The concept of moving continuously along the path of personal development should be at the heart of every professional’s motivation in the work place. Keeping up-to-date with changes in industry information and refreshing key skills is vital to progress up the career ladder or remain knowledgeable of an existing position. Relying solely on expertise learnt during training or in the early stages may not be applicable to today’s working environment and could cause issues to arise.

Patients have a right to expect their dental professional to be capable of delivering high quality dental care that is current and meets industry standards. In 2002, the GDC made it a requirement for dentists to complete 250 hours of CPD during a five-year cycle and in 2008 it was made a requirement for dental care professionals to complete 150 hours during the same time frame. Despite it being a requirement, 1,947 DCPs failed to declare if they had completed the required number of hours during their first full five-year cycle of CPD[1]. These individuals will be contacted by the GDC and informed of the next steps. If they fail to comply they could risk losing their registration and their ability to practice.

No one should ever stop learning. As the practise of dentistry continuously evolves, dental professionals should make a conscious effort to develop their skills and understanding as new techniques, standards and equipment emerge. To be most effective, learning should become a natural part of a dental professional’s routine, so it is not seen as a requirement or a chore. CPD should be seen as a gratifying experience throughout which dental professionals should want to strive to achieve best practice and enhance their existing knowledge. It is a chance for dental professionals to stay stimulated, to keep pace with others in the profession and to maintain public confidence. If a dental professional stands still and does not move along the path of CPD, they will get left behind. If at any point a dental professional finds that completing the required hours of CPD has become a drag, they should consider changing their provider, because they are not reaping the full benefits that completing CPD can bring.

Starting the CPD journey has never been easier. Accessing thousands of articles, lectures, videos and webinars can now be achieved through the growing selection of online CPD providers. These e-Learning facilities have enhanced the concept of CPD through their simple to navigate websites, which have been designed to make completing CPD enjoyable for the user and to make the requirement so much more than just a ‘box-ticking’ exercise.

The flexibility these sites offer dental professionals is vast. Instead of attending timetabled lectures and reading books to log CPD hours, a dental professional can now complete their core and verifiable CPD from home, on the commute or at work when they catch five minutes during their busy schedule. This can be done by accessing the internet using their desktop PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone and logging on to their chosen provider’s website. This allows subscribers to log their hours of learning at a time convenient to them.

To log CPD and to keep track of learning, these sites offer users the ability to create a personal development plan. This allows dental professionals to plot how they will complete their CPD over the next five years. Subscribers will be able to determine their own personal goals, keep objectives in mind and ensure they achieve all CPD requirements as set by the GDC. Creating a personal development plan is unique to the individual, but there are of course three core topics that must be covered. Medical emergencies, disinfection and decontamination and radiography and radiation, are topics that a dental professional needs to complete, but when it comes to choosing what topics to study to achieve the required number of hours for verifiable CPD the list is endless. The creation of a personal development plan aids with keeping focus and helps keep documentation in order.

There are many providers of CPD out there, but one of the leaders in online learning is ProDentalCPD. Their website contains over 50 subject areas for subscribers to delve into, providing unlimited online access to CPD, including core and verifiable topics. And now they have made completing hours of verifiable CPD even easier with the launch of their new bitesize CPD bundles. These bundles gather together articles from over 2,000 authors in one accessible package, for both subscribers and non-members.

To develop your knowledge of the dental industry with ease, log on today to make ProDentalCPD your online provider of core and verifiable CPD.

To learn more, contact ProDentalCPD on 0114 282 3509, or visit

www.prodentalcpd.com