Like every industry, best practices in dental care will continue to evolve and adapt as science and study reveal more about the connection between oral and systemic health, how best to treat the whole person and business systems to maintain a thriving practice. To this end, dental professionals undergo continual training to keep up with these changes and maintain their eligibility and skills to serve.
Continued education is essential for Michigan’s dentists, dental assistants, and hygienists and additional accreditation can benefit your career.
Why Training is Useful
One of the main reasons that continuing your dental education is a highly beneficial practice is maintaining regulations. Michigan’s Board of Dentistry requires the following continuing education in the 3 year license period:
- Dentists – 60 credit hours
- Registered Dental Hygienists – 36 credit hours
- Registered Dental Assistants – 36 credit hours
Depending upon your license, you are allowed a portion of the credit hours to be achieved by in-person instruction, online studies and independent research. Specific training is also required. Changes to the requirements were made in 2021 indicating that you must dedicate three hours of this time to pain management, three hours to implicit bias training, one hour in ethics, and one hour in infection control. There is also a one time training requirement to understand and recognize human trafficking. Beyond the specified subjects, you can dedicate the remaining hours to any supplementary course of your choosing.
While continued education is a legally mandated requirement to maintain your license, it also offers several additional benefits vital to a successful dental career. Most notably, it serves as an incredibly effective way to refine your dental care techniques by educating yourself on new practices and technology available to the profession. In doing so, you improve your capability to render the highest level of care to patients.
Finally, when continued education is listed on your résumé, it reinforces your previous qualifications. These additions to your professional background help make you a more appealing candidate as a dentist, dental assistant or hygienist.
That’s an advantage that will not only make you a strong candidate here in Michigan, but for dental positions across the country should you desire to make a move.
Where to Continue Your Training
You might wonder how to add on to your education and where to find the resources to do so. Fortunately, the resources are more plentiful than you might have imagined and are readily available. Many websites offer training for the required courses of study you need for renewal, along with elective training you can undergo to reinforce your knowledge.
Courses for CPA/AED training, HIPAA compliance, radiography certifications, and even updated operations protocols for COVID-19 are all available as courses that can further certify you as a dental professional and are easily enrolled via the host website.
These training programs will incur a small cost. Some courses will be $40.00, and others will be $75.00 or more. However, the intrinsic value of this training will more than justify the cost.
Continued education for dental professionals
Becoming a dental professional requires a great deal of training and education. It can be time-consuming and difficult to commit to additional education after entering the professional workforce. However, even when not mandated to complete these courses to maintain your license, they are remarkably beneficial in keeping you at the forefront of your field.
These days, being among the most educated in your field is an excellent way to ensure not only your continued employment but the career of your dreams.
At Peak Performers, we specialize in helping our network of highly qualified dental professionals to get the education and resources they need to stay current with dentistry’s evolving practices. We can also assist if you need additional work hours or if you wish to move to another practice that better aligns with your skills, clinical philosophy and/or desired culture.
Does your practice need access to the best dental professionals in the upper Midwest? If so, contact Peak Performers and get started staffing your practice with the best educated, most capable professionals in the industry.
