Share knowledge, share success
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 26th March 2021
Lifelong learning is a staple of modern dentistry, but it’s crucial to remember that there are many different ways to advance your knowledge and skills. Attending training courses and events (when it’s safe to do so), as well as completing online programmes can all be highly beneficial in developing your capabilities and confidence within your field. However, sharing knowledge with colleagues, discussing experiences and supporting each other is just as important for learning and encouraging the collective success of the profession.
Forming networks
As we continue to live through a pandemic, the benefits of community and the communication and support this brings have never been so apparent. How many times has a friend or family member offered an idea or shared their own experience to help you improve your situation? This could have been something as simple as suggesting a particular time to go shopping to avoid the queues, or it might have involved swapping good online workouts or discount codes for educational resources for children.
With regards to work, many dental professionals have been sharing information and advice to help colleagues meet the guidelines while optimising the efficiency and profitability of their businesses. Few could have predicted the challenges faced over the past year, so learning from each other to see what works and what doesn’t provides a faster learning curve for individual practices to find the right solutions for their particular predicaments. From Facebook or WhatsApp groups to websites of professional organisations and newsletters from expert companies, there have been various methods of communication designed to share knowledge and help all practices and professionals survive.
These networks have proved invaluable for many individuals and businesses alike during these difficult times. By communicating such information and sharing experiences or ideas, all professionals have been able to learn from each other, to gain fresh perspectives and apply innovative thinking to their own lives and practices. In turn, this has helped many deliver the best possible patient care under the circumstances, minimising disruption to patient access wherever possible.
Building a brighter future
With such networks more established and appreciated than ever before, this lays a solid foundation for the future of dentistry. Though we are not out of the pandemic woods just yet, there is light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccination programme going ahead full steam. With a lower risk to public health and growing public confidence, this means we can start to look forward to a brighter future.
In continuing to share knowledge and experiences among the profession, everyone stands to benefit. Even in ‘normal’ times, we all need a little help or inspiration at some point! Clinicians and their teams can benefit from new ideas on how to streamline their daily workflows, or what new technologies could help enhance the accuracy of dental products they provide. It can also be very useful to learn from other practices and pick up tricks for enhanced marketing activities, indemnity packages or even better management of bills and other overheads. COVID-19 aside, there will always be a new situation to face or a new challenge to overcome – having a network of like-minded colleagues to turn to for support is vital for the team and for the quality of patient care delivered.
In addition, this knowledge sharing can give way to innovation and evolution within dentistry. It encourages development and paves the way for new and improved ways of doing things. Constant communication and constructive feedback can speed up the process and enable both professionals and patients to benefit from ever-more innovative solutions.
A network you can rely on
Finding the right dental community for your interests, experience and professional circumstances is vital. For instance, practice principals need access to other business owners to ensure mutual benefits, while those with large NHS contracts may benefit from joining a network with a similar set-up.
For those who are providing dental implants or interested in growing this aspect of their practice, the Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) is a no-brainer. With thousands of active members, the organisation is dedicated to supporting professional education in dental implantology. It brings together a vast array of individuals, including some of the most experienced and globally-celebrated names in the field. This means there is always someone to speak to for advice, to bounce ideas off or to be inspired by.
As part of the many membership benefits available, the ADI Members Only Facebook Group provides a quick, simple and highly convenient platform to connect with others. Whether sharing a specific case, looking for recommendations or seeking opinions on how to manage a difficult patient situation, your colleagues are there to help.
Succeeding together
At the end of the day, dentistry is a team sport and one in which we succeed by working together. Sharing knowledge and experiences is an essential part of the learning process for all members of the team. Pandemic or no pandemic, make sure you have a network to support you when you need it.
For more information about the ADI, or to join, please visit the website www.adi.org.uk
