The opportunities are endless! BSDHT Oral Health Conference and Exhibition (OHC) 2018
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 11th September 2018
This year’s Oral Health Conference and Exhibition (OHC) is all about looking to the future and making the very most of your career. There are many opportunities for dental hygienists and dental therapists to advance their skills and gain exciting new experiences within their roles today. Sometimes, you just need to take a leap of faith.
This is something that Jan Baxendale knows all about. At the OHC, she will be presenting “Going it alone – the snags and joys of independent hygiene practice”, sharing her experience of developing her own practice and becoming her own boss.
“During my session, I will consider the different worlds of being a boss and being a salaried employee. What is right for you comes down to one main question: how much independence do you want?
“We have Direct Access, so we have the possibility of increased freedom within our professional field. Such opportunities are things to be grasped – I am a firm believer in carpe diem!
“I believe a major challenge that needs to be overcome in order to realise our potential in independent practice is the adjustment in mind-set that this change requires. If we can adapt our approach when we stop being an employee and become an entrepreneur, we are half way there.
“I will be discussing my personal experience. I will offer information and advice on how to take the leap and demonstrate the various sources of support that are available to anyone looking to do the same. If delegates only take one thing away from my session I hope it is that being independent can be another way of promoting their skills, if they chose to follow this path. It’s not for everyone, but it’s certainly never boring!”
About the event in general, Jan adds:
“Having spent many years as a Regional Representative on the Committee, I have been involved with the BSDHT for some time. The OHC offers two things: great networking opportunities and the chance to be with other like-minded professionals. Being a dental care professional (DCP) can be lonely – it’s nice to share experiences and be out of the cell for a couple of days! The parties are great too!”
For those who aren’t ready or don’t want to go it completely alone, diversifying your existing service provision by looking at new areas can refresh your career and provide greater job satisfaction.
Charlotte Thompson will be looking at one area you could branch into at the OHC 2018 with her lecture entitled “Facial aesthetics – changing the face of dental hygiene and therapy”. She says:
“While there are no specific standards governing the delivery of facial aesthetics, the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) recognises that dental hygienists and dental therapists have the skills and competency to provide treatments. We have experience with injections and very relevant knowledge of the facial anatomy – these skills are therefore easily transferrable into the field of facial aesthetics. Professionals are free to offer services within the dental setting, from a Direct Access clinic or in an independent practice, making it possible for all professionals.
“I decided to move into this field as I was looking for something new after 18 years working as a dental hygienist. It has proven to be a great offshoot career that enables me to use my existing skills in a different way. Plus, demand for facial aesthetics is huge – I’m busier right now than I have ever been!
“My session at the OHC will explore everything delegates need to know to practise safely and legally. I’ll cover things like the need for a prescriber and I’ll discuss how you go about getting everything in place. I hope delegates attending my session will realise the potential to transfer their skills into the facial aesthetics arena, thereby providing an exciting adjunct to their standard practice.”
The OHC 2018 – “The future is yours” – will offer up to 12 hours of enhanced CPD across its packed two-day lecture programme. Alongside Jan and Charlotte will be an array of highly respected and renowned speakers sharing their expertise, including Sara Hurley, Professor StJohn Crean, Fiona Sandom, Amit Patel, Barry Oulton, Tim Ives, Phil Ower, Nik Sethi and Marina Harris, among many others. There will also be the chance to discover new products, technologies and ideas in the exhibition, which will provide the perfect platform for networking with peers as well.
Charlotte adds:
“It’s important to support the BSDHT to get our voice heard in the profession. The OHC offers a great way to do this while catching up with friends and meeting new people. It’s a good place to learn about the latest products and I always come away from the conference with renewed enthusiasm for our profession.”
To gain inspiration and take advantage of the many opportunities available to you, don’t miss the OHC 2018!
OHC “The future is yours” – 23-24 November 2018
Telford International Centre
For more information, please visit www.bsdht.org.uk/OHC2018,
call 01788 575050 or email enquiries@bsdht.org.uk
