There’s strength in numbers, and a membership with a professional body can provide security whilst also placing members at the forefront of change. There are around 400 such bodies in the UK, representing approximately 13 million professionals. This covers professional associations, regulatory bodies and learned societies.
Dentistry can be a challenging industry, with innumerable considerations like the products you use, the services you access, the treatments you deliver and choosing the educational avenues for attaining yearly CPD. With so much to balance, dental professionals may find it a challenge doing it solo. Becoming a member of a professional body is therefore a career essential, with a host of benefits.
Professional unity
To push their respective industries onwards and upwards, professional bodies have several shared goals:
- Provide comprehensive support, such as practical help and career development
- Enhance professional status by championing a gold standard
- Build a strong collective voice
- Advocate for positive changes by influencing the industry or government
For dentists, these goals are designed to ensure safe practise for both the patient and the provider.
Membership rates can vary to maximise the number of professionals who can join. Among dental professionals, this may involve unique rates for clinicians, dental hygienists, therapists and nurses, and retired clinicians. To support students and individuals in the first few years of their career, some professional bodies may offer subsidised or free membership, helping to nurture the next generation by relieving extra financial strain. Similarly, companies and laboratories can also get a special rate to better involve the team for group events out.
Benefit basics
To enhance career development, professional bodies offer exclusive membership benefits that can be categorised into two groups: tangible and intangible. In the former, these are visible benefits, such as discounts on equipment and access to educational events.
Intangible benefits are harder to quantify; this is a deeper emotional connection to the professional body that creates a sense of belonging, ranging in difference between each member. This can be a powerful motivator, pushing dental professionals to strive towards greatness; to follow in the footsteps of those at the cutting-edge of the respected path. Such figures within a professional body can have an important impact on wellbeing and development, especially for those at the start of their career, such as students, or those who may feel underrepresented within the workforce. One benefit of a role model, particularly a close one like a mentor, is that they can protect younger professionals from challenges like stress, providing experiential information and encouragement to promote reliable coping mechanisms.[i] Emotional development such as this can be a hidden member benefit, but one with an enormous and long-lasting impact.
Stay in the loop
A great advantage of being part of a professional body is the inter-connectedness. Whether that’s through members-only social media groups, message boards or mailing lists, having instant access to industry news or being able to troubleshoot treatments with fellow clinicians is a superb resource. For more physical interactions, networking events also bring professionals together, be they newly qualified or highly experienced. Building a web of contacts can open doors to exciting career opportunities that may not have presented themselves without being part of a professional body.
Low cost, big gains
The cost-effectiveness of membership benefits is often what makes the choice easy. The combined savings from exclusive discounts may neutralise the initial outlay whilst providing invaluable career opportunities, CPD access and fun social events. These financial perks can vary from equipment offers to free trials, with each deliberately selected to give dental professionals the resources needed to achieve the gold standard for their patients.
The Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) provides its members with incredible value of money, with savings of over £1,000 across its many exclusive benefits. Whether that’s £500 off journal subscriptions or fantastic reductions in tickets for ADI events like Team Congress or a Masterclass, becoming part of the UK’s leading implantology network is a cost-effective way of accessing unmissable educational events and resources.
A part of something bigger
To stay ahead of the latest trends and developments, dental professionals must be proactive rather than reactive. This is achieved by joining a professional body and immersing yourself in game-changing membership benefits and first-class educational opportunities.
For more information about the ADI, visit www.adi.org.uk
Join today
Author: Dr Pynadath George, GDC-registered Specialist Oral Surgeon and President of the ADI (Association of Dental Implantology)
[i] Cottle, J., Drozdik, A.L. and Rimes, K.A. (2024). The Impact of Role Models and Mentors on the Mental and Physical Wellbeing of Sexual and Gender Minorities. Behavioral Sciences, [online] 14(5), p.417. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14050417.
