From the minute you set foot in education until your last day as a dental professional, dentistry is one long learning continuum. Continuing professional development, master’s degrees, specialist diplomas, short-term courses and training events; all of these avenues help to shape the professional career of each and every individual, ensuring, in turn, a high standard of dentistry. An awareness of the importance of personal progression and skill development is particularly pertinent in the younger generation of dentists and dental care professionals, especially when it comes to professionalism and the effective delivery of patient care.
To help with this, the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) has teamed up with The Dentist and Dental Update for the 2018 Bursary Awards, with a greater focus on ingenuity and innovation than ever before. As in previous years, the awards are open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, with a range of exciting opportunities available to the successful candidates.
There are four awards for undergraduates across two categories: Professionalism, which the ADG has been running since the inception of the awards, and a brand new classification, Innovation in Dental Care. Building upon the Skills Mix award from previous years, Innovation in Dental Care is a fresh and exciting opportunity for undergraduate dental students to consider, amongst other things, creative new strategies for how the dental team could deliver patient care. To apply, applicants should submit a description of their suggested technique or approach to the ADG giving consideration to the following areas:
- Engaging patients with preventive messages
- The use of current and future technologies
- How the whole dental team can deliver care (skill mix)
- Potential barriers to different ways of working and how they may be overcome
Open to dentists, hygienists, therapists and clinical dental technicians in training, the latest addition to the ADG’s Bursary Awards line up is a great opportunity for the whole dental team to get involved with improving patient care, not to mention a chance to earn national recognition.
The Professionalism category is also open to all undergraduate hygienists, therapists and clinical dental technicians. All applicants need to do is describe a time in which they have demonstrated professionalism and ethicality to a high standard, addressing professionalism in regard to patients, self, and clinical team and peers. “The ADG Bursary Awards are a great opportunity for young dental professionals like myself to receive recognition as well as reflect on the importance of professionalism,” says Christina Tran, last year’s Professionalism Gold Award winner.
For the gold winners of both categories there’s a tempting £1,000 for the taking and £750 for the runner-up – but that’s not all for 2018. In support of the ADG Bursary Awards, The Dentist is offering the two winners a unique publishing opportunity as well as a free pass to the BDIA Dental Update Study Day in October 2018.
The postgraduate winner will also receive a free ticket to the study day, along with the opportunity to author and publish an article in Dental Update and sit on the Dental Update Reading Panel for 12 months beside some of the profession’s leading lights; and that's not to speak of the attractive cash prize of £1,500. The winning project will need to focus on one of two issues of significant concern, namely either improving access for disadvantaged people or building awareness of oral cancer.
This accolade is open to all postgraduate dental students and dentists undertaking postgraduate training. To apply, applicants should submit a description of the proposed project outlining what work they hope to carry out, what they aim to achieve and where the project will be undertaken. Together with an accompanying business plan on how the idea will be implemented, a timetable, projected costs and details on how outcomes/success will be measured, entries will then be judged anonymously by an expert panel of judges.
Last year’s postgraduate winner was Kalpesh Prajapat for his plans to improve children’s oral health through Brush and Pastey, his free oral health app for mobile and tablet devices aimed at children aged eight years and under. “There are so many bright young dentists each with their own skill set and talent pool,” he says, “that I believe awards such as the ADG postgraduate Bursary help drive young determined dentists to succeed. By championing these projects, I feel this will help to build a skilled and multifaceted dental profession.”
If you are looking to enter the competition or know someone that would be interested, be sure to apply before June 30, 2018. Visit www.dentalgroups.co.uk for more information.
The winners of the 2018 Bursary Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony at the 2018 BDIA Dental Update Study Day.