recognized leader in progressive clinical and business management solutions for the dental professional. Core values include:
- Believing that integrity is the guiding principle of business
- Believing that clients/participants are entitled to receive superior service, products, and support
- Supporting industry colleagues, partners, and alliances
- Believing in the mission statement of the organization and adhering to its content in all that is said, done, and taught.
In addition to the continuing-education programs, www.DentalSuccess.biz offers books, videos, manuals, and marketing plans to make the practice and all team members the best they can be.
A variety of clinical and nonclinical courses will be offered via the webinar series. Practice marketing, patient financing, patient education, periodontal programs, and using a microscope to enhance clinical practice are among the variety of courses offered. A diverse group of clinical, management, and educational presenters will be spotlighted. In addition, a mastermind alliance series will provide networking opportunities for each of the dental team members in their respective fields: administration, assisting, and hygiene. These mastermind groups will provide monthly networking meetings with peers from all over the world, private access to an online library, and monthly marketing and standard operating manuals for the various areas of practice. The mastermind groups will be coordinated by leading professionals in their specific areas of expertise.
One of the goals of www.DentalSuccess.biz is to make each member of the dental team and each dental practice the best it can be, and then have the team and practice give back to the community.
As such, Cindy has agreed to donate 10% of all course registrations to the Smiles for Life Campaign. Smiles for Life is a collaboration between Crown Council dentists and Discus Dental. Crown Council practices donate their time and skills during the months of March through June. Discus Dental donates whitening products. The practices provide whitening services to patients at deeply discounted fees.
All of the proceeds from whitening are given to charities for seriously ill, disabled, or underprivileged children in the community and around the world! This is a wonderful way to be the best and give back. www.DentalSuccess.biz would like to involve as many teams as possible in the Smiles for Life program, and offering the donation is one way to accomplish that.
So if you are looking for continuing-education programs that not only enlighten but also serve the community, www.DentalSuccess.biz is for you.
Editor's note: The author is one of several presenters who will be presenting continuing-education programs on the site.
About the Author
Ann-Marie C. DePalma, RDH, MEd, FAADH, is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Hygiene, member of ADHA and other professional associations. Ann-Marie presents continuing-education programs for hygienists and dental team members and has written numerous articles on a variety of topics. She can be reached at [email protected].
