Recent news that direct access has finally been approved serves as a strong reminder that the practise of dentistry is predicated upon education. As of May 1, 2013, dental care professionals can carry out their full scope of practice without prescription and without the patient having to see a dentist first. However, in addition to other General Dental Council provisions, all registrants must be trained, competent and indemnified for any tasks they undertake.
Education underpins the dental profession and instils the basic fundamentals of how to practise safely and effectively in the best interests of patients.
The scope of practice, which describes what each member of the dental team is trained and competent to do, is likely to change over the course of a career. Once qualified, you may expand your scope through the development of new skills, or you may wish to narrow your focus in order to deepen your knowledge of a particular area by choosing more specialised practice. Whichever path you choose, compulsory and valuable CPD will be attained along the way.
Continual professional development is an essential component of a dental professional’s lifelong learning. It provides the opportunity to learn new information and ensures the profession is keeping their skills and knowledge up-to-date, with the ultimate aim of always providing patients with the best possible treatment and care.
Currently, the GDC is issuing calls reminding almost 40,000 DCPs that July 31, 2013 marks the end of their first five-year CPD cycle. By this date, DCPs within this group must have completed 150 hours of CPD, 50 of which must be verifiable. This is a legal requirement, and registrants have until August 28, 2013, to declare the hours that they have completed or risk losing their GDC registration.
According to the dental regulator, for an activity to count as verifiable CPD it must meet the following criteria:
• Concise educational aims and objectives.
• Clear anticipated outcomes.
• Quality controls (you should be given the chance to feedback).
• You must obtain and keep documentary proof, a certificate for example, of your attendance/participation from the activity’s provider/organiser.
However, with only three months to go, it’s worrying that only 15,837 registrants have completed all their hours and 4,106 have yet to declare any.
As busy dental professionals, it can be difficult finding the time to leave the practice and attend a course and even if the time is available course fees can also create a barrier to gaining the necessary CPD hours. However, it is possible to obtain free, verifiable CPD whilst at the practice or even from the comfort of your own home.
Dentisan hopes to help dental professionals gain their required CPD by publishing bi-monthly online CPD articles. Infection control can be a complicated subject and we consider it to be an important part of our remit to explain why certain processes should be followed, with the aim of aiding understanding and giving individuals greater job satisfaction, enabling them to increase their competencies in certain areas and become more independent as workers in their own right.
Disinfection and decontamination is one of the three core subjects that the GDC strongly recommends are completed as part of verifiable CPD, alongside medical emergencies and radiography and radiation protection.
Online CPD articles have the benefit of allowing learning to take place in your own time and at your own pace. Unrestricted by time constraints this method of gaining the necessary CPD also offers the freedom to re-visit the articles if further clarification is ever needed.
Where DCPs decide to treat patients, through direct access or not, patient safety remains a priority for everyone in the healthcare services. The importance of ensuring that all members of the team are equipped with apposite knowledge and skills is vital. Only through education and learning can we all facilitate the confident provision of the very best dental care, in a safe and hygienic practice environment.