Is completing CPD a challenge for those who don’t live in the city? Drs Hadyn and Stephanie Taylor, who are based in the South West region, share how they navigate CPD when living regionally.
How do you navigate completing CPD requirements when you live regionally?
As ADA members we receive regular updates regarding available courses. The best thing for us is that ADAWA organise most of the courses early, which allows us to plan and book our CPD at the start of the year. This is beneficial for us in knowing we will complete our 20 hours, allows us to plan our trips up to Perth well in advance and make necessary arrangements for our respective clinics while we’re out of town. The webinars are also very useful for us, and we especially like that they are often in a series format for different topics and specialties. This is particularly useful for Haydn who works across multiple country locations and mostly in paediatrics.
Do you prefer online or in-person courses? Why?
We prefer the in-person courses as we enjoy catching up with colleagues, interacting with the presenters and the opportunity to speak with the event sponsors such as Smith Coffey and BOQ Specialists. Also, in Haydn’s case, he enjoys winning the door prizes! We do also enjoy the webinars as they give us the opportunity to hear from interstate presenters.
Are there any courses/topics you look out for that you look out for to complete in person? If so, which topics do you look out for?
Oral Surgery, Orthodontic and Prosthodontic practical courses are invaluable and we try to regularly attend those. We also look out for courses on new materials/equipment/techniques to keep our skills current.
Does working at the Government Dental Clinic provide CPD entitlements for staff?
One of the big benefits of working for the government is that we have a CPD allowance and CPD leave in our Industrial Award so we don’t only need to schedule when we are in town. This means we access the leave to get to courses and are never rushing to CPD.
What, if any, are the challenges of completing CPD when you live in a regional area?
Access is of course our biggest issue. We really appreciate the courses that are held regionally, for example we have been attending the Albany course for a few years now. The webinars are a much-needed resource in ensuring we meet our annual hour requirements. The entitlements we receive as government employees do help a lot too.
Would you recommend WA Dental CPD courses? Why?
Absolutely. They are always our first pick and first recommendation when deciding what courses to complete for the year. ADAWA offer a fantastic range of different types of courses such as practical, lecture style, and we especially enjoy the dinner courses at UWA Club. They also have access to great training facilities such as CTEC at OHCWA and provide access to resources after the courses, including contact with the presenters and presentation slides. Jenny (Ball) always runs a fabulous day and goes above and beyond to ensure we are all well fed (including allowing for Steph’s dietary requirements) and have a great day.
Is there any advice you would give to another dentist living regionally about navigating their CPD?
Join the ADA. The CPD resources available to us as ADA members is worth the membership alone. And that is before you consider the other benefits to being a part of our professional association.
What, in your opinion, are the advantages of living in a regional area?
There are many advantages to living in a regional area, personally and professionally. The dental community is even stronger where you get to know the specialists you are referring to and even though we work in the public service, we get to know the private dentists and support each other as professionals and in patient centred care.Patients are very appreciative for the care that we provide. As specialist services aren’t just down the road, we as clinicians are supported by the training we receive through our ADAWA CPD courses in managing each patient safely. We also now live in a place where we would regularly holiday, it doesn’t get much better than that!
