The dental field is one of the fastest -growing industries in America, and just like with most practices in healthcare, major changes happen every day. To keep up with the constantly evolving demands of the profession and innovative technologies that surface, it is important for you, as a Dental Professional, to continue your education. Not only will taking up continued education for Dental Hygienists offer you better career opportunities, but it also helps you stay on top of the game. Studying gives you access to the latest in treatment and diagnostic methods, which in turn will benefit your patients.
1. Continued Education for Dental Hygienists: Is it Required?
While requirements vary from state to state, finishing courses that provide continued education for dental hygienists is mandatory in most states. Completing a specific amount of continuing education courses (CE) is necessary for a dental license to be renewed. The required hours of continuing education range from 14 hours every couple of years to a max of 75 hours every three years. Check with your state to find out how many hours you need for license renewal.
2. Forms of Learning
Continued education courses come in many forms. The structure depends on the provider that you choose. There are training workshops, conferences, certification courses, web-based lectures, and more. You can avail of these programs through community colleges, dental associations, and universities. Even for the busiest professional, there are several opportunities and ways to grow in the field. Online courses provide a way to study for those with non-flexible work schedules.
Though most courses require a fee, there are plenty of free CE credits that you can get through such things as professional publications or live dental webinars. An excellent source of free credits is this list of live webinars provided by Colgate Professional at: https://www.colgateprofessional.com/students-faculty.
I am deeply passionate about the Dental Profession, and having made numerous mistakes; my experiences provide a great deal of information on what to do, vs what not to do! I recently presented a live webinar on Documentation and Risk Management. I also provide in-office workshops on this topic, training the Team how to document to avoid risk and Clinical Systems Management for Increased Productivity and Stress Reduction.
One way to find out the scope of learning available to you is to attend a major dental conference at least once a year. These gatherings yield tons of resources and CE credits to increase your knowledge of information on innovative technology and treatment procedures from professionals just like yourself.
3. Continued Education for the Dental Professional
Here are links provided for you to acquire your Continuing Education:
https://www.aces4ce.com
https://dentalce.todaysrdh.com
https://www.adha.org/continuing-education
https://www.dentalcare.com
https://dimensionsofdentalhygiene.com/ce/ce-courses
ADA CE Online Courses
The American Dental Association offers several online continuing education courses and recorded webinars for credits. One of the popular courses available for continued education for dental hygienists include ADA Infection Control and OSHA 2016, Pharmacology of Analgesics, and the latest, which is COVID-19 Infection Control Protocols & Procedures (a free recorded webinar).
~
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember,
involve me and I learn.”
- Benjamin Franklin